Lawrence Lesher, director, and Todd Michael, playwright, of “Vice Girl Confidential”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by robby

Grayce Productions presents "Vice Girl Confidential," by Todd Michael, directed by Lawrence Lesher A powerful crime boss. A crusading District Attorney. A tough-as-nails madame. The corruption of a small-town girl. Stool pigeons. Vice. Drag. Dames.

With a play entitled Vice Girl Confidential, you should expect these elements.

Gracye Productions gives you the goods with the re-mounting of their Fringe Festival hit, now directed by Lawrence Lesher, with a revised script by Todd Michael (who also plays the aforementioned madame, Stella Fontaine).

Listen in as Lawrence & Todd discuss the importance of timing in physical humour, how Vice Girl Confidential changed over time, and the fun challenge of hiding the risque elements of a play (in a world where sex & violence are usually out in front).

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Gracye Productions presents

Vice Girl Confidential

by Todd Michael
directed by Lawrence Lesher

thru May 19, 2013
Tuesday–Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 2pm and 8pm
Sunday at 3pm

The Studio
Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd Street
Manhattan

tickets available via TeleCharge

Grayce Productions presents "Vice Girl Confidential," by Todd Michael, directed by Lawrence Lesher, photo by Chris Kateff photos by Chris Kateff

Grayce Productions presents "Vice Girl Confidential," by Todd Michael, directed by Lawrence Lesher, photo by Mary Lopez photos by Mary Lopez

August Schulenburg, playwright, and Kelly O’Donnell, director, of “Honey Fist”

Posted on May 14, 2013 by robby

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents "Honey Fist"

I love seeing people I recognize onstage.

And though I’m not from Marble Head, outside of Boston (pronounced ”Mahble Head, outside of Bahston”), playwright August Schulenburg has written some beautifully complex, and very familiar, characters in his funny, tragic, compelling new play, Honey Fist.

Listen in as Gus and director Kelly O’Donnell discuss where Gus’s “most autobiographical play” (that’s not autobiographical) came from, the late-night last-minute carving of bongs, and why Honey Fist is running in rep with Sans Merci (hear the Sans Merci podcast here — and, listen to Gus & Kelly’s first outing on the podcast, about Adam Szymkowicz’s play Hearts Like Fists, here).

“Wha, you think you’re bettah than me?”

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Flux Theatre Ensemble presents

Honey Fist

by August Schulenburg
directed by Kelly O’Donnell

thru May 18, 2013, in rep with Sans Merci; see the full schedule here

4th Street Theatre
83 E. 4th Street
Manhattan

tickets available via OvationTix

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents "Honey Fist," photo by Ken Glickfeld

photos by Ken Glickfeld

Ming Peiffer, playwright, and Kat Yen, director, of “Advance Guard”

Posted on May 13, 2013 by robby

Spookfish Theatre Company presents "Advance Guard" The term “avant-garde” gets thrown around a lot, but as you’ll hear playwright Ming Peiffer recount in this episode, it started as a military term before it was used to describe the artists changing forms, and pushing art forward.

And as you’ll hear director Kat Yen discuss, the co-Artistic Directors of Spookfish Theatre Company felt that the plays they’ve been seeing of late aren’t original, or pushing theatre forward.

That frustration is where the play, and the central conflict of, Advance Guard comes from.

Listen in as Ming & Kat discuss rebelling against post-impressionism & what other people want to see, the madness leading up to opening night, and why be an artist.

“What the hell are we doing here?”

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Spookfish Theatre Company presents

Advance Guard

by Ming Peiffer
directed by Kat Yen

May 8th–11th (Wed-Sat) @ 8PM
May 16th–18th (Thurs-Sat) @ 8PM
May 19th (Sun) @ 2PM

The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street
Manhattan

$18, $15 (students & seniors); Thursday performances “pay what you can”
tickets available via SmartTix

Spookfish Theatre Company presents "Advance Guard," photo by KL Thomas

photos by KL Thomas

Jeremy J. Kamps, playwright, Danny Sharron, director, and Lillian Rodriguez, actress, of “What It Means to Disappear Here”

Posted on May 8, 2013 by robby

Ugly Rhino's "What It Means to Disappear Here" For the second episode in a row, GSAS! heads to the nation of Colombia (via the magic of theatre, of course), this time with Ugly Rhino’s What It Means to Disappear Here.

Initially set in a café in Cartagena (where the audience sits, along with the actors), What It Means… is the story of Yulieth, a young Colombian woman who is meeting Mitch for the first time — the norteamericano man who wants to buy her as his wife. Through a series of flashbacks-and-forwards, along with some brilliant use of radio broadcasts, the audience follow the paths that brought Yulieth & Mitch to that initial meeting, and its aftermath.

Listen in as playwright Jeremy J. Kamps, director Danny Sharron, and actress Lillian Rodriguez discuss eavesdropping on a marriage deal and writing a play about it, focusing on the human story, and what makes somebody care.

“What is the role of theatre…in a drama bringing forth political issues…what is our role in the off-off-Broadway world, bringing a play like this?”

“To me, it is the role.”

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Ugly Rhino Productions presents

What It Means to Disappear Here

by Jeremy J. Kamps
directed by Danny Sharron

Thursdays & Fridays, thru May 17, 2013 @ 8pm
added performance, Saturday, May 18

Port Royal, underneath Park Slope’s Tea Lounge
837-839 Union Street, Brooklyn

advance tickets available via BrownPaperTickets, or $18 at the door (cash only)

Ugly Rhino's "What It Means to Disappear Here," photo by Michael Bernstein

photos by Michael Bernstein

Johnna Adams, playwright, and Heather Cohn, director, of “Sans Merci”

Posted on May 2, 2013 by robby

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents "Sans Merci," by Johnna Adams, directed by Heather Cohn

When the mother of your lover shows up unannounced on your doorstep, it’s kind of shocking.

When she’s looking for answers about her daughter’s final days, which she shared with you, the shock is much more dramatic.

That’s the situation in which the characters in Johnna Adams‘s Sans Merci find themselves. Directed in its world premiere by Heather Cohn and produced by Flux Theatre Ensemble (in rep with another new play, Honey Fist — watch for a GSAS! podcast on that one soon), Sans Merci is a play about poetry, activism, and, as Flux asks, “who owns the stories of the dead?”

Listen in as Johnna and Heather discuss grief, haunting, activism, and theatre that can make everybody feel something.

“A lot of chocolate, and a lot of kleenex.”

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Flux Theatre Ensemble presents

Sans Merci

by Johnna Adams
directed by Heather Cohn

thru May 18, 2013, in rep with Honey Fist; see the full schedule here

4th Street Theatre
83 E. 4th Street
Manhattan

tickets available via OvationTix

Sans Merci featuring Rachael Hip-Flores & Alisha Spielman Photo credit Titus Winters Sans Merci featuring Alisha Spielman, Rachael Hip-Flores, and Susan Ferrara Photo credit Titus Winters Sans Merci featuring Susan Ferrara and Rachel Hip-Flores Photo credit Titus Winters

photos by Titus Winters

Robert Honeywell, playwright, and Leah Bonvissuto, director, of “Mass”

Posted on April 26, 2013 by robby

"Mass" by Robert Honeywell, photos by Joe Kolbow Van Gogh. Gauguin. Duchamp.

Add to that list Pablo. Not Picasso. Just Pablo.

If that makes no sense to you, then you need to travel from New York to Vancouver to Shanghai along with Robert Honeywell‘s new musical Mass, as it follows the story of the troubled young artist Mary, her girlfriend Françoise (who becomes the aforementioned Pablo, an internationally-celebrated artist), and Mary’s art-dealer sister Kate, exploring the limits of art, commerce, love, and family.

Listen in as Robert and director Leah Bonvissuto discuss breaking the boundaries of art, the arc of study needed to write a musical about the art-world, and the struggle between different visions of what art can be — including the art of theatre.

“Art, love, & blood.”

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The Brick presents

Mass

by Robert Honeywell
directed by Leah Bonvissuto

The Brick Theater
579 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn

Tues & Thurs–Sat @ 8 pm
Sun @ 3 pm
through April 30, 2013

tickets available via OvationTix

"Mass" by Robert Honeywell, photo by Joe Kolbow

photos by Joe Kolbow

Vickie Ramirez, playwright, and Richard C. Aven, director, of “Smoke”

Posted on April 15, 2013 by robby

Since its inception five years ago, Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group has been making a name for itself as a company exploring the American identity through theatre, championing new plays from up-and-coming playwrights.

In the company’s first solo, fully-produced play (outside of Muzungu, their collaboration with my company, Co-Op Theatre East), MPTG has brought Vickie Ramirez‘s Smoke to the Studio Theater at Pershing Square Signature Center, directed by the company’s associate artistic director, Richard C. Aven.

As you’ll hear in the interview, the plot of Smoke doesn’t distill down easily into a sound-byte, but suffice it to say that the play is an exploration of who belongs where, and how, and why, told through a tale of family and community tensions (along with a bit of mysticism) on a Haundenosaunee Reservation in upstate New York. And as with any good play, there are no easy answers; only big, complicated questions to wrestle with.

Listen in as Vickie & Richard discuss creating an inclusive cultural piece, identity, and “mystical native stuff.”

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Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group presents

Smoke

by Vickie Ramirez
directed by Richard C. Aven

April 5 – 21, 2013

The Studio Theatre
The Pershing Square Signature Center
480 West 42nd Street
New York, NY

tickets available via TicketCentral

Soni Moreno as Skywoman, in a still from "Smoke," by Vickie Ramirez, directed by Richard C. Aven, photo by Richard C. Aven Tanis Parenteau as Connie & Raul Castillo as Brewster in a still from "Smoke," by Vickie Ramirez, directed by Richard C. Aven, photo by Freddie Maloney Raul Castillo as Brewster, Alex Jacob Wilson as Flint, Matt Langer as Art Jr., and Brandon Oakes as Gary in a still from "Smoke," by Vickie Ramirez, directed by Richard C. Aven, photo by Freddie Maloney Tanis Parenteau as Connie & Raul Castillo as Brewster in a still from "Smoke," by Vickie Ramirez, directed by Richard C. Aven, photo by Freddie Maloney

first photo by Richard C. Aven; all others by Freddie Maloney

Lynn Rosen, playwright, and Shana Gold, director, of “Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born”

Posted on April 15, 2013 by robby

Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born

…who’d have thought that, even with this being the 58th (!) episode of Go See a Show! (seriously, I think this is the longest commitment I’ve ever made, except to my girlfriend), I’d have two episodes that touch on Dungeons & Dragons?

Ripped from the headlines (seriously), Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born is playwright Lynn Rosen‘s reimagined story of two young lovers who bond over D&D, rob an armored car, and subsequently inspire a cult-like following among the working-poor. The production, directed by Shana Gold, uses a wonderfully-Brechtian emcee narrator character to guide the audience through the tale, and is a super-fun piece of theatre.

Listen in as Lynn & Shana, with some guest shouts from Assistant Director Casey Cleverly (no stranger to the podcast!), discuss building a script from a truly true story, solving the unexpected problems of a new play, and playing D&D for research.

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New Georges presents

Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born

by Lynn Rosen
directed by Shana Gold

April 3–27, 2013
Wed-Sat @ 8pm
Sun @ 5pm
Mon @ 7pm
+ Getaway Matinee Friday 4/26 @ 3pm!

The New Ohio
154 Christopher Street (in the Archive Building, between Greenwich & Washington)
New York, NY

tickets: $25 / $35 premium seats, available via SmartTix
Mondays: pay-what-you-will
OR ROLL OF THE DIE (at the door only)
Fridays: Dungeons & Dragons in the lobby! starts at 7pm

Goldor $ Mythyka, featuring Jenny Seastone Stern & Gerrett Neergaard, photo by Jim Baldassare Goldor $ Mythyka, featuring Garrett Neergaard & Jenny Seastone Stern Photo credit Jim Baldassare Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born, featuring Garrett Neergaard, Bobby Moreno, and Jenny Seastone Stern Photo credit Jim Baldassare Goldor $ Mythyka, featuring Rob Leo Roy and Kristin Griffith Photo credit Jim Baldassare

photos by Jim Baldassare

Joseph Samuel Wright, playwright, and David Carl, composer, of “Rise”

Posted on April 10, 2013 by robby

Rise_logo We all know the maxim: “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

It’s the dangers of unchecked power & blind ambition that unites the two narratives of Roots & Wings Theatrical‘s new play Rise.

In one thread: an operatic telling of the story of Elagabalus, the boy emperor of Rome who overturned gods, prostituted himself in the temple, and demanded a sex change operation — following the ego-maniac emperor, his naive formerly-chaste Vestal Virgin lover, his scheming grandmother, and his ambitious mother willfully ignoring her son’s flagrant (and dangerous) disregard for prudence.

In the other: a modern drama of an ego-maniac porn star, his naive young lover, his scheming agent, and the ambitious young lady blind to whom she hurts on her rise to the top.

…starting to see where this is going?

If you’re curious to see (and hear) more, listen in to this episode of the podcast with Rise playwright Joseph Samuel Wright and composer David Carl as they discuss empire-level intrigue, big voices in small spaces, and rising vs. rising above.

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Roots & Wings Theatrical presents

Rise

by Joseph Samuel Wright
music by David Carl
directed by Samantha Shechtman

Theatre 54
Shetler Studios
244 W. 54th Street
New York, NY

Thur–Sat at 8pm
Sun at 3pm
*added performance on Mon, April 15 at 8pm
thru April 20, 2013

tickets available via SmartTix

"Rise," by Joseph Samuel Wright, photo by Allison Stock

photos by Allison Stock

Anna Greenfield, playwright & actress, & Lee Sunday Evans, director, of “All Girls”

Posted on April 5, 2013 by robby

"All Girls," by Anna Greenfield Collaboration Town was last on the podcast with the crazy epic The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos. This time around, their show All Girls brings things to a much more personal level to great effect with this lovely, personal piece about three young girls on the verge of entering high school.

It may be “all girls,” but of course all are invited. And as you’ll hear in the interview, playwright/actress Anna Greenfield and director Lee Sunday Evans want to be sure this show is accessible to all (and they succeeded).

Listen in as Anna & Leigh talk about sensitivity to voices, “struggling with the process of becoming,” writing something so you can act in it, and being honest.

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Collaboration Town & Sister Scars present

All Girls

by Anna Greenfield
directed by Lee Sunday Evans

featuring Zoe Costello, Anna Greenfield, Judith Hawking, and Anna Ryan Konkle

thru April 13, 2013
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm

The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street
New York, NY

tickets available via SmartTix

"All Girls" by Anna Greenfield, photo by Anne-Louise Marquis

photos by Anne-Louise Marquis

Go See a Show!

The off-off-Broadway podcast

Category Archives: Directors

Lawrence Lesher, director, and Todd Michael, playwright, of “Vice Girl Confidential”

August Schulenburg, playwright, and Kelly O’Donnell, director, of “Honey Fist”

Ming Peiffer, playwright, and Kat Yen, director, of “Advance Guard”

Jeremy J. Kamps, playwright, Danny Sharron, director, and Lillian Rodriguez, actress, of “What It Means to Disappear Here”

Johnna Adams, playwright, and Heather Cohn, director, of “Sans Merci”

Robert Honeywell, playwright, and Leah Bonvissuto, director, of “Mass”

Vickie Ramirez, playwright, and Richard C. Aven, director, of “Smoke”

Lynn Rosen, playwright, and Shana Gold, director, of “Goldor $ Mythyka: A Hero is Born”

Joseph Samuel Wright, playwright, and David Carl, composer, of “Rise”

Anna Greenfield, playwright & actress, & Lee Sunday Evans, director, of “All Girls”