From life as an adopted youth in a New York Jewish household, Rock tests the limits of every relationship he has by insistently fighting to enlighten and protect anyone and everyone in his path. BROKE WIDE OPEN is a story of love, loss, family, relationships, questions of identity and the incessant search for a place that feels like HOME.
Prisoner of Love deals with Julian, who is imprisoned as a teenager for a murder that he believes was an accidental shooting. In jail, Julian is preyed upon by tougher inmates, but soon learns the art of survival, and transforms himself into a macho man.The play picks up from his parole and subsequent re-entry into a world that he no longer knows, and a life he is not sure he can lead. His wealthy mother, who is terminally ill, dies and Julian inherits her fortune. His three siblings step up a campaign to get a share of the money, and a harassed Julian begins to think nostalgically about his prison days when he was happy with his teenaged lover. As the days go by Julian becomes increasingly tormented and gets into ugly confrontations - and the play ends with Julian finally finding a way out of his existential predicament.
About the Company: Variations Theatre Group
Variations Theatre Group, a nonprofit organization, is formed by a group of young stage professionals (all in their twenties) with the following goals and objectives:
1. To stage at least one play each season with a theme that is of interest and concern to the public (e.g. autism, post traumatic stress in veterans) and donate the profits from its production to appropriate charitable foundations.
2. To show plays of short duration at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and such other places, free of cost when the institution cannot afford it.
3. To produce American theatrical classics, giving opportunities to young actors and directors.
4. To stage theatrical works by relatively unknown contemporary American playwrights.
5. To hire and train a new generation of actors, playwrights and directors to familiarize themselves with the seminal works of modern theatre.
6. To recruit and train interns, giving preference to minority and disadvantaged applicants, by giving them stipends and hands-on work experience.
7. To have special theater festivals (or benefit events) to reflect our nation’s multicultural milieu, and to provide contemporary American playwrights the ability to showcase original work spanning gender and cultural diversity.
Variations Theatre Group believes that contributing to the community is paramount and will focus on active and dynamic participation in this area, with a separate group headed by a director to perform outreach functions. Furthermore, all the assets belonging to Variations Theatre Group will, upon its dissolution, be liquidated and the entire proceeds will be donated to the state, federal government or organized charities.
SAT DEC 10 3:00 PM
Written in 1982, Sam Shepard'sdarkly hilarious stage play True West was given its first important American staging at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater. Lee, a tattered, battered petty crook and drifter shows up unannounced at his mother's home in the middle of the California desert. Lee is given a less than enthusiastic reception by his straitlaced brother Austin, a screenwriter who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a Hollywood producer . The simmering sibling rivalry between Lee and Austin boils over when Lee suddenly steals all of Austin's creative thunder -- leading to a riotous "collaboration" which all but reduces the tiny house to a pile of rubble. True West debuted on August 12, 2002.
Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French,Inc. New York City
Rainbow Around the Sun will be featured as part of the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival and is a rock musical by Matthew Alvin Brown (music and lyrics) and Tom Stuart (book and additional lyrics), with musical direction and musical arrangements by Nathan Siver and directed by Nick Demos at the 45th Street Theatre. Performances for Rainbow Around the Sun begin October 5 and will run through October 17. It will receive a special farewell performance on Saturday, August 29th at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma (Plaza Theatre) at 7:30pm.
Rainbow Around the Sun is based on Matthew Alvin Brown’s (lead singer of the band “The Fellowship Students”) concept album and indie film, Rainbow Around the Sun which was featured at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival, The Dead Center Film Festival and the Athens International Film Festival. The stage version of this musical will feature several new songs and a brand new book by Tom Stuart (Kids in America).
Rainbow Around the Sun is a circus-like dissection of broken hearts, life through a liquor bottle, and rebirth through loss that follows flamboyant local rock hero Zachary Blasto as he struggles with his personal demons as he relives the highs and lows of his career during a radio interview.
The cast includes: Matthew Alvin Brown as Zachary Blasto (film Rainbow Around the Sun), Jamie Buxton (film Rainbow Around the Sun, A Chorus Line tour) Janine DiVita (Broadway: Grease), and Jefferson Slinkard (Mamma Mia, Asian tour Cinderella). Creative team includes: Keith Levenson (Musical Supervisor), Meghan Buchanan (set design and props), Driscoll Otto (lighting design) Kurt Eric Fischer (sound design), Amelia Pedigo-Otto (costume design), Kat Ventura (hair and make design) and Eric Louie (Dramaturge).
Can Christian Mohammed Schwartzelberg stay true to himself and still get the girl? Or will he lose her to the guy in leather pants? Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn's indie music scene complete with a gallery of hipsters, stoners, artists, cougars, songwriters and puppeteers, F#@KING UP EVERYTHING is a rock musical comedy with heart…and ironic t-shirts.
Noah Weisberg (South Pacific, Legally Blonde), Jenna Coker-Jones (Little Shop of Horrors, Evil Dead, Fame on 42nd Street), Liz Larsen (Hairspray, Tony Award & Drama Desk Award nominee for Most Happy Fella, Damn Yankees), Neil Haskell (“So You Think You Can Dance,” 9 to 5, Altar Boyz), Leif Huckman (member of indie-rock band The Boggs, TACT’s The Incident at Vichy), John Rochette (NC production of Ring of Fire. Film: A Beautiful Debt) and Kate Rockwell (Legally Blonde, NBC's “Grease: You're The One That I Want.” Film: Sex and the City). Creative team includes Daniel Zimmerman (Set Designer), Jessica Pabst (Costume Designer), Joel E. Silver (Lighting Designer) Daryl Eisenberg, CSA (Casting Director), Jeremy Handelman (Producer), Lisa Dozier (General Manager).
F#@KING UP EVERYTHING
David Eric Davis (Music, Lyrics, Book), Sam Forman (Book),
Stephen Brackett (Director), Matt Hinkley (Musical Director, Orchestrations and Arrangements)F#@KING UP EVERYTHING is presented by The New York Musical Theatre Festival & Jeremy Handelman/Off The Leash Productions, LLC.
Begins Tuesday, October 6 - Friday, October 16.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesday, Oct 6th at 8:00 PM; Wednesday, Oct 7th at 1:00 PM; Sunday, Oct 11th at 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM; Tuesday, Oct 13th at 4:30 PM; Friday, Oct 16th at 8:00PM
Tickets $20 to purchase go to www.nymf.org or call 212-352-3101.
For more information visit www.fuckingupeverything.com
Fassbinder’s most famous film, which questions the possibility of truly selfless love, started as a stage play:
Fashion designer Petra von Kant is a part of the German post-war economic miracle. A self-made business owner, she imperiously rules her family and business kingdoms with the help of Marlene, her long suffering assistant. When a friend introduces her to a social-climbing young lady, Petra learns the truth behind Thomas Mann’s dictum “who loves the more is the inferior and must suffer.”
After its highly successful July run, Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize & New York Drama Critics Circle Award winning play returns to the 45th St. Theatre for 2 more shows!
The scene is Hazlehurst, Mississippi, five years after Hurricane Camille. Witness the struggles and passions of the three Magrath sisters, the vibrancy of the people who inhabit their thoughts and daily lives, and the story of how each of the sisters finds the strength to withstand the traumas of the past and to face the future.
Cast: Julie Garrison, Peter Giser, Kristen Lucas, Duvall O'Steen, Lauren Piselli, Mark Ramsey
MANYTRACKS is pleased to announce the world premiere of THE MAN IN THE NEWSPAPER HAT by Hayley Heaton, directed by Katrin Hilbe. THE MAN IN THE NEWSPAPER HAT plays a three-week limited engagement at the 45th Street Theatre (345 W 45th St). Performances begin Thursday, March 5th and continue through Wednesday, April 1st. The Man in the Newspaper Hat is a fictionalized portrayal of what went into the creation of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, "Visits to St. Elizabeths." Bishop wrote this poem during her visits with the controversial poet, Ezra Pound who was remanded to St. Elizabeths in 1946 after having stood trial for treason where a special jury found him incompetent. Each scene is built upon aspects of Bishop's poem and follows both characters as they come together, "poet to poet”.
Written and performed by Josh Jonas, CAPTURE NOW is a unique coming-of-age story about two brothers: teenage Elijah and his little brother Ace who learn from each other what it means to be cool, who they would die for, and how rock 'n roll can uplift even the youngest of spirits. During this bittersweet and often funny tale, Elijah is both delighted and dazzled by his little brother's uncanny ability to teach him a thing or two about life ... from successful first date tips to negotiating his way through the cool crowd. CAPTURE NOW will do just that ... capture your attention, and hold it until the curtain falls.
"Striking! Josh Jonas ups the ante and tells the story with command, aided by Larry Moss's direction. The illusion has been conveyed. No small feat, that." NY Times
Visit www.capturenowtheplay.com
HARM'S WAY tells the tale of a career Army prosecutor who investigates a possible war crime against Iraqi civilians by U.S troops, while at the same time fighting to save his troubled daughter here on American soil.
Election Night 2008 with The Billionaire Follies | Open: 11/04/08 Close: 11/04/08
THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL (NYMF) and EMERGING ARTISTS THEATRE and THE NEW YORK NEW MUSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL is pleased to announce the world premiere production of HEAVEN IN YOUR POCKET, directed by Alan Souza. HEAVEN IN YOUR POCKET will play a limited engagement as part of the New York New Musical Theater Festival at the 45th Street Theatre (354 west 45th Street). Performances begin Tuesday, September 16 and continue to Sunday, September 28. En route to musical stardom in Nashville, The Heavenly Belles – a female family singing trio from Heaven, Oklahoma – take an unexpected detour to Kansas City where an unusual inheritance wreaks havoc with their plans. A handsome cowboy, a kindly Miss-Fixit and a "can-do" decorator all chime in with the Belles as they face the music (and each other) in this lighthearted, tuneful romp!
The production stars Lisa Asher (New York Nightlife Award, a MAC Award, and a Back Stage Bistro Award) as Celeste, stars Chuck Saculla (Bdwy: Aida and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) as Sam, stars Claire Slemmer as Grace Helen Baker.
The production features scenic design by Tim McMath, costume design by David Withrow, and lighting design by G. Benjamin Swope. Aaron Blank is the sound designer, Jenny Lee Mitchell is the Producer's representative and Jennifer Marie Russo is the stage manager.
Mergatroyd Productions presents JANE EYRE, one of the greatest love stories of English literature. In this new theatrical adaptation by N.G. McClernan, the story opens with Rochester's plaintive cry for his beloved Jane and unfolds in flashbacks to reveal the heroine's transformation from a mistreated little girl into a woman in control of her own destiny. True to the original work, JANE EYRE illuminates the timeless story of the lovers as they struggle to overcome fate.Mary Murphy (Artists Descending a Staircase) and Greg Oliver Bodine* (writer / performer of solo adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol) perform as Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester. Alice Connorton* (Broadway: National Actor's Theatre revival of Inherit the Wind), Bruce Barton* (Busted Jesus Comix, Blue Coyote Theater Company) Nat Cassidy* (The Rise and Fall of Miles & Milo, Fringe NYC) and Hannah Snyder-Beck (The Seventeenth of June, Mint Theatre) round out the cast.
The creative team includes Viviane Galloway (costume design), Annalisa Loeffler (dialect coach), Reagan Wilson (assistant director/choreographer) Charles Jeffreys (photography) and Corrine Fuhrman (hair/makeup.) The stage manager is Amanda Elaan.
Playwright N.G. McClernan is the founder of NYCPlaywrights (www.nycplaywrights.org.) Her plays include Tam Lin, Monkey's Paw 2000 (Midtown International Theatre Festival), The Slash (Looking Glass Theatre), Blessings of the Sun God (Co-Founder), New Rules (Philadelphia Fringe Festival) and I See London (The Brick Playhouse, Philadelphia). Her play, Huck Finn, was recently part of the Metropolitan Playhouse Twainathon, and was performed in October 2007 by Steel City Theatre for the Pueblo Reads festival in Pueblo Colorado.
Jane Eyre has grown up orphaned and unloved. At age eighteen she takes a job as governess for the enigmatic Edward Rochester. Jane falls in love with Rochester in spite of his odd behavior but her love is tested when the horrible truth about Rochester is revealed. Jane is forced to choose between love without morality, or morality without love. 
Out of loneliness, Zeb, the personal assistant and best friend to fading pop superstar Cindy Hall, decides to take on a new roommate, Gerry. Upon arriving, Zeb becomes fast friends with Gerry, confiding in her that his new boyfriend, Ricardo, is an illegal immigrant and although they feel greatly for each other, are uncertain of their future together because of it. Gerry, in turn, confides in Zeb that she too has a secret - a passionate affair with rock sensation Tobin Grey. As the story unfolds more secrets are revealed, devastating the illusions and lives of each character, spotlighting America's obsession with celebrity, and its tragic effects. Arpeggio is performed with a live rock band onstage, showcasing the talents of composer Alec Bridges and his compelling score. 
To Paul is a character driven journey thrusting 4 friends into the harshly abrubt reality of loss, all the while dealing with their own mortality and shrouded secrets. The show takes place on the morning of a close friends funeral, causing the four remaining friends to change their lives and help each other to cope. It is a drama that enables the characters to discover comedy and revelation in this dark time. Written By - NANCY FRIDAY'S
SONNET REPERTORY THEATRE, now in its fifth season, continues a rigorous pursuit of classic theatre for the modern planet with an exploration of Shakespeare's beautiful and haunting masterpiece, THE TEMPEST. Prospero's island becomes a magical but dwindling landscape scarred by years of human mistreatment, while the magician himself is seen as a powerful figure capable of both great goodness and great destruction. This production, as a modernist allegory about personal and environmental stewardship, will feature projections, original music, and a stripped-down cast of seven actors portraying all fifteen roles. Co-directed by Stefan Novinski and Hassan Christopher.
3107.
Four World Premiere Horror Plays by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Clay McLeod Chapman, Eric Sanders, and Justin Swain
Opens April 6th, 2006
45th Street Theatre (354 W. 45th St.)
DREAD AWAKENING brings together four up-and-coming playwrights – Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Based on a Totally True Story at MTC, The Mystery Plays), Clay McLeod Chapman (The Pumpkin Pie Show), Eric Sanders (It's a Dry Heat), and Justin Swain (Bump) – and pairs them up with the emerging directors Arin Arbus (Third Floor, Second Door on the Right), Amanda Charlton (The Witching Hour), Jessica Davis-Irons (Superpowers), and Pat Diamond (The Mystery Plays) to present four unique tales of terror.
In these four new plays, you will meet a boyfriend who refuses to reveal his true face, a dead best friend who won't stay dead, a professional who grows unnaturally obsessed with one of his clients, and a young couple experiencing horrific events in a car on a deserted highway...
Following three critically acclaimed productions, Ripple Productions presents its most ambitious work to date, Sodom's Wife. Combining movement with fearless storytelling, this compelling original theatrical work weaves the Biblical story of Sodom's destruction with a modern sensibility. Ripple Productions explores the haunting and mythic tale from the perspective of Lot's Wife. This engaging piece encourages the audience to ponder what is righteous, who the people of Sodom were, and why Lot's Wife turned around.Collaboration is at the heart of Ripple Productions' mission. Sodom's Wife was conceived by company members Erin Brindley and Maximillian Davis. The piece was developed over the past eight months with the help of the entire cast. Brindley and Davis guided the performers in creating their characters and crafted the script from the dynamic scenes that sprang from the cast during the workshops held since last summer.
by a youmg blalck militant for what she thinks are all the right reasons. The play challenges common views about race, family and
community. It is for mature audiences only.
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, GROWN UPS is an acerbic comedy in which a middle-aged journalist has finally grown up, only to find he's trapped in a world of emotional infants.Jake, a frustrated writer, struggles to set boundaries between his own family and his invasive parents, save a floundering marriage, and protect his daughter from an emotionally isolated childhood. In this transgenerational battle for recognition and validation, Jules Feiffer takes an unforgiving look at the maturity indicative of the adult. Painfully raw and embarrassingly honest, GROWN UPS allows us to laugh with humility at the child in us all.
At the request of Mr. Feiffer's agent, The Roundtable Ensemble must insist that there be NO REVIEWS of this production.
CREATION is a solo clown show in the tradition of Harpo Marx and Bill Irwin, conceived and performed by Lucas Caleb Rooney, directed by Orlando Pabotoy, and produced by Ty Jones. CREATION is a physically raucous exploration of the creative process. Performances Wed. 11/16 @ 7:30 PM, Thu. 11/17 @ 9:30 PM, and Fri. 11/18 @ 10:30 PM.
JAZZ DESERT (The Life & Death of an American Band) is a tell-all trip into a ‘Behind the Music' special told by rock artist Rebecca Hart about the inception and demise of her band, ‘The Rebecca Hart Project'. Ms. Hart, whose debut solo album will be released in 2006, performs her original music as she narrates the band's adventures, tours, romances, and eventual breakup. Performances Wed. 11/16 @ 9 PM, and Sat. 11/19 @ 10 PM.
THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT, written and performed by comic Andrew Goffman, tells of his boyhood spent secretly indulging in his dad's extensive porn collection, and his subsequent struggle balancing his triple-X fantasy world with two non-airbrushed real females in his adult life: his wife and baby daughter. Charles Messina directs. Performances Thu. 11/17 @ 7:30 PM, and Sat. 11/19 @ 6 PM.
SOUL TO KEEP weaves the history and the present of the African American Experience with a DJ assisted backdrop of music using familiar characters like Harriet Tubman, all portrayed by Joyia Bradley. The show is directed by Joanne Zipay and features DJ Priest.
Performances Fri. 11/18 @ 6:30 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 1 PM.
WILD RICE is a cross-cultural comedy written and performed by Asian-American actor and playwright, Scarlett Lam, in the bitingly honest style of Margaret Cho. WILD RICE tells the irreverent comic coming of age story of a mother's obsession with inflicting Chinese culture on her New Jersey tomboy daughter who is neither a delicate geisha nor mysterious dragon lady. Performances Fri. 11/18 @ 8:30 PM, Sat. 11/19 @ 1 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 8 PM.
I NEED A GUY WHO BLINKS takes the audience on a whacky dating journey with performer and writer, Janine Squillari, through New York City's varied locales as she searches for Mr. Right - but ends up with a perfect dummy. I NEED A GUY WHO BLINKS speaks to anyone who defiantly chooses to be single." Performances Sat. 11/19 @ 3 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 6PM.
PENTECOSTAL WISCONSIN, a solo comedy with music, is Ryan Paulson's comic and autobiographical tale of religious ecstasy and bashful Scandinavians. The Canadian Broadcasting Company praised it as "a brave performance – and very funny...4 STARS!" PENTECOSTAL WISCONSIN, a twisted ‘Lake Wobegone' for the MTV generation is directed by Virginia Scott. Performances Sat. 11/19 @ 8 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 3 PM.
I Need a Guy Who Blinks takes audiences on a wild and wacky journey in Janine Squillari's search for Mr. Right. Winding through New York City's varied locals, Janine confronts a quirky cast of potential mates, from the date that won't let go of a potato to the guy who wears his ski cap to bed. In her hilarious quest for that illusive boyfriend, I Need A Guy Who Blinks is a boisterous send up of dating, relationships and what creates a "perfect" man.
Directed by: Elizabeth Browning
CREATION is a solo clown show in the tradition of Harpo Marx and Bill Irwin,
conceived and performed by Lucas Caleb Rooney, directed by Orlando Pataboy,
and produced by Ty Jones. CREATION is a physically raucous exploration of
the creative process. Performances Wed. 11/16 @ 7:30 PM, Thu. 11/17 @ 9:30
PM, and Fri. 11/18 @ 10:30 PM.
JAZZ DESERT (The Life & Death of an American Band) is a tell-all trip into a
‘Behind the Music' special told by rock artist Rebecca Hart about the
inception and demise of her band, ‘The Rebecca Hart Project'. Ms. Hart,
whose debut solo album will be released in 2006, performs her original music
as she narrates the band's adventures, tours, romances, and eventual
breakup. Performances Wed. 11/16 @ 9 PM, and Sat. 11/19 @ 10 PM.
ACCIDENTAL PERVERT, written and performed by comic Andrew Goffman, tells of
his boyhood spent secretly indulging in his dad's extensive porn collection,
and his subsequent struggle balancing his triple-X fantasy world with two
non-airbrushed real females in his adult life: his wife and baby daughter.
Charles Messina directs. Performances Thu. 11/17 @ 7:30 PM, and Sat. 11/19 @
6 PM.
SOUL TO KEEP weaves the history and the present of the African American
Experience with a DJ assisted backdrop of music using familiar characters
like Harriet Tubman, all portrayed by Joyia Bradley. The show is directed by
Joanne Zipay and features DJ Priest. NY Theatre dubbed SOUL TO KEEP as "a
powerful and provocative piece of theatre." Performances Fri. 11/18 @ 6:30
PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 1 PM.
WILD RICE is a cross-cultural comedy written and performed by Asian-
American actor and playwright, Scarlett Lam, in the bitingly honest style of
Margaret Cho. WILD RICE tells the irreverent comic coming of age story of a
mother's obsession with inflicting Chinese culture on her New Jersey tomboy
daughter who is neither a delicate geisha nor mysterious dragon lady.
Performances Fri. 11/18 @ 8:30 PM, Sat. 11/19 @ 1 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 8 PM.
I NEED A GUY WHO BLINKS takes the audience on a whacky dating journey with
performer and writer, Janine Squillari, through New York City's varied
locales as she searches for Mr. Right - but ends up with a perfect dummy.
The Village Voice declared, "Portrayed with the tell-all honesty of ‘Sex and
the City'. I NEED A GUY WHO BLINKS speaks to anyone who defiantly chooses to
be single." Performances Sat. 11/19 @ 3 PM, and Sun. 11/20 @ 6 PM.
PENTECOSTAL WISCONSIN, a solo comedy with music, is Ryan Paulson's comic and
autobiographical tale of religious ecstasy and bashful Scandinavians. The
Canadian Broadcasting Company praised it as "a brave performance – and very
funny...4 STARS!" PENTECOSTAL WISCONSIN, a twisted ‘Lake Wobegone' for the MTV
generation is directed by Virginia Scott. Performances Sat. 11/19 @ 8 PM,
and Sun. 11/20 @ 3 PM.
Although a critical and commercial failure when it opened on Broadway in 1981, "Merrily We Roll Along" was delicately retooled for the 1994 revival and went on to win the 2001 Olivier Award in London. The original production was staged at the Alvin Theater and directed by Hal Prince. The 1994 streamlined version was a sell-out production staged at the York Theatre Company and directed by Susan H. Schulman.
"Merrily We Roll Along" begins in California in 1976 and rolls scene by scene back to 1957 as Frank, Mary and Charley trace the roots of their friendship. Along the way, they struggle with issues of the allure of money-grubbing Hollywood versus the collaborative art of writing Broadway musicals; remaining loyal to family and friends while still watching out for yourself; accepting that love and loss and growing up take their toll on everyone differently. By the end of the play, the three friends find themselves at age 20 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and at the beginning of their illustrious careers on Broadway and in Hollywood.
George Furth wrote the book of the musical, drawn from a Kaufman and Hart play of the same name. Uplifting numbers include "Old Friends," "Not a Day Goes By" and "Good Thing Going."