The Happiest Medium » Festival

Pageant Princess, The Musical – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:38:06 +0000

Pageant Princess, The Musical

Benefiting: Adam R. Spector Foundation
Produced by Violet Productions
Music by Joni Ernst
Book by Abigail Taylor
Book, Lyrics, and Music also by Lorelei Mackenzie & Kristen Penner

“At Little Miss Glamour and Glitz – Texas it’s what’s on the OUTSIDE that counts. Join three young aspiring pageant princesses and their off-beat families in their quest for the crown. Witness the magic, the mayhem and of course the glitter in this delightful romp into child pageants.”

Show Times:

Tues 6/5/12 – 7:00pm
Sat 6/9/12 – 3:30pm
Sun 6/10/12 – 1:30pm
Sat 6/16/12 – 11:00am
Wed 6/20/12 – 4:30pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 11:30am

Answers by Kristen Penner (Playwright)

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

Kristen: We were watching the reality show “Toddlers and Tiaras” and laughing about how funny it would be to have a musical with these nutty parents and kids. Lorelei, a writer and composer, said jokingly, “Yeah, and we could call it Pageant Princess The Musical.” Suddenly we all stopped and stared at each other. And that is how the show, along with the title, came into being.

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?

Kristen:
Stephen Sondheim because he is the inspiration for a lot of the music.
Michael Galanes, the host of Little Miss Perfect, because he was a big inspiration for the show itself.
Christopher Guest because he was not only an inspiration with his movies but is, in our humble opinion, absolutely brilliant.
Bette Midler, because her career is an inspiration to the struggling actor/writer/composer types…and she would be a great producer for this show!
Anyone who has ever been in the crazy world of pageantry because this show is dedicated to them.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Kristen: I don’t consider anything I do for my art a sacrifice because I love it so much. The time spent composing and writing with the people closest to me is a gift, living in NYC is insane but there’s never a dull moment, and any other struggle that I have had or will have in the future is more fun than I would have doing anything else in the world.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Kristen: We learned how to use Finale (a computer program that supposedly transcribes your sheet music). If anyone reading this ever has issues with Finale, give us a call because we went through 3 months of hell trying to learn it.
Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Kristen: I hope they laugh. And I hope that they walk away feeling the same thing they would feel after watching a reality TV show: less screwed up.

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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.

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

The Happiest Medium — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:28:28 +0000

WEBEIME

Benefiting: Male Survivor
Produced by The Layon Gray Experience & The Black Gents Of Hollywood
Written by Layon Gray

“WEBEIME is a journey, an emotional excursion of one man, dealing with the demons of his past that contributed to his present predicament. The nameless protagonist takes his audience on a path down memory lane, filled with child abuse, mental isolation, domestic violence and becoming a man”

Show Times:

Thur 6/7/12 – 5:00pm
Fri 6/8/12 – 8:00pm
Sun 6/10/12 – 3:30pm
Fri 6/15/12 – 10:00pm
Sun 6/17/12 – 12:00pm
Wed 6/20/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Layon Gray

(Writer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Layon: I always get asked this question because many people pronounce the title wrong. lol. The correct way to say it is WE – BE – I – ME. I created this to symbolize that although each human being in the world is different we have some kind of common factor. In WEBEIME although the protagonist is an African American male his issues are universal.

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?
Layon: This play is based off another show I wrote in 2003 called “Diary Of A Catholic School Dropout” which featured a diverse all female cast. My childhood friend who died inspired me to write the piece. I know she would appreciate her story being told on stage from the female and male perspective. I would also invite as many people who have suffered from mental, physical, and child abuse, and let them know its okay to talk about it.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Layon: Breaking off a wedding engagement to move to LA from Louisiana to be an extra on Days Of Our Lives. I apologized years later.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Layon: Wow! This is a very good question. You have to understand the show is dealing with sexual child abuse amongst other things. Its always a tough subject matter, then you throw in 8 African American men, where if it does (or has) happen it’s just not really talked about amongst African Americans. Watching these actors go from hesitant about being raped on stage (stylized), and breaking down in tears/becoming this child was an incredible moment for me as a writer/ director and artist to witness the transformation. The actors really have to trust the director’s vision, and these men who were sheltered at first slowly let their guards down and reveled something unique and free on stage.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Layon: Interesting. Here you have a man who is on death row for brutality murdering his wife. In his last 2 hours before he’s executed he is trying to find peace. From a writer stand point my goal is for audience to understand murder is not good, and for some people they live by the saying “an eye for an eye” . However for those 2 hours of the show I want the audience to walk in his shoes, his path and then make up their decision on his fate.

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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.

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

The Happiest Medium — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:20:45 +0000

Trafficked

Benefiting: GEMS
Created by Members of Project Girl Performance Collective
Directed by Ashley Marinaccio

Show Times:

Mon 6/4/12 – 4:00pm
Fri 6/8/12 – 6:00pm
Sun 6/10/12 – 5:30pm
Sat 6/16/12 – 4:30pm
Thu 6/21/12 – 5:00pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 1:30pm

Answers by various cast/staff members of TRAFFICKED including

Mildred Jones-Hamm (Performer), Monica Furman (Performer/Creator), Chioneso Bakr (Performer), Ashley Marinaccio (Director)

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

Ashley Marinaccio: Trafficked tells the story of sex slavery and child exploitation through the eyes of fifteen young women. In an ensemble devised performance constructed by interviews, research and media, the cast puts a name and face to the thousands of undocumented girls and boys who are trafficked into the billion dollar sex industry each year. We chose to call our show Trafficked because it summarizes what our show is about.

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?

Somaly Mam – She is an activist who has dedicated her life to ending human trafficking. Her work has motivated this production. We hope that through our show we can help to raise awareness of people like Somaly Mam who are changing lives each day.

Gloria Steinem – As young feminists we deeply admire Gloria and feel that she has blazed the trail to let us be who we are today. It would be an honor for her to join us.

Eve Ensler – Eve has created a movement to end violence against women. She is our biggest influence. We would love for Eve to lead a workshop and talk back with our girls.

Michele Obama – We love the work that our first lady has done to empower women and girls in the United States and around the world. We have had the privilege of performing at The White House once and would love for Mrs. Obama to see
Trafficked.

Oprah – We want Oprah to see our work! She has changed so many lives and inspires us beyond words. We hope that our work will inspire Oprah the way that she has inspired us.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Mildred Jones-Hamm (Age 21): The biggest sacrifice I made for my art is moving away from suburban Michigan, away from the security of family, my university, and friends to create a life in New York City. To develop my art in a place which I knew nothing about. Not only have I grown more independent but I also seek the importance of art and the decisions in my life. I’ve learned there is security in nothing so in order to excel I have to be fearless and make bold decisions in my life and ART. Through this experience I have become aware of my self worth as a individual, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason with this I have broaden my horizons as a thinker, artist and achiever it was totally 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?
- Monica Furman (Age 16): I’m from Ukraine. I had no idea that Ukraine was a place of such immense sexual exploitation! I had never heard any family members talk about it, so I was very surprised when I came upon the information during my research for my character.
- Chioneso Bakr (Age 17): During production I learned that sex trafficking not only happens outside the US, but right inside my own city. To know that this issue is happening in my backyard, it makes the situation much more frightening.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
- Chioneso Bakr: The show should be the type of experience where audience would want to tell others about it. I would hope they would enjoy it, feel the acting, become emotional, and understand how serious sex trafficking is.

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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.

Blind Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:01:39 +0000

The Bad Date Project

Benefiting: Food Bank for New York City
Produced/Written by Stephen Stocking & Troy Miller
Directed by Troy Miller
Performed by Christopher Bonewitz, Rachel Christopher, Stephen Stocking, Bridget Ori, Tara Carrozza, Leigh Dunham, Michael Levi Harris, Matthew Stapleton

“Who hasn’t had a bad date? No one. Not even your grandma. The Bad Date Project takes two lonely singles on a rocky treasure hunt for love…or fun…or just some kind of connection. Created from true stories, it’s a sexy, hilarious and tragic look at dating in the new millennium.”

Show Times:

Sat 6/2/12 – 6:00pm
Thu 6/7/12 – 10:00pm
Sun 6/10/12 – 2:00pm
Wed 6/13/12 – 8:00pm
Mon 6/18/12 – 4:00pm
Wed 6/20/12 – 9:30pm
Thu 6/21/12 – 8:00pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 3:00pm

Answers by Troy Miller

(Co-Creator, Co-Producer, Director)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Troy: As we started talking about writing and developing the play, we didn’t have a name, but the idea was a project of sorts, so as a working title we started calling it THE BAD DATE PROEJCT and it sort of stuck. But it’s also appropriate to what the show is about. It’s a study of dating. It takes work to date and to figure out how to do it well. So the word “project” seemed to have a lot of meaning to us.

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?
Troy: The woman who lives on the Upper East Side, the guy who lives in Brooklyn, the recent college grad from Columbia because our show is about them and their lives. We took their stories (and many others) and created a slice-of-life comedy that speaks about a universal truth, dating sucks!

If we were to invite industry professionals we would invite Moises Kaufman because his creation of THE LARAMIE PROJECT was inspiration to us in how to create our piece and tell our story. Elia Kazan because of his natural take on theater and his ability to balance multiple facets of creating art at once. Currently both of the co-creators are juggling three jobs (Writer/Producer/Director or Actor) and Mr. Kazan was able to do it flawlessly.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Troy: Any sacrifice you make for your art is always worth it if you are following your heart and dream. The biggest sacrifice we have made for this project was time. Both Stephen Stocking and I have invested a few years of our lives in bringing this play through its stages, with all of the roller coaster events that come with bringing a show to life. And now as we are just at the tip of that big hill, we see all that was behind us and all that is in front of us, and I think it was completely 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?
Troy: I won’t speak for Stephen on this, but I learned a lot about dating; the dos and don’ts and what was acceptable behavior and what wasn’t. However, I think the funniest thing I learned as we developed this piece was how to end a date quickly. If I spoke about the play and how we were getting our bad date stories, without fail the date would be over within 15 minutes after I started talking about it. It would seem none of my dates wanted to risk any more of their likeness making its way into the play!

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Troy: I would hope that they walk away feeling like they are not the only one who has suffered from a bad date, that they feel a sense of connection and camaraderie with the cast and the people whose stories went into the script. Overall that they spent 90 minutes feeling good, laughing and thinking, “wow, my dates weren’t THAT bad.”

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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 American Play – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:01:58 +0000

The American Play

Benefiting: Sanctuary for Families
Produced by The Dirty Blondes
Written by Ashley J. Jacobson

“A sinister tale of a burgeoning friendship in an increasingly sociopathic society hell-bent on making monsters of its men and objects of its women. What would Partick Bateman do?”

Show Times:

Mon 6/4/12 – 6:00pm
Thur 6/7/12 – 10:30pm
Thur 6/14/12 – 4:00pm
Wed 6/20/12 – 8:30pm
Fri 6/22/12 – 6:00pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Alexandra Siladi (Director),

Ashley Jacobson (Playwright),

Elizabeth Sarkady (Manager)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Alexandra Siladi: Our show was inspired by American Psycho – playwright Ashley Jacobson decided on this specific title because we also realized this story was a capsule of modern American life. It is about white men, a demographic who not only who founded the country we live in, but continue to decide on the laws & regulations that govern its citizens. We see this play as a comment on American society and how in 20 years since American Psycho was written, not only has the story of Patrick Bateman been embraced by a large majority of those who know it, but it has become an iconic vision of the American male’s greatest concerns: image, sex, power, and money.

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?
AS: Bret Easton Ellis, because he wrote the book that is our inspiration in addition to being one of the most prolific writers of our generation, Christian Bale because he’s the inspiration for the film and our play’s image, Marilyn French the author of The War Against Women written years before the hashtag was part of our lexicon, Donald Trump Jr. because he would make a great Bateman and might be inspired to support the arts, and…

Ashley Jacobson: Quentin Tarantino, because I think he’d really like it.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
AS: The biggest sacrifice I’ve made for my art was my life – I’ve given myself up not only for this play, but for theater. It’s great exploring the mysteries of the human condition through the performing arts, I don’t see any other way.

AJ: As a writer, the artistic process is solitary, confining, alienating. You can’t do it with friends, of for me, a crowded room. I sit alone and stare at a computer screen and let the voices in my head guide me. Especially with this play, I think the sacrifice has been a bit of a social life, and a lot of my sanity. I dream about these people and hear their voices. It’s rewarding to hand it over to the production team and let them inhabit that world for a while.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
AS: In the beginning, my goal was to bring American Psycho to life as essentially a one-person play told by multiple actors. From this seed, it has become a play about two fully formed characters that are able to exist as a comment on the same darkness that exists in the book. Also, we’ve discovered that live actresses make a better chorus than mannequins.

Elizabeth Sarkady: The original idea of the play came about before our company, The Dirty Blondes. After our company formed and we came back to this project, we noticed that the fact that this was a script about men penned and developed by women gave it a subversive feminist agenda.

AJ: After the first round of auditions, the entire production team was really depressed and freaked out by the show. It was a turning point in the writing process because we realized that we had created such a dark world, but we weren’t offering an alternative. We were just painting a picture of a cartoonish cruel world as if it was exact and inescapable. We had a little bit of an email therapy session, and I went back to the drawing board. From there, we added scenes and words that became the heart of the play; that made it more human; more touching and much more powerful.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
AS: We hope the audience experiences not only the Brechtian ideal of “alienation” (which we’re going for with breaking down the fourth wall) but that they are moved to look at how their behavior in even the most subtle forms of expression or language can impact the series of events that leads to violence. Violence begets violence, and we hope that the audience might not just turn their head to this fact, but try to stop it and show some kindness, which is not an easy feat.

AJ: Alex puts this perfectly. I just hope people are touched. The play points to so many elements of our daily lives – sexism, bullying, capitalism, etc. The takeaway message, though, is that it is all about how we treat each other, the damage we do to each other for the sake of “survival.” Kindness, and live-and-let-live can be a form of survival as well.

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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 Taint Of Equality, Or I Want Your Sex – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:48:42 +0000

The Taint of Equality, ~or~ I Want Your Sex

Benefiting: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Produced by Cross-Eyed Bear Productions
Written/Directed by Duncan Pflaster

“Adrian and Javier are a gay couple who don’t believe in marriage- but everyone assumes they’re married. When they realize they’ve never actually opened up their “open relationship”, they decide to each go out and get laid, with hilarious and erotic results. Featuring an all-male cast of 13 in an epic satire of modern gay society. Warning: Nudity.”

Show Times:

Fri 6/8/12 – 6:30pm
Wed 6/13/12 – 10:00pm
Sat 6/16/12 – 10:00pm
Mon 6/18/12 – 7:30pm
Thu 6/21/12 – 10:00pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Duncan Pflaster
(Writer, Director)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Duncan: It actually took a long time and I went through several titles- It began life called Fidelity, was called Sex and Sensibilities for a while, then went through a number of options that weren’t quite right: One Touch of Penis, The Salad of the Bad Young Men, I Am Into Champagne, Wang the Drum Slowly, and then I tentatively settled on the somewhat bland Equality for the first draft and private reading with my playwright group… but then I read an interview with Paul Rudd in US Weekly where he mentioned the awkwardness of doing nude scenes and pitied the poor soundman who had to look at his hairy taint- and BAM, “The Taint of Equality” it was. The pun sounds vaguely dirty and makes people giggle, but the other meaning resonates with the Gay Marriage themes of the play. And the subtitle of course is from the 80s George Michael song- since he’s struggled in his personal life with some of the same fidelity/monogamy issues as my characters (and is mentioned in the play), that just seemed to be appropriate.

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?
Duncan: (Singer) George Michael, (Playwright) Noel Coward, (Composer) Stephen Sondheim, (Columnist) Dan Savage, and (Gay-for-Pay Porn Star) Paul Carrigan- each of them inspired parts of the play, and I think they’d get a kick out of it.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Duncan: Oh man, it seems like I’m always sacrificing something to make my shows happen. I’ve been averaging two full-length shows per year the last few years, and it’s been more and more of a difficult battle. Frankly, though I’m extremely proud of all the plays I’ve done and have been very lucky to work with such great people through the years, it’s been feeling less and less worth it as I go on. I’m considering giving up producing my own work and just doing something else for a while.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Duncan: Well, I wrote the first draft of this play in 2 months, which is the shortest amount of time in which I’ve ever written a full-length play (I usually average about a year), so that was unexpected; I didn’t know I could write so quickly. I’m still working on more drafts of Nothing Human, the other (more dramatic) play which I took a hiatus from to write Taint.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Duncan: I hope they are entertained, but also leave thinking about the issues; they’re presented in a hilarious way, but deep down it’s a serious show that presents philosophical questions about relationships and what they could look like.

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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 Count Of Monte Cristo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:14:22 +0000

The Count of Monte Cristo

Benefiting: UJA of New York
Produced by Provident Productions
Book, Music & Lyrics by James Behr
Composed & Arranged & Musically Directed by James Behr

“The Count of Monte Cristo, a musical based upon the famed Alexandre Dumas novel, now comes to the Broadway stage! Come see the beloved and thrilling story of love, revenge and redemption in this prize-winning and critically acclaimed new musical.”

Show Times:

Tue 6/12/12 – 6:30pm
Sat 6/16/12 – 8:30pm
Sun 6/17/12 – 4:00pm
Mon 6/18/12 – 7:00pm
Thu 6/21/12 – 9:00pm
Sat 6/23/12 – 3:30pm

Answers by James Behr

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
James: The title is based upon the book, “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, which the musical is adapted from.

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?
James: Richard Rodgers – because I admire his music so much

Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Because I admire what he accomplished as President

Winston Churchill – because I admire his determination and contributions to history.

Moses – Because he is such huge factor in religion and morality.

Philip J. Smith, Chairman, Co-CEO, The Shubert Organization – because I would like to have my musical produced.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
James: I gave up a very lucrative profession to do what I am doing, and have put thousands of hours of my time and talent into what I’m trying to accomplish as an artist. What it worth it? I like creating, but I am still awaiting the opportunity to be taken seriously and given a fair chance to be seen.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
James: Well, I knew it was going to be very difficult to get the attention of the entertainment industry, but even so, I did not expect it to be as challenging as it has been to get producers to communicate and be open-minded to a new work based upon such a famous story.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
James: A sense that there are new musical, like The Count of Monte Cristo that respect the great traditions of Broadway and deserve to get attention and help from those in the industry capable of making things happen. There is a sad tendency now to support the rich and famous and ignore new talent simply because they are unknown.

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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.

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

The Happiest Medium — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:22:40 +0000

Safe

Benefiting: National Eating Disorders Association
Produced by Ego Actus
Written by Penny Jackson
Directed by Joan Kane

“SAFE is a drama set in Manhattan about two unhappy teenagers, one anorexic and the other overweight, who find themselves in danger when they encounter charming Phillip, an older teacher with a dangerous secret.”

Show Times:

Fri 6/1/12 – 7:00pm
Sat 6/2/12 – 3:00pm
Mon 6/4/12 – 10:00pm
Wed 6/6/12 – 4:00pm
Sat 6/9/12 – 8:00pm
Thu 6/14/12 – 6:00pm

Answers by Penny Jackson
(Playwright)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Penny: As a teacher and parent, I would always hear the term “safe” when discussing children and adolescents. I decided to write about two teenage girls who, although they may be protected by money, find themselves in real danger by their parents’ selfishness and the pressure of today’s world for women to be physically perfect.

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?
Penny: I would invite Sylvia Plath because she understood the pressures of being a too smart woman and of course because she wrote “The Bell Jar”, which is a book that one of my main characters, Liz, reads in the treatment center for her anorexia. I would invite Queen Elizabeth I because she was not only one of the most powerful women in history, but also supported playwrights. I would invite Virginia Woolf, who convinced me, as well as so many other female writers, to find a room of my own. In the present I would invite Sarah Ruhl, a playwright I so admire, and Toni Morrison, the Novel prize winning novelist, whose “Bluest Eye” is such a lovely and powerful book about identity.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Penny: Sleep. When I’m writing, I can’t sleep because my mind is still composing dialogue and scenes. I’m also a real nervous wreck every time I see my work performed. But even tired and jittery, it’s still 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?
Penny: As a novelist who spends way too much time alone in front of my computer, I really appreciate the collaborative effort it takes to create a play. I have learned so much from my director, my producer, my actors, and all the other wonderfully talented people involved in my production team. My play , like a child, truly needs a village to mature. What started as an observation about bullying in a high school class is now a fully realized dramatic work.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Penny: I hope that my adults in my audience will remember that when you are an adolescent, you cannot see the future, and that every day to a young person can feel like the last day. I hope that my young members of the audience will be able to see beyond their present and that the future is indeed within their grasp. I also hope that my play shows that if we believe that advertising and the media dictates the way we must look and behave, then we are not safe.

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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.

Baby Plays The Banjo – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

The Happiest Medium — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:11:09 +0000

This is your brain on Kimberly Pau. Any Questions?

Baby Plays The Banjo

Benefiting: Brooklyn Public Library
Produced/Written by Kimberly Pau
Directed by Eric Mercado

“I’m having Justin Beiber’s baby. Really. I am. BABY PLAYS THE BANJO explores our love of the mainstream media and how it comforts us.”

Show Times:

Wed 5/30/12 – 6:00pm
Sun 6/3/12 – 10:00pm
Tues 6/5/12 – 9:00pm
Sun 6/10/12 – 8:00pm
Sat 6/16/12 – 6:30pm

Answers by Kimberly Pau
(Writer, Producer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?
Kimberly: It’s about a girl who believes her baby was fathered by Justin Beiber and is thus a musical genius.

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?
Kimberly: Gandhi, one of the greatest men who ever lived and it would be nice to share a laugh, Caryl Churchill, Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman for notes and Justin Beiber?… not really… I’d rather talk about music with Obama.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Kimberly: Giving up the idea of being financially stable or having free time or vacation. I don’t really think it’s worth it, no. And also living in debt forever is pretty bad too, so no definitely a bad decision, would live like normal people if I could help myself.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Kimberly: Well Eric Mercado (director) and I were developing this project last summer after I had written most of the script and was shooting in Estonia and he started emailing and texting me like mad with links to a story about a woman claiming to be carrying a baby Beiber so it was in the collective unconscious I guess. We thought it was pretty funny.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Kimberly: I recently heard Adam Curtis lecture and he said something that really moved me and summed up what I’m going for thematically with Banjo, “because all we think about is ourselves we are imprisoned by our own feelings.” So to be more specific, I hope the audience is influenced by the show’s depiction of our dependence on the American media and also on celebrities to provide an emotional and social construct for our collective behavior and the consequences of finding comfort there.

___

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.

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!

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