Benefiting: Planned Parenthood Produced by G-Money Productions Written by Duncan Pflaster Directed by Glory Kadigan
“In Ancient Greece, a woman spurned in love finds a deserted island and sets herself up as the Empress Salacia, decreeing that there shall be no love allowed in her domain, only sex. She gathers some sybaritic acolytes and all is frolicsome mindless fun until Salacia’s ex-lover Agis comes to the island in disguise, to attempt to win her back.”
Show Times:
Mon 6/4/12 – 7:30pm
Wed 6/6/12 – 9:30pm
Sat 6/9/12 – 5:30pm
Tues 6/12/12 – 4:00pm
Wed 6/13/12 – 9:00pm
Sun 6/17/12 – 9:00pm
Mon 6/18/12 – 4:30pm
Fri 6/22/12 – 9:30pm
Answers by Duncan Pflaster (Playwright)
Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question How did you come up with the title for your show?
Duncan: Well, the play is about a woman who gives up on love and devotes herself to sex; she sets herself up as Empress of an island devoted to sybaritic pleasures. Unlike my other play, that was always the title from the genesis of the project. I only found out later that “The Empress of Sex” was also a title for Mae West, which I think is awfully appropriate.
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.
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.
Hosted by award-winning playwright Monica Bauer (Outstanding New Script, MITF 2008; nominee writing for Best Solo Show, Planet Connections 2010; finalist, Heideman Award).
Performers include:
playwright Monica Bauer performing the Breast Pride Movement from the Diet Monologues
John Fico performing a monologue from his critically acclaimed performance in Made for Each Other
We’re already planning ahead for after-FRIGID and what better way to face the non-festival lull than with a good ole Duncan Pflaster nekkid play? That’s right- you heard right. But why should I blather on when I’ve got the playwright of Six Silences In Three Movements right here?
What’s it all about, Duncan? (I’m humming, are you?)
Well, the story is about a straight couple and a gay couple who are best friends, but the straight guy is having a clandestine affair with one of the gay guys (unbeknownst to their partners).
It’s a long one-act piece which is experimental in form- each scene is broken up into three “movements”, analogous to those in music. There is a poem in a traditional form, then a scene where lovers talk but nothing of importance is said, then a section where, nude, the performers spout non-sequiturs at each other. It’s inspired in part by an Edward Gorey piece called L’Heure Bleu, and has to do with communication, how even when we’re as intimate as we can be with someone, we still might be holding something back.
FABULOUS! I love Edward Gorey and I love that concept. I completely agree – we’re always holding something back.
Your show contains nudity AND poetry. What’s more controversial?
Though the poetry is unusual these days (all of it is in antiquated classical forms: a Villanelle, a Triolet, a Wyleian Sonnet, a Rondeau Redouble), I think it’s probably still the nudity. There’s a whole lot of it in this piece, and the theatre space is quite small, so the audience will be getting up close and personal views of the performers. The show is part of Manhattan Rep’s WinterFest 2011, and it’s usually in their Festival Contract that they don’t allow nudity, but they’re making an exception for this piece because they liked my play so much.
Wow, you made someone break a contract, Mr. Pflaster! Color me impressed. And a little tingly.
Give me six unrelated words that describe your show.
Natural, Love, Silence, Perfection, Desire, Penguin.
Well, I’ve nothing to add there! Always a pleasure, Duncan Pflaster, writer of Six Silences In Three Movements. Roll tape!
Only 3 Performances -
March 19th @ 9PM
March 20th @ 6PM
March 24th @ 9PM
The National Newborn Festival has become, over the last four years, one of the premiere playwriting festivals in the country for emerging playwrights. A flagship program created and produced by MTWorks, an ever-growing, non-profit theatre company, Newborn allows playwrights to have a work never produced in New York be read in a festival setting.
Free and open to the public, this year’s festival is being sponsored by The City College of New York’s Psychology Club & Department and begins Thursday, February 3rd, and runs through Sunday, February 6th. This year we are showcasing the works of Duncan Pflaster, Rich Rubin, Marilynn Barner Anselmi, Riti Sachdeva, and Jacqueline Goldfinger.
David Stallings
The festival will kick off the first night with the reading of The ReEducation of Arizona by MTWorks’ Artistic Director and resident playwright David Stallings, and end the final evening with the Audience Favorite Award ceremony and a raffle, as well as an extra reading of the winning play. For 2011, in addition to the Audience Favorite Award which is selected by those who attend the readings, the MTWorks Board of Directors is presenting the first annual Excellence in Playwriting Award, to be announced prior to the festival.
I have directed a reading in the last two Newborn Festivals, and will be acting in this year’s, so I’m very excited about this brainchild that MTWorks has created…one that encourages playwrights, directors, and actors to come together and celebrate the artistic process. I asked the playwrights to talk a little bit about their work and their thoughts on said process.
Anyone For A Swingin’ Threesome? is a trio of comedic One Act Plays put together by Just Ask Productions.
I like One Act collections, and collections of short stories. Besides being short, I also like that – as collections – they are of different origins (even if by the same author) and that the world of the story is of a completely different universe than the others in the collection. Yet often, as with this collection, they are held together by some subtle yet powerful thread of why they were collected together in the first place.
I’m sure it happens to you sometimes … You’re walking down the street, pondering the inevitability of change and the hardship it’s apt to cause when you fail to adapt, and other foibles of the human condition…
Then suddenly you realize that the person beside you is reading your mind, and doesn’t like what they see, and is leveling their blaster at you to fire, when …
Not until about 15 years ago- I thought for a long time I was going to be an actor. There’s something really wonderful about making an audience laugh and react, which I loved as a performer… But as a writer, you get to play all the parts! Now I only act if people specifically ask me, or if there’s an emergency casting. Continue Reading…
Is it classified? Is it torrid? Do you feel it’s necessary to preserve your identity? Do you have a secret identity? Is it ruining your life? Is it a second life? Is it real or just pretend? Do you need to expose it to be free? Do you need to preserve it just to stay sane?
The blurb for this Planet Connections show was very brief:
It’s a secret.
I want to keep the surprise as well so you can find the answers for yourself by coming to the play. So the questions that are sparked within you will hopefully expose new truths to you, or make you laugh in surprise at the craziness of a situation, or cry at the irony, or smirk in bemusement at an unexpected twist, or revel in satisfying conclusions. Or hopefully lead you on to examine yourself deeper and find new secrets about yourself.
