Every year the Frigid Festival gives us a hangover – of shows, that is!  A Frigid Hangover has nothing to do with alcohol but it has everything to do with shots!  As in — these shows get one more shot at entertaining audiences.

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP

PRESENTS THE

2012 FRIGID HANGOVERS

THE BEST & BRIGHTEST FROM

THIS YEARS FESTIVAL

Horse Trade Theater Group (Erez Ziv, Managing Director, Heidi Grumelot, Artistic Director) is proud to present the third annual FRIGID Hangovers, March 5-10 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery). They’re bringing back the best and the brightest from this years festival, so don’t miss your second chance to catch standout performances of the shows below:

FRIGID Hangovers will run March 5-10 at The Kraine Theater. Tickets ($18-$20) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

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Stripper Lesbians

Hangover: Mon 3/5 @ 7pm

Evan, a woman’s studies major, is writing a killer senior thesis– by becoming a stripper at her favorite strip club. In between her current girlfriend, a stripper-lesbian, and her ex boyfriend, an unemployed Tisch graduate, Evan dances the line between love and betrayal. A comedy about what it really means to be ‘in love with a stripper’ and what it means to become one.

What we said: Sure, the show is sexy, shows a lot of skin, and has no problem exploring the more intimate moments of the relationship, but Rising Sun’s inherent intelligence as an ensemble ensures that your skin is served up with a side of thoughtful, though-provoking drama which explores the title rather than exploits it.

Fear Factor: Canine Edition

Hangover: Mon 3/5 @ 8:30pm

The peculiar and misguided true adventures of a man and his very trusting, very forgiving, therapy dog. An award-winning tale of true love and overcoming obstacles, while staring fear in the face.

What we said: In Fear Factor: Canine Edition Grady tells the hilarious and heartbreaking story of his life with Abby, and Abby’s last days before she had to be put down. Grady’s stories are beautiful and impassioned, but told simply, with ease and humor.

Little Lady

Hangover: Tue 3/6 @ 7pm

A physical theatre solo show that peers into the fantastical life of Little Lady.

What we said: Little Lady, is happy to hold you in a spell of fascination as she pricks away at your comfort levels, never allowing you to lapse into a passive, carefree enjoyment of her performance.

LOL: The End

Hangover: Tue 3/6 @ 8:30pm

Come to a place where tragedy meets comedy meets stupid. A funny and physical look at natural and human-made disasters through the eyes of three clowns.

What we said: By the end of the show the audience is shown a postapocalyptic world where humankind is reduced back to their primal state by a believable set of circumstances.

The Terrible Manpain of Umberto MacDougal

Hangover: Thu 3/8 @ 7pm

Umberto MacDougal allows you to look through the window of his tragic manpain. With a beard full of tears and a melancholy guitarist playing a sorrowful tune, Umberto reveals the pain that men feel.

What we said: Instead of Umberto simply being a character who is parading his troubles, he has trouble with that parade and it becomes overwhelming to him at times, adding a greater dimension to the work as a whole.

Daughters of Lot

Hangover: Thu 3/8 @ 10pm

The evening’s entertainment is a sexy and silly retelling of an ancient story, until the performers do a trick that requires more than flexibility. Arousing and agitating in Biblical proportions, this is not your daddy’s burlesque club.

What we said: Welcome to Daughters of Lot where the Bible Belt meets the Garter Belt, where Feminism has as many meanings as Eskimos have words for snow and where women run the gamut from young and innocent to young and jaded.

The Rope in Your Hands

Hangover: Fri 3/9 @ 7pm

A solo show based on the true stories of thirteen different survivors of Hurricane Katrina

What we said: O’Loughlin’s interviews span race, class, and age to bring a fully realized account of the storm and its aftermath. Morphing gracefully into each character, with specific physicality and well-practiced speech patterns, O’Loughlin is a joy to watch.

Missed Connections

Hangover: Fri 3/9 @ 8:30pm

Drawing from the sometimes touching, oftentimes torrid (and almost always grammatically incorrect) postings on craigslist’s most notorious section, Missed Connections is a collection of the best and brightest.

What we said: Whether you’re M4W, W4M, M4M, or W4W, there is something for everyone in Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics.

Coosje

Hangover: Sat 3/10 @ 7pm

Coosje is the story of two artists, husband and wife, finding their playful aesthetic together and attempting to escape death. Meanwhile, the singing Pear embarks on a heroic quest to achieve immortality. Their journeys intertwine in this fantastical love story.

What we said: Coosje allows for intimate interaction with the elements of the creative process. This play highlights the notion that every piece of art is the completion of a journey for an object (real or imagined, sentient or inanimate) to get to the place where its inclusion in the art creates the context and meaning of the art itself.

Rabbit Island

Hangover: Sat 3/10 @ 8:30pm

Alex zigzags irregular relationships with an erratic therapist, his on-again off-again girlfriend, an untamed burlesque dancer and The Cleanse. But what more will it take for this verbose Canadian mime to become a Real New Yorker?

What we said: The cast of four is powerful; each embodying complex characters and finding the dualities so that the audience is able to both identify with them as well as inwardly breathe a sigh of relief at how different we are (one would hope).

Related Posts:

• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• Fear Factor: Canine Edition – Puppy Love (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• LOL: The End. : 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Fear Factor: Canine Edition – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

“This is not your father’s burlesque show,” intones host Atlanta Georgia (Marlena Kalm) to the assemblage who stare at the three preening women who are outfitted in sky-high heels, racy bodices and flirty skirts of the schoolgirl-gone-bad-kilt and tutu variety.  With glittery winks and flicking hips these three women ooze dangerous sex appeal and edgy one-liners (I’m like a happy meal … I come with toys).  They are daring and flirty and dirty and in control – demanding that the squeamish leave the building so that they can get on with the show. “We know how you like it …” they taunt, “And we know why you keep it a secret from Wifey.”

Welcome to Daughters of Lot (written by Alexis Roblan and directed by Rachel Kerry) where the Bible Belt meets the Garter Belt, where Feminism has as many meanings as Eskimos have words for snow and where women run the gamut from young and innocent to young and jaded.  If you’re looking for a man here you’ll find him only when he’s being channelled by one of the women, when he’s being serviced (unseen) by one of his daughters backstage, or when you look to your left at the guy sitting next to you.

Daughters of Lot (L-R: Naomi Bland, Rebecca Gray Davis, Marelena Kalm | Photo credit: Nicholas Grant)

As Atlanta plays ringmaster to One (Stav Meishar) and Two (Caitlin Mehner) the three women proudly bring forth a daring exhibit: the real daughters of Lot who arrive like relics, wrapped in artifacts, inside big dresses but they are nonetheless excited to be there once they get over the rift in the fabric of time.

There’s a lot going on here so let me boil it down to the most important take-aways.  Three narratives are presented and intertwined but they all deal with one theme and all weigh the same issues to see how the scales balance: is Woman a victim or is she the victor? (It should be noted that “Atlanta” means “balance”.)

Story one is the very constructs of the play: burlesque and all its forms – from the theatrical to the modest and reserved.  Regardless of attire a woman teases and beguiles — offers up her most private moves and rituals for an audience.  By doing so has she conquered them?  Or is she theirs to use up and toss aside?  Second story:  The actual story of Lot’s daughters.  There has always been some debate as to who did what to whom after they fled Sodom & Gomorrah.  Mother, turned to salt, could no longer service their father.  Did the daughters take it upon themselves to “know” their father … to save the human race?  Or did the father simply continue a practice he’d started long before they fled?  Then there’s the third story of Atalanta (or Atlanta – there are 2 versions which are told to the daughters of Lot).  The story is basically one of a young maiden who is not interested in marriage and plays at being a boy to get away from her suitors.  A race is held – the winner will get her hand.  She enters the race herself hoping to claim herself at the end, only to get distracted by some apples (maaaaagic apples).  Long story short, in the end she marries the guy who won the race.  Happy ending?  That’s a matter of perspective.  In fact – it’s all a matter of perspective.  Which is the one big theme: victim or victor?

Two (Caitlin Mehner) holds down Atlanta (Marelena Kalm) as One (Stav Meishar) jeers | Photo credit: Nicholas Grant

Throughout the hour Daughter 1 (Naomi Bland) and Daughter 2 (Rebecca Gray Davis) play the straight man, as it were, and allow Atlanta and crew to zip them (and us) through a cliff notes version of what it feels like for a girl, always driving home the point of balance.   Bland and Davis do a wonderful job at convincingly portraying newly-hatched women who are window shopping in the Mall of  Female Stereotypes where each conceivable brand of woman is, in turn, either celebrated or bashed.  However, no matter what lessons Atlanta and her One and Two can provide for the Daughters the story of Lot must play out as it should.  While the idea of who the aggressor is  - at least from this tale’s context – seems fixed,  the question of their perspective having been polluted becomes a weightier question thanks to the new stories that have been interwoven with theirs.

This play was originally longer and cut to fit FRIGID’s 1 hour time-frame, which I knew going in.  I’m not sure that Daughters of Lot works best as a one hour show; possibly making it even a bit shorter might have worked, though when taking out important moments it’s difficult to know which will resonate with the audience and which won’t – and ultimately you want to leave the audience with a thoughtful piece of theatre, not a hacked-up poetry reading, so it’s impossible for me to say what- other than the original format -would best serve this play.  I would very much enjoy seeing the full, uncut version in order to experience the original pacing and impact.

When these women announce at the top of the show that this is not your father’s burlesque show – and not for the squeamish – they’re correct.  I doubt there was a man in the audience who expected to be challenged so directly by women wearing so little.  I could tell it made some of them uncomfortable.  Frankly, this story should have made people uncomfortable starting a long time ago.  Go back and read the original if you need a refresher and then go see Daughters of Lot for a new perspective.

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The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 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 to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Related Posts:

• Daughters Of Lot: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Scratch & Pitz Burlesque and Variety Hour – Seven Act Scratch (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Starting Tonight! Frigid Hangovers Begin At The Kraine Theater
• The Rope In Your Hands: Katrina, In Their Own Words (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Fear Factor: Canine Edition – Puppy Love (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Five Questions. Five Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

Daughters of Lot (Marlena Kalm, photo by Rachel Kerry)

Daughters Of Lot

Company: Brain Melt Consortium
Directed by: Rachel Kerry

The evening’s entertainment is a sexy and silly retelling of an ancient story, until the performers do a trick that requires more than flexibility. Arousing and agitating in Biblical proportions, this is not your daddy’s burlesque club… or maybe it is.

Show Times:

• Thu 2/23 @ 7:30 pm
• Sat 2/25 @ 5:30 pm
• Tue 2/28 @9:00 pm
• Fri 3/2 @ 5:30 pm
• Sun 3/4 @ 4:00 pm

Answers by Alexis Roblan

(Playwright, Producer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Alexis: Daughters of Lot takes place in a burlesque club where the performers conjur up a couple Biblical characters to play with — Lot’s daughters. So in one sense, the title’s pretty literal. It’s also a reference to the fact that Lot, from the story of Sodom & Gomorrah, has a name, but none of the women in the story (including his daughters) are ever given names.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite five people, anyone from past and present, to see your FRIGID show – who would you invite and why?
Alexis:
Lot — to ask him how he feels about the portrayal.
Jean Genet — because the structure for this show was originally inspired by his The Blacks.
Susan Faludi — because Backlash is quoted on the title page.
Leigh Silverman — because I have a huge director crush.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck — to watch her squirm.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Alexis: In January 2010 I moved to New York with 2 friends here, no job prospects, and not much money, having spent a total of 10 days in the city prior to my move. It was pretty nerve-wracking, and I spent quite a bit of time missing friends and my car for that first year, but I also built a great community here and started a theatre company, Brain Melt Consortium. And now we’re in the Frigid Festival! Success story! Totally worth it.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Alexis: This used to be a full-length play, that we cut down to an hour for Frigid. Having worked on the script for a few years, it was tough to figure out exactly which moments could be sliced and diced and leave the show as something coherent and powerful. But some of those painful cuts resulted in moments that really made the play breathe in new ways.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Alexis: I hope people are entertained in the moment, but also disconcerted. I hope they leave with a lot of questions, and that it inspires them to think a bit more than usual about gender and how sex is used in our society.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

THM Bonus Question – We’re serious this year!
In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

Alexis: I would take on Stripper Lesbians, because their title makes me feel competitive with them. I would throw scissors. For obvious reasons.

Okay then!  Well, the Stripper Lesbians part I get.  The scissors, not so much “obvious” to me, but I’m not always the sharpest scissors in the drawer.  So I say – good choice!  Here’s how you’re doing so far … you’ve been challenged by Love in the Time of Chlamydia who threw ROCK (at everyone) … so that’s a loss.   But that’s just round one … there’s more to come!

Thanks Daughters of Lot for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges. You may win, you may not – 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 Daughters of Lot!

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Daughters of  Lot

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The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 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 to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Related Posts:

• Scratch & Pitz Burlesque and Variety Hour – Seven Act Scratch (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Starting Tonight! Frigid Hangovers Begin At The Kraine Theater
• The Rope In Your Hands: Katrina, In Their Own Words (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Fear Factor: Canine Edition – Puppy Love (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Aerial Allusions: A Ladder To Nowhere (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)