EstroGenius has been sharing and celebrating the voices of womxn for twenty years. Now, on a virtual stage, EstroGenius celebrates its 20th anniversary with a riotous collection of performances by women, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and trans dance-makers, playwrights, experimental performers, teens, musicians, burlesque performers, noise artists, filmmakers, dj's and anyone else looking to break molds and crack gender codes. This "extro" online content from Estro will bring you the art and the artists, the inspirations and the tools over these quarantined weeks across the country.
EstroGenius was founded in 2000 at Manhattan Theatre Source by Fiona Jones as a short-play fest to support dynamic female characters while celebrating inclusivity and pushing gender parity in theatre.
Heading into the 20th year, at the helm of the festival are Melissa Riker (Kinesis Project dance theatre, Women in Motion) and Maura Nguyen Donohue. Guest curators include Vincent Marano and John C. Robinson (On the Boards, Emerald City Music).
"I am thrilled to offer these four brilliant artists to our audiences. I am particularly interested in how each of these films is directly connected to a live performance experience," said Ms. Riker. "In some cases (NIC Kay's) they were the performance, in others (Same As Sister, Garnet Henderson) the artists were inspired to bring a performance work to film as a different medium. My aim is to offer this window into layered performance as film while we all continue to stay safe and at home."
Now, with a home at the Kraine Theatre on E. 4th Street and stepping into 20 years as the longest running festival of its kind, EstroGenius continues to expand an inclusive view of the diverse and creative community that is a womxn's festival.
The four films that are streaming now are:
Address
by Garnet Henderson and Nick Tyson
Odd Jewels: Beauty Under Mask
by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi and Aitor Mendilibar
Come Diventare Un Partigiano
by Alice Gosti
you, black and bluised: Day Three A Pieace
by NIC Kay
About the Films
Address
by Garnet Henderson and Nick Tyson
(run time 22:03)
Directed, choreographed, and performed by Garnet Henderson
Cinematography by Nick Tyson
Editing by Nick Tyson and Garnet Henderson
Costume by Quinn Czejkowski
Filmed at The Muse Brooklyn. Special thanks to Women in Motion and the generous backers who funded our location rental.
Odd Jewels: Beauty Under Mask
by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi and Aitor Mendilibar
USA, 2018
(Run time 8:26)
Same As Sister's "Odd Jewels: Beauty Under Mask," is a live performance work and its cinematic re-envisioning. The project continues to push the collective's use of non-linear storytelling in a landscape where fragmented bodies, projection, and sound interchange their roles as subject and object.
A film by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi and Aitor Mendilibar
Choreographed and performed by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi in collaboration with Hannah Caggiano and Kristina Hay
Cinematography and editing by Aitor Mendilibar
Installation by Cern
Video projection by Briana Brown-Tipley
Music by Visnja Krzic
Costumes and props by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi
Jewelry design by Melissa Draugsvold/Draugsvold Jewelry
Produced by Same As Sister/Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi
"Odd Jewels: Beauty Under Mask," was originally commissioned by the Fresh Tracks program of New York Live Arts, is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, and was the recipient of a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
Come diventare un partigiano
by Alice Gosti
(Run time 10:50)
A video documentary by Tumulto Video
With Anna Burini, Alyza DelPan-Monley, Sharon Estacio, Fabiana Mangialardi, Lorraine Lau, Kaitlin McCarthy, and Cecilia Ventriglia.
Performance by Anna Burini, Alyza DelPan-Monley, Sharon Estacio, Fabiana Mangialardi, Lorraine Lau,
Kaitlin McCarthy, and Cecilia Ventriglia
Directed and choreographed by Alice Gosti
Music composition and arrangements by Monika Khot
Music by Monika Khot and Hanna Benn
Lighting design by Amiya Brown
Costumes by Rachel Ravitch, K.D. Schill, Val Mayse, and Deborah Trout
Dress installation and design by Erik Holden, Val Mayse, and Deborah Trout
Technical design by Erik Holden and SANDFORD&GOSTI
Sculpture aura pendente by SANDFORD&GOSTI 2018
Other music includes "Toccata from Symphony for Organ No. 5" by Charles-Marie Widor, "Deux" by Jehan
Alain, "Testi lirici" by Hanna Benn, Richard Crashaw, Franco Fortini, Alfonso Gatto, and AliceGosti
Producer and company manager: Giulia Carotenuto
Choir members include Canti e-Terni diretto da Lucilla Galeazzi e composto da Ambra Battistelli, Lucio Conti, Marta D'Atri, Manuela Grilli, Roberto Leonardi, Alessandro Manciucca, Maria Serena Manciucca, Cecilia Marino, Erika Ottavi, Monica Petronio, Deborah Rim Moiso, Alessandro Rossi, Enrico Scarinci, Maria Teresa Torti, Maria Paola Trippa Ensemble Coristi a Priori, diretto da Carmen Cicconofri, e compost da Giulia Capacci, Lucia Sagretti, Martina Morbidini, Francesca Picchiò, Claudia Belia, Sara Millucci, Marta Polenzani, Massimiliano Carluccio, Francesco Foresti, Enrico Galletti, Nicola Pisello, David Gionangeli, Cristiano Marinelli, Gino Petrollini
Original collaborators include Kaitlin McCarthy, Colleen McNeary, Brittany Karhoff, Noelle Chun, Amy Ross, Lorraine Lau, Alyza DelPan-Monley, and Leigh Sugar.
"Come diventare un partigiano" was produced by Indisciplinarte (Terni, Italy). The project was selected for the first edition of the Italian Council award by DGAAP of the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo (Italy). Come diventare un partigiano is made possible by Velocity Dance Center, Cornish School for the Arts, Open Flight Studio and the Foundation for Contemporary Art Emergency Grant's support. Thank you to Verdecoprente Festival by Associazione Ippocampo (Italy). Special Thank Yous: Stephanie Noren, Absalom Shantz, Giorgio Gosti, Agave Barone, Olga Zucchiatti, RL, Tonya Lockyer, John Robinson, Case Van Rij and Barbara Lewis, Angela Santi, Alvaro Valsenti, Eleanor Owens and Giovanni S.
[GET WELL SOON] you black + bluised, an exercise in getting well soon Day Three | A Pieace
by NIC Kay
(Run Time: 44:23 minutes)
"GET WELL SOON [exercises in getting well soon]" is a project/meditation based on the loose and often used phrase indicating a hope of recovery. These "exercises" have been articulated as movement, installation, games, endurance, ritual, poetry, and collective action. "[GET WELL SOON] you black + bluised" is a site-specific work that uses the architecture and positionally of Abrons Arts Center to wrestle with the blues and the "they" versus "us" paradigm. NIC attempts to do this through sound, movement, and tableau. A triptych each day approaches these themes from different settings and perspectives.
Day One | Prayer ( Amphitheater), Day Two | Protest (Underground Theater), Day Three | A Pieace (youblackandbluised.net)
About the Artists
Garnet Henderson grew up in the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In New York, her work has been presented at The Flea Theater, HERE Arts Center, the West End Theater, the 92nd Street Y, Triskelion Arts, and Gibney Dance. She was a Women in Motion 2017-2018 commissioned artist. Garnet holds a BA cum laude in Dance and English Literature from Columbia University and has performed in works by Ori Flomin, Kyle Abraham, David Parker, Larry Keigwin, Reggie Wilson, Colleen Thomas, Heidi Henderson, Faye Driscoll, Mark Dendy, and Jordan Morley. She also appeared in the feature film Shirley, directed by Josephine Decker and choreographed by Faye Driscoll, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. A regular contributor to Dance Magazine, her writing has also appeared in The Guardian, WIRED, Glamour, VICE, and others.
Nick Tyson is a filmmaker, investigative researcher and writer based in New York City. He has directed and worked on the production of multimedia projects in a range of mediums, from short films and mobile apps to museum and television documentaries. His filmmaking practice is primarily archival based, and he's interested in topics related to mass incarceration, and the LGBT experience. He is a graduate of Columbia University where he studied film and anthropology.
Quinn Czejkowski is a costume artist, mover, and floral arranger based in NYC. She is interested in exploring the intersection of natural and man-made materials and organic and inorganic styles. Recent design credits include through the mirror of their eyes with Kimberly Bartosik, Darling with Helen Simoneau, Stand In with Jen Rosenblit, Chimera with Burr Johnson, rib bone / backbone with Heather Robles, (T)HERE TO (T)HERE with Liz Gerring, as well as pieces for Gwen Welliver, Renay Aumiller, Dylan Crossman, and others. In addition to her own design work, Quinn is the costume shop manager for Company XIV and has worked with designers Reid Bartelme & Harriet Jung.
NIC Kay is an art worker who makes performances. They were born and currently live in the Bronx, New York.
Same As Sister (S.A.S.) is an award-winning performance collective founded in 2013 by Canadian-American choreographers, Briana Brown-Tipley + Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The sisters, who originate from Toronto, graduated from École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, and have since performed for international dance and visual artists including Bouchra Ouizguen, Doug Elkins, Phillipa Kaye, Mike Kelley, Jillian Peña, and Candice Breitz. Based in Toronto and New York City, S.A.S. was initiated to make experimental narrative performance accessible to a diverse audience through collaborative and interdisciplinary practices within the fields of dance, theater, music, video, and design. Their work grapples with social constructs of gender, race, and power, drawing on historical and contemporary representations of "high" and "low" culture, to retell familiar stories in unfamiliar ways. The collective's works/commissions have been presented at venues in the United States, Canada, France, Greece, and Italy including POP Performance: Women in Motion at Gibney, NYC; AUNTS @ La MaMa Moves! at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, NYC; Dancing Platform Praying Grounds: Blackness, Churches, and Downtown Dance (Platform 2018), curated by Judy Hussie-Taylor and Reggie Wilson at Danspace Project, NYC; Movement Research at the Judson Church, NYC; CRAWL: Chapter 5, curated by Kate Ladenheim/The People Movers at ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn;
BRIClab at BRIC Arts | Media House, Brooklyn; Fresh Tracks at New York Live Arts, NYC; Test Drive at Dancemakers Centre for Creation, Toronto; and.
Open Studios at Centre d'Art Marnay Art Centre, Marnay-sur-Seine. The film adaptation of their live performance, "Odd Jewels: Beauty Under Mask", a collaboration with cinematographer, Aitor Mendilibar, was exhibited via Video Art Miden at Non Stop Project Video Performance & Video Dance at Kinitiras, Athens; Ibrida Festival at Marmo - Libreria d'Arte Contemporanea, Forlì;
Videolands at MOMus - State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; Erasmus+ Program: Active Student-Active Citizen at the 2nd Junior High School of Kalamáta; and From Zero to Infinity! Festival at the Archaeological Museum of Messenia, Kalamáta. They are the recipients of a Queens Council on the Arts' 2020 QCA/QAF New Work Grant in Multi-Disciplinary Performance; a New York Foundation for the Arts' 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Choreography; a Foundation for Contemporary Arts'
2017 Emergency Grant in Dance; and were a Finalist for the Jerome Foundation's 2019-20 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in Dance. sameassister.squarespace.com
Aitor Mendilibar is a New York City based filmmaker, cinematographer, and musician, who collaborates across artistic genres. Originally from Basque Country, where he received degrees in computer science, telecommunications, and audio-visual production, he moved to New York City in 2012 to study documentary filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Since graduating he has worked as a cinematographer and editor for film, television, and live performance projects including his work with Oscar-nominated director/producer, Oren Jacoby; award-winning cinematographers, Buddy Squires, ASC, and Tom Hurwitz, ASC; and most recently choreographers, Reggie Wilson, Raja Feather Kelly, and Same As Sister. His first feature film as a director of photography, "PROM KING" (2010), won the New Vision Award at Cinequest Film Festival. As a musician Mendilibar co-founded the punk rock band, Disorders, which recorded two studio albums before disbanding in 2011. In 2014 he formed The Wilsons, where he is bass player. aitormendilibar.com
About the Festival
Manhattan Theatre Source's EstroGenius Festival, an annual celebration of female-identifying, gnc, non-binary & trans voices, is one of New York City's largest womxn's arts festivals.
Founded by Fiona Jones in 2000, the festival debuted with a program of 10 short plays and music. Since then, it has grown into a multi-week event including short plays, solo shows, teen performances, visual art, and dance. In past years, we've also had stand-up comedy, live music, fundraisers for African girls' education, and full-day networking events with panels and workshops.
Almost completely volunteer run, the EstroGenius Festival has provided thousands of artists the chance to shine; showcased award-winning playwrights Sheila Callaghan, Quiara Alegria Hudes, T.D. Mitchell and Melissa Maxwell; presented Bessie Award-winning choreographers Marta Renzi and Jennifer Nugent; and provided scholarships for girls to attend school in Niger, ranked the poorest country in the world by the United Nations.
We are committed to providing opportunities to marginalized artists - in a variety of disciplines - ranging from the emerging to the seasoned professional.
The New York Times raves that EstroGenius "lives up to its billing as a celebration of women's work"
Manhattan Theatre Source & EstroGenius would like to thank New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for their support.
For more information, visit estrogenius.org.
Based on true events, A Southern Fairytale artfully illuminates the challenges facing a young, gay Christian growing up in the Deep South, written and performed by Ty Autry and directed by David L. Carson. As we accompany the protagonist through multiple journeys into and out of the closet, the audience emotionally connects with the very real impacts of conversion therapy, excommunication, and a father who believes that a demon has possessed his son.
“A Southern Fairytale is my personal journey which happens to reflect that of so many gay youth finding their truth in a society that is against them,” stated playwright and performer Ty Autry. “Through our previous workshop productions, we discovered a deep story that showcases the trauma created from the lack of acceptance, while having the audiences rolling on the floor with laughter as they relate to how their past has shaped them into who they are today.”
An international summer tour of A Southern Fairytale is being developed with confirmed stops in United States, Europe and Canada, including Prague, Belgrade, Calgary, NYC and Tampa. A full list of stops will be announced during the FRIGID run. A Southern Fairytale had a workshop at the 2018 NYSummerfest. The play was completely reimagined for other workshop performances in 2019, including at The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Out Front Theatre Company in Atlanta, and The Duplex for World Pride in New York City.
Four-time Moth storytelling champion Jamie Brickhouse returns to the Queerly Festival presented by FRIGID New York with a Gay Pride double feature at 7 PM on Thursday, June 20 at The Kraine. For the first time he performs a darkly comic “Family Suite” of his two critically-acclaimed, award-winning solo shows in one evening. Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex, and My Mother directed by David Drake is a sodomite’s showdown between the bottle and his Texas tornado of a mother Mama Jean based on Brickhouse’s critically-acclaimed memoir. I Favor My Daddy is Jamie’s struggle to discover who his martini- and bikini-adoring father Daddy Poo really was, based on Brickhouse’s forthcoming memoir. “I’ve flipped the artistic process,” says Brickhouse. “I wrote and published Dangerous When Wet the memoir first. I Favor My Daddy the show came first. See them both before the movies come out.”
Is Jamie (4-time Moth champ and “natural raconteur” -Washington Post) the full-blown version of Daddy Poo—not the Catholic, conservative part, but the gay, alcoholic part? “Jamie lights up the stage…a riveting, thoroughly polished performance…comedic perfection.” (Theater Is Easy “Best Bet” of New York International Fringe Festival)
Darkly comic, “I Favor My Daddy” is the follow up to "Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex, and My Mother." That show was about Jamie’s drinking and sexuality, and his mother Mama Jean. This show is about Jamie’s father, Daddy Poo, and HIS drinking and HIS sexuality. Jamie struggles to discover who his father really was. In the last years they have together, Jamie reveals his secrets to Daddy Poo. Will Daddy Poo finally reveal his own? We'd sooner see a Jewish pope ordained. Shows from gay men about their relationships with their dads are rare, especially ones packed with the originality, mordant humor and poignant heart of “I Favor My Daddy”.
Jamie Brickhouse (three-time Moth StorySLAM champion; voices on Beavis and Butthead) faces his three most defining relationships—booze, sex, and his Texas tornado of a mother Mama Jean—in this darkly comic tour de force.
Ripped from the pages of his critically acclaimed memoir that Interview magazine called “as funny as an evening with Carrie Fisher,” and Paul Rudnick praised as “witty, blisteringly honest, and wickedly intoxicating,” it sparkles under the direction of Obie Award-winning David Drake (The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me).
WINNER Audience Choice Award 2017 FRIGID Festival
"BEST BET" Theater is Easy
“Thoroughly entertaining.” —Theater is Easy
“Rib-tickling funny.” —Hi! Drama
“Stunning performer.” —NY Theater Guide
With dazzling wit and unflinching honesty set against a multi-media backdrop of evocative photos, home movies, vintage postcards, and music haunted by Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?”, Jamie tells the story of wrestling way too close to—and later loose from—booze, sex, and his bombastic, adorable Mama Jean. It’s a unique story about alcoholism, illness, death, AIDS, family heartbreak, and the relationship between a gay son and his mother. From the age of five stuck in Beaumont, Texas, all Jamie wanted was to be at a cocktail party with a martini in one hand and a cigarette in the other. All Mama Jean wanted was to keep him at that age, her Jamie doll forever. A Texan Elizabeth Taylor with the split personality of Auntie Mame and Mama Rose, she never had a thought she didn’t speak. Mama Jean cast a long shadow throughout Jamie’s life, no matter how deep in booze he swam or how far away from her amid New York’s drinking set he strayed. She unwittingly saves him as he discovers the meaning of love—Mama Jean’s kind of love.
Presented by FRIGID @Horse Trade for Gotham Storytelling Festival
Run time: 60 min.
Jamie Brickhouse (playwright and performer) is the author of the critically-acclaimed Dangerous When Wet: A Memoir of Booze, Sex, and My Mother (St. Martin’s Press), which was an Amazon “Best Book of May 2015,” “Required Reading” in Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir, and a Book Chase “2015 Top 10 Nonfiction.” A three-time Moth StorySLAM winner and Literary Death Match champion, Jamie has recorded voice-overs for Beavis and Butthead, and has performed at storytelling shows throughout New York including Kevin Allison’s Risk! Dangerous When Wet won an “Audience Choice Award” at the 2017 FRIGID Festival, was a Theater is Easy “Best Bet,” was featured in New York Post’s “Page Six,” and received rave reviews from NY Theater Guide, Theater is Easy, and Hi! Drama. He has been published in the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, Daily Beast, Salon, Huffington Post, Out, and POZ. Jamie lives with his common-law husband Michael in Manhattan. Visit him at www.jamiebrickhouse.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @jamiebrickhouse.
David Drake (Director) is an actor-writer-director best known as the Obie Award-winning playwright/performer of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, one of the longest-running solo shows in Off-Broadway history. He also starred in Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (succeeding Charles Busch for 856 performances), originated the role of “Miss Deep South” in the hit Pageant, co-starred with Jim J. Bullock in End of the World Party at the 47th St. Theater, and with B.D. Wong in A Language of Their Own at The Public. TV credits: The Good Wife, Law and Order, The Beat, NY Undercover. Feature films: Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia, It’s Pat, Naked in New York, David Searching, Bear City, Longtime Companion, and David’s own adaptation of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. As a stage director, David has twice been a Directing Fellow at the Sundance Theater Lab, and has directed new works at The Public’s Under the Radar Festival, Joe’s Pub, and Rattlestick, among others. Most notably, David directed the 2009 world premiere of Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge, which made the “10 Best Lists” in The New Yorker, NY Post, The Advocate, Paper Magazine, and won a 2010 Village Voice Obie Award. At the Kraine he directed the world premiere of J.Stephen Brantley’s The Jamb, and first directed Jamie Brickhouse’s award-winning solo show, Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex, and My Mother for Horse Trade’s 2017 FRIGID New York Festival.
About the Company: FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade
FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade is a theater development group with a focus on new work that produces a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater every season. FRIGID’s Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. FRIGID New York grew out of the annual FRIGID Festival, the first and only festival of its kind in New York City to offer artists 100% of their box office proceeds, and Horse Trade Theater Group, a self-sustaining theater development and management group.
The production boasts 9 actors, 2 dancers and 11 crew members, all of whom are women.
All-female theater company, Carnival Girls Productions, produces a nine character, all-female drama, “The Werewolf of Washington Heights” October 11 – 22 at the Kraine Theater in NYC. It is a world premiere production.
“The Werewolf of Washington Heights” is written by NYIT Award nominee, Christie Perfetti Williams and takes place in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights in the year 2020. The story is about a teenager who vanishes and her family is suddenly forced to face hidden monsters and terrifying truths.
The nine character cast is racially, ethnically and generationally diverse. Four different languages are spoken in the play and the ages of the actors range from 20 years old – 80 years old.
The play explores the themes of war, immigration, deportation, racism, misogyny, terrorism, civil rights and civil disobedience.
Carnival Girls Productions’ mission is to create, produce and promote work by and about women. The 20-person, all-female theater company is celebrating its 13th anniversary this year.
Tickets are available online https://www.artful.ly/carnival-girls-productions, $18 general admission ($15 seniors and students). The show has a limited run of eight performances, opening on October 11th and running 12th, 13th, 14th and 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd at the historic off-off Broadway Kraine Theater at 85 East 4th Street, NYC.
“The Werewolf of Washington Heights” features Rosina Fernhoff*, Lori Funk*, Pilar Gonzalez, Stephanie Annette Johnson, Zarra Kaahn, Arlene McGruder, Sheila Joon Ostadazim*, Melanie Ryan and Galit Sperling. **These actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. “The Werewolf of Washington Heights” is an Equity approved Showcase.
The play is directed by Charmaine Broad, choreographed by Anissa Barbato and stage managed by Erinn Conlon. Helen Blash is the light designer, Tanya Bernardson is the costume mistress and Stephanie Ervin is designing the set.
Carnival Girls Productions is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Carnival Girls Productions must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Please visit www.christieperfetti.com for more information.
About the Company: Carnival Girls Productions
To create, produce and promote work by and about women.
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead is a dark reimagining of the classic Peanut’s gang during their formative teenage years. The “unauthorized parody” imagines the characters as degenerated teenagers dealing with such issues as teen violence, sexual relations and identity, drug use, and suicide.
The cast features Travis Burbee (Cupids Revenge/Bad Quarto Productions), Ben Dworken (The Tempest/Identity Theater Company), Samantha Elisofon (Starred in Keep the Change which premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival where it won Best Narrative Film, Best New Director, and Samantha was nominated for Best Actress), Bree Klauser (The Moyles Musical/The Hudson Guild Theatre), Isabel Kruse (Wilde Life/Adelaide Fringe, Australia), Christian Patane (Epic Players Member), Gideon Pianko (Wizard of Oz/JCC Manhattan), and Jessica Saul (How I Killed Pistol Rogers/Short Film).
About the Company: EPIC Players Inclusion Company
EPIC Players Inclusion Company is a resident theatre company that seeks to use the performing arts as a vehicle to empower artists with developmental disabilities and pioneer increased inclusion within the mainstream arts scene.
Three real clergy enter, wearing their respective vestments, sharing the stage, posing their internal questions… The Priest asks, "What would Jesus do?" The Rabbi asks, "What would Moses do?" and the Minister asks, "What would Sartre do?"
Setting the tone for what’s about to come, it’s a reminder that these three members of the clergy are not only defined by their roles, they’re people! Father Daniel, Reverend Shawn and Rabbi Elyse – two gay men and a woman – share moving, entertaining and sometimes shocking stories of how they were called to ministry and the challenges they faced within their congregations, as well as life-changing moments of service in the midst of deep sorrow and pain.
Told with candour, humour and compassion, they are frank about their personal joys and struggles in faith, some unusual circumstances where they just had to wing it – and even bend the rules – and the navigation of societal prejudice and inflexibility. (Daniel came out to his congregation a week after he got married, and Elyse became a rabbi when there were no female rabbis in Canada). Living lives of service and community, they don’t take themselves too seriously and are aware that tradition has room for change.
While each comes to the storytelling process from different religious beliefs and traditions, they have much in common: faith, hope and a drive to serve their community. But their individual human stories and their paths to becoming clergy are surprisingly different.
The plays, written by the ensemble, investigate queer culture, politics, relationships, sexuality, and everything and anything queer.
About the Company: New York Neo-Futurists
We are a collective of wildly productive writer/director/performers who create:
-Theater that is fusion of sport, poetry, and living-newspaper.
-Non-illusory, interactive performance that conveys our experiences and ideas as directly and honestly as possible.
-Immediate, unreproducable events at headslappingly affordable prices.
-We embrace those unreached or unmoved by conventional theater-inspiring them to thought, feeling, and action.
In How to Sell Your Gang Rape Baby* *for Parts, we find our heroines, Libby & Ali, toiling away in the HR office of a large company. Hating their jobs, but afraid to leave (because paycheck), the ladies are thrilled when a sure-fire money making opportunity lands in their laps. The Trump-loving, life-affirming intern Bev Anne got knocked up the hard way, and though she’s pro-life (natch) she doesn’t want the baby. Enter Libby & Ali, who help her realize that this one, small life can save the lives of many. In How to Sell Your Gang Rape Baby* *for Parts, Libby & Ali risk it all, for the greater good.
puss&puss is pleased to announce the upcoming production of Libby Emmons’ How to Sell Your Gang Rape Baby* *for Parts, directed by Michele Travis. The play runs for 5 performances, Saturday 02/18 6:40 pm; Monday 02/20 7:10 pm; Saturday 02/25 8:20 pm; Monday 02/27 10:30 pm; Saturday 03/04 3:20 pm, in the FRIGID Festival, at The Kraine Theater at 85 East 4th Street. Tickets are $20 and will go on sale January 15 at www.horseTRADE.info. More info pussnpuss.wordpress.com
The 2017 FRIGID Festival presents
A Kardenni Entertainment production:
Illusion of Choice
A Magical Experience with Kardenni
Written by: Dennis Friebe and Antwan Towner
Directed by: David Meneses
Thu 2/16 @ 5:30pm, Thu 2/23 @ 8:50pm, Sat 2/25 @ 1:40pm, Sun 2/26 @ 12:10pm Tue 2/28 @ 7:10pm & Fri 3/3 @ 5:10pm
Tickets: $15 www.horseTRADE.info (on sale 1/5)
The Kraine Theater 85 East 4th Street New York, NY 10003
Sophisticated fun, mind-expanding miracles, intelligent comedy magic. Illusion of Choice is a concept show for a live magic performance that demonstrates and encourages people to think and laugh at the same time. Provoking viewers to consider the weight a simple choice like buying vegetables or a gallon of ice cream. Why are you making this choice and are you really making it?
Find out more about The Kardenni Experience at www.Kardenni.com
Amanda and Matthew love New York City! But NYC loves no one! Subway people cough into your ear, snowdrifts are trash, and for every rat you see there are 20 hiding in the shadows. Across the country, sunny Los Angeles beckons. Can our comedy heroes resist the siren song? Will they give up the Big Apple, and escape to LA? Click for Tickets Rotten Apple Comedy
About the Company: FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade
FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade is a theater development group with a focus on new work that produces a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater every season. FRIGID’s Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. FRIGID New York grew out of the annual FRIGID Festival, the first and only festival of its kind in New York City to offer artists 100% of their box office proceeds, and Horse Trade Theater Group, a self-sustaining theater development and management group.
Jamie Brickhouse faces his three most defining relationships -- booze, sex and his Texas tornado of a mother Mama Jean -- in
this darkly comic solo show
Meet Emily Dickinson, Paranormal Investigator!It's 1849 and New York is a gritty, grimy city filled with ghosts, ghouls, and irresponsible transcendentalists. After a string of curious incidents Emily Dickinson, New England's premiere paranormal investigator, and her estranged mentor Edgar Allan Poe are on the case! Armed with esoteric knowledge and brass knuckles—not to mention a strong grasp on both blank and metered verse—they venture to Brooklyn on the trail of a horrifying new adversary.
Emily Dickinson: Paranormal Investigator is an ahistorical romp through poetry and Americana with ghosts, ghouls, and more! Part of the 2016 FRIGID New York Festival.
Laugh till you drop at the heartwarming, yet highly ludicrous, comedy about a group of five mental patients who must band together and put on a play in order to save their precious Rec Room. But the pressure gets high when creative differences cause rifts between the group. What follows is hilarious, not to mention vulgar, attempts to fix it. 
In this farcical mash-up of "CSI: Miami" and "The Andy Griffith Show", we find a gruesome string of murders happening in Mayberry. It’s up to Andy and Barney to find out who the killer is from a list of familiar faces. Is it Aunt Bee? Floyd the Barber? Otis the Drunk? Or someone else all together...? Playwright and director Genny Yosco thought of this show with her production company partner, Chris Weigandt, while they were punchy and exhausted after directing a children’s show, so that should tell you how ridiculous her career is. Most recently, her theater company, Sour Grapes Productions, produced her original show, A Fifth Dimension: An Unauthorized Twilight Zone Parody (which she also directed and acted in) to a sold-out audience this past New Year’s Eve.
"CSI: Mayberry - An Unauthorized Parody" will be performing at the 10th Annual FRIGID Festival. It stars Amy Whitrod Brown, Nick Denning, Andrew Rappo, Alexa Owgang, Sebastian King, Bryan Songy, Dalia Stone, Chris Weigandt, and Genny Yosco
The King of Chelm tells a story of a boy who dreams about becoming a super-hero. One day he wakes to find himself in a magical world where he learns what it is to be brave. In the upside-down and backwards universe of this small shtetl, Aaron together with the fools and the wise men of Chelm is going on a journey to find out what it really means to be a hero. The King of Chelm is an interactive performance for audiences ages 4-12. There is an interactive workshops following each show. 
Thus Spoke the Spectacle deconstructs and reconfigures the massive onslaught of news, advertising, politics and entertainment into an edgy and highly entertaining transmedia rock experience.
Original live music, spoken word vocals, video and lights combine to tell the story of the mass media’s infiltration of every aspect of society.
About the Company: Horse Trade Theater Group
HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work that has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade’s Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York – the first and only festival of its kind in New York City. In 2011 Horse Trade received the New York Innovative Theatre Ellen Stewart Stewardship Award for demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership.
Can there be laughter in the healing process? The lives of survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders weave together in a wickedly funny and piercingly insightful one woman show about a community trying to heal after a sexual assault. In Post Traumatic Super Delightful, the personal is political, the political is personal. And the person is a clown.
Post Traumatic Super Delightful is written and performed by Antonia Lassar (writer/performer of FRIGID Festival Favorite, God Box). She is joined by director Angela Dumlao (award-winning director in the 2014 EstroGenius Festival; assistant director of Naked Angels’ SeaWife), dramaturg Kati Frazier (Former Literary Director of All For One; playwright of Patronage, Fall 2015 at Random Access), scenic and costume designer Sam Garcia (Glutton For Punishment, EstroGenius Festival; dramaturg for STEIN-DRAG at Target Margin Theater Lab), lighting designer Mary Ellen Stebbins (Associate Lighting Designer for The Ambassador), stage manager Olivia Hull and production assistant Molly Jones.
BHF+M is a risqué, autobiographical one-person show about a couple's decision to end their ailing 15-year marriage and form a new partnership to accommodate their desire for sexual growth and freedom beyond the bounds of monogamy.
Marco's bisexuality is a catalyst for the much-needed change, and begins the process of self-discovery for both of them as they allow each other to explore evolving emotional and sexual needs.
Conventional wisdom dictates that non-monogamy is the ultimate marital risk. It’s certainly not a recipe for success. Or is it?
The counter-intuitive discoveries they make along the way lead the couple – and the audience – to question root assumptions about the nature of marriage, sexuality, and what it means to truly love another.
YES! Crystal and I loved the show! Program notes are right: raw, edgy, boundary pushing, belief stretching ... add honest and provocative and a conversation stimulant.
Sat beside two fellas who had seen 10 shows at the Fringe this year. At the end I asked one how he ranked your show and he said ... it was the best!
Gail – former Board member Edmonton Fringe Festival
REVIEWS
"Irreverent and refreshingly candid." - Michael Harris, the Globe and Mail.
"This was a most remarkable production, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in exploring the complexities, contradictions, and subtleties of contemporary marriages and relationships." - Dave Doleshal, Ph.D., UC Berkeley
"This may be the only piece of true theatre I've seen in 15 years in Vancouver. Remarkable, thought-provoking, psyche stretching.... Go see it!" -Jeffery
"I went with 3 friends. It started. And all of a sudden it was done. And it was much later. We all had the same experience. The moment Mark started talking we were hooked and we were mile-deep in the story. And still, it was so gripping. We were there. We lived what he lived. We felt what he felt. It was easily the best live performance I have ever been to." - Eric
About the Company: Lianna Walden Productions
Lianna Walden Productions specializes in edgy, provocative, boundary-pushing material which is meant to liberate, inspire, and transform all who encounter it.
An oddball song and dance duo work at a hat shop in New Orleans, but now have the chance to be on their favorite TV show. The only problem is that they have to be in Hollywood by tomorrow. With no money or wheels between them, the pair soon discovers that the road to D-List fame is naughtier and more dangerous than they imagined. Featuring jazz, R&B and rock as well as vibrant dance numbers. Book and lyrics by Alycya Miller. Music by Darlyne Cain. Part of the Frigid NYC Festival.
The winners of last year’s FRIGID Participants Pick Award "The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular" are back again! Inspired by the writings of Midwestern author Willa Cather, two daring performers create an epic story of love and loss as big as the prairie itself. Petunia, an indomitable immigrant girl determined to tame the wild land around her, meets Chicken, a right smart boy with dreams of great adventures. As the joys of their youth give way to the harsh realities of adulthood, they struggle to stay together. Sprawling fields of wheat, bustling train stations, rain-soaked kisses, wind-blown hair, and the rest of Petunia and Chicken’s world are brought to life with only imagination, movement, and song. WINNER of the 2013 Artists' Pick of the Fringe - Cincinnati Fringe Festival and 2013 League of Cincinnati Theatres Best Overall.
“At the end of the show, you feel good. You are happy and hopeful. You know you are in the presence of love. As well as great theater.” -Cincinnati City Beat
“Armed only with a bowler hat and a shawl, Carrie Brown & Karim Muasher are the set, the sound effects and every character in this love story.” -Behind the Curtain Cincinnati
About the Company: Animal Engine
Animal Engine is Carrie Brown and Karim Muasher. They make original devised theatre. Their work is offbeat, committed to the relationship between the performer and the audience, and regularly tip-toes the line between comedy and tragedy.
Since 2011 they have created 4 works: The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular!, an absurdly poignant tale of a Professor and her undead son who attempt to relive the glory days of their once thriving circus; It’s a Ten Minute Life, a break neck re-imagining of Frank Capra’s classic film "It’s a Wonderful Life"; Age of the Android, an immersive play that recounts the untold story of Thomas Edison, the Robot he built, and the reporter who fell in love with her; and Petunia and Chicken, a two person turn of the century epic prairie drama based on the works of Willa Cather. From a zombie and his mustachioed mother, to George and Mary Bailey, to a famed inventor and his lady Android, to the prairies of Nebraska; their work is clever, quirky, sharp and new. More at animalengine.com
Boogie of the Apes is the second in a series of hilarious productions lip-synced to vintage children’s records of famous comic book, TV, and movie franchises. This raucous send-up of the1970s Planet of the Apes franchise lampoons, critiques, and ever-so-gently mocks the first four movies in less than an hour. Come see Taylor, Dr. Zira, Cornelius, Nova and many more apes, humans and mutants come full circle in their journey through time and space and, of course, boogie down a bit too. (Please note: no gorillas, orangutans or chimpanzees are harmed in this production.)
Showgirls! The Musical! is the unauthorized musical parody of the cult classic film, Showgirls, brought to you by the twisted minds behind “Bayside! The Saved by the Bell Musical!”
“Showgirls!” follows the beautiful drifter with a secret past, Nomi, as she goes from Stripper to Showgirl in Las Vegas.
- What will Nomi sacrifice on her rise to fame?
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Who will she sleep with along the way?
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Will she ever like brown rice and vegetables?
You’ll be thrusting in your seat to songs about fashion (I’d Look Great In a Versace), romance (F*cking Underwater), songs about dance instruction (D*ncing Aint F*cking, Girl), cautionary tales (Don’t Lick that Pole, Girl) and much much much more!
Warning: Contains suggestive language, suggestive dancing, erotic dancing, questionable dancing, nudity, nipples on ice, thrusting, and material and acting that may not be appropriate for children under the age of 18. Or adults over the age of 100. Or small animals
Praise for Bayside & MediumFace:
“Book of Mormon meets Saved by the Bell” - Julie Chang, Fox5
“A hell of a lot of ribald fun" – NY Times
“New York’s Best” -Michael Musto, Village Voice
“It’s comical, and genius” – Talent in Motion
“Are you so excited, so excited, so SCARED? So was I. BUT: it was hilarious” -F*cked in Park Slope
Voilà, enlightenment’s blind side! Set in eighteenth-century Paris, The history of Braille begins at a sideshow spectacle and ends with revolution. Hear intimate stories of triumph and degradation embedded in sound and visionscapes. Think Ken Burns on hallucinogenic steroids!
Godin has shamelessly named The Spectator & the Blind Man after her 2009 dissertation, which you can find at Google Books. This then is a research project running off the rails! In the history of the education of the blind there are moments and characters that do not fit neatly into the dry and straightforward narratives of progress and enlightenment. Godin decided to investigate these little stories. The result is a dark and humorous work of speculative fiction with a steampunk aesthetic. It is informed as much by research as by the degenerative eye disease that has slowly taken her sight.
“We all play in history blindly,” she says with a wink. “I have been thinking about these stories for a long long time, and am thrilled to have them brought to life by such an amazing team of artists, academics and performers!”
Starring:
Bill Chambers, Gregory Levine, Leslie Goshko, Cathryn Lynne, Dan Rose, Bryan Harris & Dr ML Godin
Featuring original art & curated projections by:
Nellie King Solomon, Todd Jackson, Nicole Simpson, David Lowe and Caroline Kasnakian
About the Company: Horse Trade Theater Group
HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work that has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade’s Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York – the first and only festival of its kind in New York City. In 2011 Horse Trade received the New York Innovative Theatre Ellen Stewart Stewardship Award for demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership.
MY THREE MOMS: One birthed her, one nursed her, one raised her. Now she’s burying all three. A daughter is called back to the red clay of Georgia to bury her three moms and shape her own identity. Good Lord Almighty! Who are all these crazy people at the funerals?!
The accomplished actress, Virginia Bryan, has written her first play – a one-woman show based on her life experience growing up with three consecutive mothers in the Bible Belt South. The show played at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival, the 2011 United Solo Theatre Festival at NYC’s historic Theatre Row, the 2012 Orlando International Fringe Festival, the 2012 Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and the 2012 Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival. In the play, Bryan plays herself and a slew of quirky characters, including family members and local towns people. The main character is the matriarch of the highly-revered Georgia family, Aunt Zooie, who sugar-coats everything, including death by touting “we’ve got a life to celebrate” as she enters each funeral. Dark family secrets are revealed throughout which build to the final climax where the daughter realizes that what she thought were truths were actually myths. The show is funny, thoughtful, and heart-wrenching. www.mythreemomstheshow.com
JonBenet Ramsey! Murder Mystery Theater!is a true crime musical comedy from the creators of the critically praised off-off Broadway smash hit, Bayside! (The Saved by the Bell Musical) “A hell of a lot of ribald fun” - New York Times. Join MediumFace as they boldly recreate that fateful night before the fateful murder on that fateful year in that fateful town of Boulder, Colorado. With music!
On December 26th, 1996 JonBenét Ramsey was murdered by an unknown person or persons. 16 years later, JonBenét’s case remains one of the most horrifying unsolved murders in our country’s history. MediumFace Productions has vowed to do what the Colorado police department, FBI, Government, and CSI: Miami all failed to do: solve this case and bring JonBenét back to life!
Who Killed JonBenét? And when? And how much?
Was it:
· The Greedy Father, Jon Ramsey, who loved his daughter to death. Literally?
· The Jealous Mother, Patsy Ramsey, who could no longer handle the competition.
· The Explosive Son, Burke Ramsey, whose dangerous anger is absolutely adorable!
“Hilarious and true to actual events, Medium Face cracks this case (up!)” -The Boulder Sentinel*
“I died laughing!” – JonBenet Ramsey*
“Who is JonBenet Ramsey?” HoneyBooBoo*
* Not actual quotes
Featuring "toe-tappingly hilarious" songs, this dark musical comedy is a humorous blend of the Bad Seed, Lolita, Home Alone, and Apocalypse Now – you won’t want to miss this!
Mary Crosbie as Mom Benét Ramsey
Bob McSmith as Dad Benét Ramsey
Tobly McSmith as Burke Benét Ramsey
***Don’t tell your friends the surprise ending!***
Tickets, Info, Conspiracy Theories, and Shockingly Adorable Pictures: www.jonbenetlives.com
In the style of Spalding Gray, comedian David Lee Nelson focuses his trademark wit on his political past in his new play THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET. Filled with bipartisan fervor, Nelson struggles with his Republican upbringing, his transformation into a New York liberal, and the nearly impossible task of coming out of the closet to his father...as a Democrat.
About the Company: Broken Box Mime Theateer
Broken Box Mime Theater is a collaborative performance group that tells original stories through mime technique. Our aim is to activate the imagination of our audiences, contemporize the art of mime, and remind us all of the power of simple storytelling.
"...Physically specific, bold in their choices, dynamic, compelling, and frankly very attractive… A wonderful ensemble, they're effortlessly tuned to each other..." – NYTheatre.com, Edward Elefterion
"Their enthusiasm for and facility with the oft-maligned art of mime is positively infectious." – stage-rush.com, Nicole Gluckstern
About the Company: Brain Melt Consortium
Since its inception, BMC has produced multiple staged readings, interactive concept parties, and a semi-regular series of “Pop Culture Fondues.”
In August 2011, Brain Melt Consortium produced its first fully staged full-length work, THE FLOWERS OF FANTASTICO, at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La Mama as part of The New York International Fringe Festival.
Rabbit Island is a comedy about what it takes to become a real New Yorker. Coming to the city to fulfill your destiny can be as perilous as riding the Cyclone. And dating people here? Forget it. The ones who haven’t become crazy are so wrapped up in weird stuff it’s hard to have something genuine. The city can grip you and shake you for all you’re worth. Some days it seems the only choice you have is between losing your focus and losing your mind. It all turns into a Shoot the Freak game…and guess who the freak is?Alex zigzags irregular relationships with an erratic therapist, his off-again/on-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? “When life sucks as bad as your mental health, go to Rabbit Island.”
Elephant Run District is proud to present this Coney Island-themed comedy the 2012 Frigid Festival at the Kraine Theater. Written by Chris Harcum, one of NYTheatre’s People of the Year for 2011, and directed by Aimee Todoroff, Rabbit Island stars Ethan Angelica, Carrie Heitman, Mel House, Joel Nagle, Laura Butler, and Mariko Iwasa. With an original score by Scott Garapolo, stage management by Heather Olmstead, and lighting design by Maryvel Firda, this is sure to please the outsider in all of you.
Chris Harcum (Playwright): One of NYTheatre's People of the Year and his play, Green, was published in the Indie Theatre Now Best of 2011 Collection. His full-length plays include G. Dot’s Revenge, Trading Lunches, Rabbit Island, Milk & Shelter, Instant Gratification and The Devil in Ms. Spelvin. Chris co-adapted and played the title role in a modern version of Moliere’s The Hypochondriac. As a solo performer, he has created and performed Green, Some Kind of Pink Breakfast, Gotham Standards, Anhedonia Road, Mahamudra, The Monster and the City, Weight and Weightlessness and American Badass (0r 12 Characters in Search of a National Identity). Along with his play We Haven't Told Anyone About This, these pieces have been published on Indie Theatre Now. American Badass was also published in the Plays and Playwrights 2009 anthology and The Best of the Frigid Collection. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times and NYTheatre. He is co-writing the screenplay for Meet the Hammernickys, a feature-length comedy, with the director Jason Cusato. Chris is a member of Actors’ Equity, Dramatists Guild and the League of IndependentTheater. chrisharcum.com.
Aimee Todoroff (Director): New York based actress and director. She has performed at venues across the country, was the recipient of the Sinclair Foundation Award for Excellence in Performance and is proud to have been a part of several Obie Award winning productions. Her directing work has been seen throughout NYC at locations as varied as traditional theatres, bars and found spaces. She has directed for Primary Stages, ArtEffects Theatre Company, The Metropolitan Theatre Company (2011 Obie Grant recipient), and others, and has helmed the world premieres of works by Chris Harcum (Green, We Haven’t Told Anyone About This), Nora Vetter (Details), Cusi Cram (Jump) and the East Coast premiere of Martin Blank’s The Law of Return. Aimee is the co-founder of the independent theater company Elephant Run District. aimeetodoroff.com.
Ethan Angelica (Alex): NYC credits: Peg O’ My Heart (MITF Best Musical), Those Whistling Lads (Spotlight On! Award, Outstanding Actor), Honestly Abe (Mint Theater). Regional: Theatreworks/USA (7 tours), Guthrie Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, American Folklore Theatre, Lake Placid Center for the Arts. BFA from NYU/CAP21. Huge thanks to Chris and Aimee for this extraordinary show! ethanangelica.com.
Laura Butler (Elastic Girl): Laura is a New York-based actress and singer-songwriter. She trained in London with Trestle Theatre, Theatre de Complicite, Actors from the London Stage, Royal Shakespeare Company, and The New Globe. In addition to New York, she has performed with The Human Race Theatre Company, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Wexner Center, and The Dorset Theatre Festival. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows on NBC, ABC, HBO, USA Network, and MTV. She has performed in music venues all over New York, and recently released her first album, "Crushing Blue Cupcakes," a jazzy-folk delicious blend with the warmth of Norah Jones, uniqueness of Joni Mitchell, phrasing of Billie Holiday, versatility of Judy Garland, and poignancy of Edith Piaf. laurabutlernyc.com.
Carrie Heitman (Karen): Carrie has appeared Off-Broadway, regionally, and traveled extensively performing in the UK, Poland, Russia and Malaysia. Selected favorites include: Emma in Phallacy (w/Simon Jones), Sarah in The Man Who Came to Dinner (dir. Michael Sexton), Mary Beth in A Prayer For Owen Meany (U.S. Premiere PRC), Alice in Hobson’s Choice (dir. Blake Robison), Metamorphoses (dr .Joe Haj), Goneril (us) in King Lear (dir. Mark Wing-Davey), The Mystery Spot (dir. Holly Hughes) TV/Film: Lipstick Jungle, Contracts (dir. Roni Ezra, Oscar Nominee Helmer & Son) 10 Days to Paradise, A Piece of Cake, The Patriot. cheitman.wordpress.com.
Mel House (Barbara): Mel House is excited to join the Elephant Run District team on Rabbit Island. She got a taste for this magical group while collaborating on All My Sons and Uncle Vanya. She has worked in NYC and around the globe at Playwrights Horizons, Red Bull Theater Company, Ohio Theatre, New Georges, Baltimore’s Centerstage, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Mel has been seen on One Life to Live, Rescue Me, and in the films Nicky Newark, 4960, Missy, Plus One, and The Film You Did Not See. She is a founding member of The Drawing Board and a
graduate of the University of Exeter’s School of Drama and the William Esper Studio. She thanks Vander and Iziah for their love, support and flexibility!
Mariko Iwasa (Usagi Sally): Born in Kanagawa, Japan. Mariko graduated Nihon Art University of Art, with a degree in Theater Acting. As an actress and dancer, she performed around Tokyo and was a Tokyo Disneyland Countdown Parade dancer in 2003. She came to NYC in 2007, wanting to convey to foreign people how her energy and personality are.....!!!!, to meet new people, and to find good dance lessons. She found many exciting, crazy fun people in NYC !!!!!! Two to three years ago she found a slapstick class in NYC that was a new world of entertainment to her, and began clown acting, physical comedy, and some simple juggling. This caused a bit of a shift change for her. She has performed in works she created at the Galapagos open variety show, New York Down Town Clown Revue, Whoa Wednesday etc. She is so glad and excited to perform with Rabbit Island. It is challenging, really. New York City is still exciting to her. By the way, everyone, she still wants to make more friends. :)
Joel Nagle (Dr. Bob): actor, writer, filmmaker. The Straitjacket, Kernel Of Sanity (Audelco Award nomination, Outstanding Ensemble Performance); M21/Bellevue, South Delancey, Henry’s Lunchroom, The Trials of MS. Katherine and Second (Plays and Playwrights 2005; Guiding Light (CBS) & All My Children (ABC), and the films The Challenger, Entropy, Say Nothing and Last Words of the Holy Ghost which has recently screened at several film festivals including: Lucerne International Film Festival in Switzerland, Aguilar Film Festival in Spain, LA Shorts Fest, Austin Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Driftless Film Festival, Coney Island Film Festival and the Big Apple Film Festival. SAG-AFTRA-AEA. Many thanks to Aimee, Chris, everyone involved in this production and my life coach, B.Y.O.B.
Maryvel Bergen Firda (Lighting Design): Maryvel is thrilled to be working with Chris and Aimee again, after most recently lighting We Haven’t Told Anyone About This. Other recent designs include Woman of Manhattan for the Iron Jaw Company, Festival of the Vegetables (2010) at the Metropolitan Playhouse, and King Lear for ShakespeareNYC. Maryvel is especially happy to be back with Frigid, after collaborating with Chris for American Badass for the 2008 Festival.
Scott Garapolo (Sound Design/Original Composition): Born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, earned a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Miami before moving to New York City. He has freelanced here, and toured nationally, as a drummer with seemingly countless bands for the last fifteen years. He now splits his musical time behind the drums and in the producer's chair, producing bands and singers and also composing music for theater, commercials and websites. Currently he is developing a deep passion for speaking of himself in the third person. Please stop by and visit at iamadrummer.com.
Heather Olmstead (Stage Manager): is tickled pink to be joining Elephant Run Productions again for another funtastic show. She has worked professionally at a handful of theatres in Ohio as well as Metropolitan Playhouse, La MaMa ETC, The Frigid Festival, The Fringe Festival and Theatre Askew's Youth Performance Experience in NYC. When not wearing black and lurking in the shadows she is playing with yarn. Much love to her family and friends for supporting her theatre habit, especially Kevin.
A Retrospective Evening of Theatre, Film and Music to benefit RSP’s 10th Season!Featuring Segments covering Season 1 to 10, From Audience Favorites from Season Pasts!
Including:
- The Last Supper By Dan Rosen
- Hellcab By Will Kern
- The Crucible By Arthur Miller
- A’spress By Adam Purvis
- Songs from our Musical Cabarets Beneficial Bawdiness, Growing Up Is Hard to Do
And Many Many more favorites!
Join our Returning Cast Members & Current Ensemble as we celebrate all things Rising Sun! Akia, Almog Pail, Amanda Berry, David Anthony, EJ Assi, Elizabeth Burke, Jason Vinoles, Joe Beaudin, Kate Foster, Kate Grimes, Kitty Lindsay, Larry Gutman, Lela Bryant, Lindsay Beecher, Lindsey Smith, Michael Bernardi, Michael Burns, Mimi Jefferson, Nicole Howard, Patrick Egan, Rick Benson, Sahadev Poudel, Tedra Millan, Temi Hason, Zach Marco
Raffle Prizes include Dinner & Theatre Packages Featuring:
- Blue Man Group
- Catch Me if You Can
- The Harry Potter Exhibit at Discovery Times Square
- Fuerza Bruta!
Direction Team: Akia, Maura Kelly, Lindsay Beecher & Ted Gorodetzky
Production Manager: Lindsay Beecher
Stage Manager: Nzinga Williams
Costume Design: Barbara Erin Delo
Media Direction: Derek Shore
Literary Management: Michael Ross Albert &John Patrick Bray
Photography & Video: David Anthony
Fundraising Coordinator: Tiffini Minatel
Scarlet Woman is a colorful homage to all of the dangerous Delilahs of film noir. In this two-woman, comedic thriller actresses Candy Simmons and Megan Hill, led by seasoned director Rob O’Neill, rip through the story of one femme fatale, twelve characters and more dead bodies than the last scene of Hamlet. Using a trunkful of props and costumes, a sharp tongue, highly physical performances and a wild imagination Scarlet Woman's crackerjack team of artists present 60-minutes of non-stop ‘stage magic’ recreating the mysterious world of the film-noir genre.
written by Matthew Wells
directed by Rob O'Neill
performed by Megan Hill* & Candy Simmons
stage managed by Jenn Tash
(* appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association)
About the Company: SunsetGun Productions
SunsetGun Productions (SGP), www.sunsetgunproductions.com, is an emerging theatre company founded in New York City, currently headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and proudly creating work out of both of these arts meccas. SGP enjoyed a fantastic reception to their inaugural production, a one-woman show titled AfterLife that toured across the US and Canada to much critical acclaim, including a Best Female Performer Award at the Victoria Fringe Festival for Candy Simmons, a list of 5-Star Reviews and a ranking as the #1 Must See Show at Montreal Fringe Festival by the MONTREAL GAZETTE:
experience a theatrical moment that takes your breathe away.
AfterLife, presented by SunsetGun Productions, has that effect.”
After moving from readings in Los Angeles to a workshop in New York, the next step in the evolution of this multi-media solo show is the world premier production in the FRIGID New York Festival 2011. Written and directed by Lauren Rayner, MENDACITY takes you deep inside the mind of a splintering personality, peppered with dark humor and wrought with self-loathing and denial over sexual assault. Join us in a rebellious journey of fragmented transcendence and the offering of hope.
“MENDACITY is a kaleidoscope of vibrant voices with reflections constantly revolving and morphing around the issue sexual assault. For someone to take something so personal and heartbreaking and transform it into something so transcendent and gut-wrenchingly honest is magnificent, awe-inspiring and inspirational.”
-Ashley Steed (Writer, LA Stage Times)
The premier production of MENDACITY brings together a team of 15 creative collaborators andwill integrate dynamic multi-media techniques, including mind-blowing video projections by Jay Kilachand, an original soundscape designed by Jake Hull (of the band Momentary Prophets) with precise choreography by Shiloh Goodin and a vibrant lighting design by Tony Lepore. The piece will be performed by Ali Kresch.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), about 80% of rape cases in the United States are women aged 24 and under, and that statistic becomes even more staggering when we realize that most sexual assaults of young women go unreported out of fear, disgust, shame, and denial. This is strictly a not-for-profit production. Box office proceeds will directly benefit RAINN.
In the southern Black Church, a person's image and reputation is everything. So what happens when a high profile preacher's wife discovers that her husband has a fetish for young men? In this riveting new production, Deborah does what you'd least expect. She takes control of the situation and refuses to play the victim. She hires him a lover. The Contract is a titillating and provocative new dramatic play that explores one of the last taboos in the Black Church. It's what everyone knows but refuses to talk about. Come see the premiere of this new work, written by James Webb, a fresh young voice in the American theatre.
Ensemble includes Albert Christmas (Broadway's Ragtime), Joy Jones (Lincoln Center's Zaide), and James Webb (Off Broadway's Birthday Party in Madagascar).
None of the other characters want to retell the story of "The Idiot" because it’s too horrific, but Prince Myshkin insists this time will be different; this time he will deliver a speech that will save the world.
　
And so begins a darkly comic retelling of Dostoevsky’s novel.　 Dropped into modern day America, a land ruled by Christian hypocrites, Prince Myshkin runs for U.S. Senate to promote true Christianity – compassion for all men. As his fame grows, he helps a recovering alcoholic win the love of a socialite/porn star.　 But when she falls in love with Myshkin instead, he must teach them to love with compassion before jealousy turns into murder. In the meantime, the prince has opened his apartment to cancer patients and the homeless, however it soon becomes clear that those Myshkin pities feel more spite than gratitude… Can Myshkin hold back the passions, intrigues and resentments brewing in his apartment long enough to give his speech and save the world?
Directed by Eric Nightengale. Scenic Consultant: Scott Aronow. Props: Amanda Stuart. Production Stage Manager: Billie Davis. Assistant Stage Manager: Simone Zwarenstein. Vocal Coach: Nancy Saklad.
Featuring Phil Douglas, Philip Guerette, Emily Hagburg, James Jenner, Jonathan Todd Ross, Toby Wherry, Hollis Witherspoon.
"An Idiot" was originally workshopped at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York in June-July 2010, directed by Joy Brooke Fairfield.
After selling out its original run as well as two extensions last summer, THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND will return for another limited run engagement of summer camp. This unauthorized musical parody inspired by the beloved TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,” features book by Nick Brennan, music by Jeff Thomson, and lyrics by Luke Jones and Cisco Cardenas.
In THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND four women over 60 (Blanchette, the varicose-veined vixen; Dorthea, the brainy ball-buster; Roz, the lovable airhead; and Sophie, the wisecracking spitfire) are spending their golden years together in a bungalow in Miami. But when gay pop superstar Lance Bass moves next door, his loud outdoor sex parties keep the quartet of cheesecake-loving retirees awake. The solution pits the gays against the girls at the annual Shady Oaks Retirement Home Talent Show: if the women win, then no more sex parties; if the gays garner top prize, the sassy seniors must serve as the party's clean-up crew. Singing, dancing and hilarity ensues!
This newly revised 2010 production will feature an all-new cast led by Mimi Imfurst (The Diary of Anne Frankenstein, Facts of Life: The Lost Episode, The Virgin Mary Trilogy) in the role inspired by Betty White. Additional cast members include Jake Lemmenes (Twist), Susan Campanaro, Jason B. Schmidt (The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever!), Belinda Hodler (Cock Tales, Triumph of the Underdog) and Joey Army as Lance Bass. It is directed by Nick Brennan featuring choreography by Justin Wingenroth, orchestrations by Adam Gubman and design by Luke Jones.
Tickets are available at 212-352-3101 or www.SpinCycleNYC.com.
Set in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, MOVING DAY centers around Max, a recovering heroin addict. As Max prepares to leave the childhood home he shares with his sister Emily, she tries to convince him that leaving won’t eliminate his problems. Emily constantly struggles with letting go -- of her brother, of their parents’ house, of a fantasy relationship with her friend Steven. More problems arise when Melinda, Max’s alcoholic-in-denial ex-wife shows up sporting secrets of her own. Addiction. Infidelity. Divorce. When we move to a new home, can we leave behind our issues or do they inadvertently get packed with the china?The production stars Tina Barone, Frank Nigro, Douglas Reid and Christie Zampella with lighting by Ken Conroy, set by Katherine Fry, sound by Sam Dante, and costumes by Sofia Dante.
NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are pleased to present a special edition of their ongoing show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind in honor of the culmination of National Poetry Month. TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND: 30 POEMS IN 60 MINUTES will be presented at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003) on Friday, April 30th and Saturday, May 1st at 10:30pm.A poetry-themed version of their critically acclaimed signature show, Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, this ever-changing, lightening-paced performance of 30 Poems In 60 Minutes will be dedicated to theater that is poetic, musical, lyrical, powerful and that sometimes...rhymes.
30 Poems In 60 Minutes will feature New York Neo-Futurists’ Jill Beckman, Desiree Burch, Cara Francis, Kevin R. Free, Ryan Good, Daniel McCoy, Rob Neill, Joey Rizzolo and Lauren Sharpe. They will be joined by alumni favorites Claudia Alick and F. Omar Telan.
Tickets are $10.00 plus the roll of a six-sided die ($11-$16) at the door. Advance tickets are $16.00 and can be purchased online at www.nyneofuturists.org, or by calling 212-352-3101.
In Honor of Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 27th, the Neos will be extending their "poetic footprint" by creating a series of wild postings throughout New York City honoring poems past, present, and Neo-future.
For more information on these events and 30 Poems in 60 Minutes, visit http://www.nyneofuturists.org
THE NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are an ensemble of dynamic writer/performer/directors who present the critically acclaimed, energetic show of original short plays, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind--a non-illusory collage of the comic and tragic, the political and personal, the visceral and experimental, while embracing chance, change, and chaos. Developing out of the format that has been a success in Chicago since 1988, the New York Neo-Futurists have roots in NYC from the mid 90’s. Since opening TML in New York, they have created over 1900 plays and continue to present new and vital work every weekend in the East Village. For more info: www.nynf.org
Using various forms of media (film, radio, song/dance), Anyone for a Classy Threesome? brings together three short tales based off of classical works of literature. Starting off with Spinner Spirits Presents Showpiece Theater Starring Rex McDeevit, a radio play version of Othello, then moving into 1,001 Peorian Nights based off the famous Arabian tales, and ending with an ethereal symbolist spin-off of Dante's Inferno entitled Song Five, Circle Two, the night has something to offer everyone, from old-time radio junkies to dance theatre fans. Brought to you by the folks at Just ASK Productions, the 90-minute show will draw you in with all the sights, sounds, and spectacle a modern day audience can desire.
This classic comedy features two sweet old ladies… who poison lonely men as an act of charity. One of their nephews is a serial killer. Another thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt. The third just wants to marry his girl and keep his aunties safe from the Brooklyn Police Department. There are a slew of dead bodies buried in the cellar and another in the window seat. Because murder, insanity and family are very Dysfunctional.
What's so funny about two American minorities that have slavery, the KKK, and chicken livers in common? You’ll find out in this hilarious and innovative two-actor play on the history and absurdity of prejudice and racism. This fast-paced show combines sketches, improvisations, and multi-media. Touring the U.S. and the U.K.
CAMOUFLAGE explores the dangers of camouflaging the truth, as we journey through life. How many of us hide within ‘tangled webs’ of deception? In her new play, writer and actress Gail Roberts explores the pain of self-deception, and discovers it’s not as grim as she thought. In fact, the lengths we go to deceive ourselves and others can be downright funny…if it didn’t hurt so much!
In the early hours before a massacre that will annihilate her people, Judith visits General Holofernes as the last hope to save her race. What starts as a seductive game of manipulation under the cool shroud of the quiet desert night quickly becomes a conflict of allegiance. As dawn burns through the cracks of the general's tent, Judith must decide how much of her own identity she's willing to sacrifice for the fate of the thousands that wait in the distance. 
Join Mildred Langstrom and Alex Schaefer as they rebuild their lives from financial ruin and unexpected loss. Healing begins as Mother Nurture meets Neurotica and two generations of women chart a new course in life as ROOMMATES. 
A special installment of NYNF's "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind," Super Gay! is a romp through sex, gender, identity, politics, and everything gay. During each performance, the Neo-Futurists race against the clock to perform thirty short plays in under an hour, and the audience chooses the order in which they are performed. Comedies are performed next to dramas, musicals alongside avant-garde puppetry and movement. Each performance is unique, displaying a dizzying range of styles. 
We Call Her Benny, written and directed by SUZANNE BACHNER, is a dynamic 10-actor ensemble piece that tells the story of an adopted woman's victory through manic-depression, sexual dysfunction, a broken marriage and the reluctant search for her birth parents. It is a brand new piece created expressly for the first-ever FRIGID New York festival.
"11" presents two emotionally gripping stories of 11 lives deeply impacted by the terrorist bombings in Madrid, Spain on March 11, 2004 and the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001. This powerful theatrical event bridges two continents, cultures and national political agendas with one hauntingly similar thread of terrorism. The pieces in "11", "Ana 3/11", written by one of Spain's most acclaimed playwrights Paloma Pedrero, and "A River Apart", the world premiere play by playwright and television writer Michelle Schiefen, follow the heart wrenching journeys of 11 strangers forced to face the reality that their lives and memories are forever altered after the most devastating terrorist attacks on American and Spanish soils. 
The most dangerous choice we make is our choice to love. In stark, totalitarian Red City, two young lovers, Fernando and Arena, are separated by military conflicts. Fernando, on the lam from his country's current regime, dreams of reuniting with his love. While Arena holds onto hope that she will see Fernando again, she leans on her friend Lucia, whose boyfriend may be the key to Fernando's safe return. Will Lucia's lover be able to save Fernando or does he have another agenda? Will Fernando and Arena be together again? How, in life's toughest times, do people keep their faith?
Epidemic of Fear: The Influenzical
Crescendo Falls is a hilarious 6-episode spoof of everyone's favorite afternoon delight...soap operas! (there is a re-cap at the beginning of each episode)