Alec Duffy, director of Hoi Polloi’s production of “Baal”

Posted on August 4, 2012 by robby

Those of you who know me, the producer of Go See a Show!, know that I love me some Bertolt Brecht. So when I saw there was a chance to see his first play, Baal, presented by Hoi Polloi as part of the Underground Zero Festival, it was the first show I secured tickets for.

I was not disappointed. And you won’t be either — sadly, as I’m posting this there are just two more chances to catch this one, but catch it you should.

Listen in as I chat with the show’s director Alec Duffy about the fire of Baal, making immersive theatre in a former DJ bar-lounge dance-club, erasing the border between the street & the stage, and what’s next for his new Brooklyn performance space, JACK.

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Hoi Polloi presents

Baal
by Bertolt Brecht
directed by Alec Duffy

part of the Underground Zero Festival

JACK
505 1/2 Waverly Ave, b/w Fulton & Atlantic
Brooklyn

July 12 – August 5 @ 8PM

Cheryl Faraone, director of PTP/NYC’s “Serious Money”

Posted on July 20, 2012 by robby

As mentioned in previous episodes, while I love theatre in its many forms, I (the producer of GSAS!) am predominately interested in where theatre’s at now—how our art form can speak to our current reality. Knowing this, one might be surprised to hear that one of the most intriguing works I’ve seen of late is a revival of a play written & set in the mid-80s.

But it’s the truth. PTP/NYC has brought their production of Caryl Churchill’s classic Serious Money to Atlantic Stage 2, and in addition to featuring a script that has aged wonderfully (and resonates eerily well with the current global financial situation), the production, under the direction of Cheryl Faraone, feels as fresh & current & of-the-moment as any show I’ve covered on the podcast. You should check this one out.

But before you do: take a listen to this episode as Cheryl discusses working from a common language, creating socially-observant work while avoiding didacticism, and running monsters of different stripes in rep.

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PTP/NYC (Potomac Theatre Project) presents
Serious Money

by Caryl Churchill
directed by Cheryl Faraone

running in rep with

Monster, by Neal Bell

July 3–29
Atlantic Stage 2
330 West 16th Street
New York, NY

Tickets & showtimes available via TicketCentral

Frank Cwiklik, director of DMTheatrics’ “FINAL CURTAIN: The Last of Ed Wood”

Posted on June 26, 2012 by robby

I’m sure we’ve all noticed the trend in theatre to take material from the film world and put it upon the stage — look at the Broadway listings, and you’re sure to see what I mean. Director Frank Cwiklik of DMTheatrics is also in the business of bringing the big screen to the live stage, but right now he’s not working with “successful” films — he’s working with material from Ed Wood, the much-maligned/cultishly-adored1950s sci-fi/noir/horror/strange film writer/director/producer/actor. And for FINAL CURTAIN: The Last of Ed Wood, he’s got 5 (five!) Wood pieces running in rep at The Red Room.

After opening night of Bride of the Monster paired with The Sinister Urge!, Frank took a break from the madness to discuss the origins of his putting Ed Wood onstage, technical difficulties as aesthetic choices, playwrighting by necessity, and giving the man some have called “the worst director in history” a little respect.

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DMTheatrics presents

FINAL CURTAIN: The Last of Ed Wood

directed by Frank Cwiklik

Remaining performances:
TUE JUNE 26 8 PM The Ed Wood Memorial Burlesque Blowout
WED JUNE 27 8 PM The Violent Years!, 9:30 PM Hot Ice
THURS JUNE 28 8 PM Night of the Ghouls, 9:30 PM The Violent Years!
FRI JUNE 29 7:30 PM The Sinister Urge PLUS a retrospective of past DMT B-movie shows
SAT JUNE 30 8 PM Hot Ice, 9:30 PM Bride of the Monster
SUN JULY 1 1 PM Matinee Double Feature: Night of the Ghouls/The Violent Years!
8 PM Hot Ice, 9:30 PM The Sinister Urge!

Eliza Clark, playwright, & Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director of “Recall”

Posted on June 15, 2012 by robby

Go See a Show! once more took a trip deep into the wilds of the East Village for a show at The Wild Project, presented by Colt Coeur.

Recall is a world premiere from playwright Eliza Clark, and director Adrienne Campbell-Holt, whom I had the pleasure of speaking to after their final dress rehearsal earlier this week.

Take a listen as Adrienne talks about getting impossible stage directions from Eliza, Eliza talks about writing teenage boys, and I somehow work in references to just about every other podcast I listen to (save Stuff You Should Know, Savage Lovecast and Washed Up Emo, so y’all get links).

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Colt Coeur presents the world premiere of

RECALL
by Eliza Clark
Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt

showtimes: Thursdays—Tuesdays, 8PM
now thru July 7

tickets: $25, available at Ovationtix or call 212.352.3101

Dan Bianchi, of RadioTheatre’s “H. P. Lovecraft Festival”

Posted on May 2, 2012 by robby

Horror in the theater has always been a tough thing to pull off. The Grand Guignol did it, and by many accounts spectacularly so for the time — but what about now, when Hostel & the Saw franchise has altered our perceptions to the point where we’re expecting more realistic depictions of violence, and the most outrageous interstellar creatures can be conjured up with the right software?

Well, as the master put it…

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” — H. P. Lovecraft

RadioTheatre Artistic Director Dan Bianchi knows this, and as a Lovecraft fan, he’s using it to great effect as he goes through and dramatizes — live, onstage — the Lovecraft cannon with RadioTheatre’s H. P. Lovecraft Festival at The Kraine Theatre.

Listen in as Dan and I discuss horror without a $200 million budget, why he does radio drama live, radio-erotica (seriously!), and the importance of good sound design.

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RadioTheatre & HorseTrade present
The H. P. Lovecraft Festival
The Kraine Theater
84 E. 4th Street, Manhattan

Srarring FRANK ZILINYI, R.PATRICK ALBERTY, KEVIN GILLIGAN
Directed By Frank Zilinyi
Script and Sound Design By Dan Bianchi
Sound Engineer: Wes Shippee

Program A – THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH, THE MOON BOG
~~April 19, 21, 22, 27,~~ MAY 3, 5, 13
(Thur-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm)

Program B – THE LURKING FEAR, THE STATEMENT OF RANDOLPH CARTER , THE HORROR AT MARTINS BEACH, THE EVIL CLERGYMAN
~~April 20, 26, 28, 29,~~ MAY 4, 6, 20
(Thur-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm)

Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell, playwright & actor, from “The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos”

Posted on March 22, 2012 by robby

Go See a Show! was back at The New Ohio last weekend for some deep, epic thoughts, provided by The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos.

Playwright & actor Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell joined me for an interview on his dinner break between shows — that’s him in the first photo below, red-eyed & blue-mouthed, with his arm outstretched next to the puppet & puppeteer of Mephistopheles.

Listen in as Geo discusses acting in a show he’s still revising, loving & lampooning Brecht, and what’s next for the company he co-founded & leads, Collaboration Town — and I curse Jad Abumrad (not seriously, of course).

Obligatory Shakespeare reference this time? The Winter’s Tale. It never fails to come back to the Bard!

(…sorry for the background noise — it seems Collaboration Town has a big population!…)

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The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos
by Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell
music by Michael Wells
lyrics by Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell, Jordan Seavey and Michael Wells
directed by Lee Sunday Evans and Jordan Seavey

The New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street, 1E
Tickets available via SmartTix

Wednesday, March 14th @ 7:30 – Opening Night!
Thursday, March 15th @ 7:30
Friday, March 16th @ 7:30
Saturday, March 17th @ 5:00
Saturday, March 17th @ 9:00 (WEAR GREEN AND PAY WHAT YOU CAN!)
Sunday, March 18th @ 7:30
Monday, March 19th @ 7:30
Wednesday, March 21st @ 7:30
Thursday, March 22nd @ 7:30
Friday, March 23rd @ 7:30
Saturday, March 24th @ 5:00 & 9:00

photos by Colin D. Young

Cailin Heffernan, Tim Errickson, & Sue Abbott of Boomerang Theatre Company’s “The Real Thing”

Posted on March 21, 2012 by robby

Has Go See a Show! ever been outside of Manhattan? I can’t remember even seeing a show in my home borough of Brooklyn that I’ve covered for the podcast…kind of crazy that it’s taken 24 episodes to get out of Mannahatta…

…but here we are, at Long Island City’s The Secret Theatre, for Boomerang Theatre Company’s production of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard. Director Cailin Heffernan, Boomerang Artistic Director Tim Errickson, and Managing Director Sue Abbott joined me for a podcast interview after I saw a performance of the show last week, to talk about running a lesser-produced Stoppard in rep with a Shakespeare comedy and a contemporary comedy, making one set work between three different shows, rock & roll in Stoppard’s work…and more.

Remember: always sit in the front row.

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Boomerang Theatre Company presents
The Real Thing
by Tom Stoppard
The Secret Theatre
4402 23rd Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
Saturday March 3rd @ 8pm
Sunday March 4th @ 3pm
Monday March 12th @ 8pm
Wednesday March 14th @ 8pm
Saturday March 17th @ 8pm
Sunday March 18th @ 3pm
Thursday March 22nd @ 8pm
Friday March 23rd @ 8pm
Saturday March 24th @ 3pm

Catherine Mueller of “Mary Poppins: A Show About Mary Poppins”

Posted on February 21, 2012 by robby

Last weekend, I interviewed my friend Catherine Mueller over afternoon tea (how adroit) as we discussed her new show Mary Poppins: A Show About Mary Poppins (yes, that’s the full title).

Listen in as Cat explains how her work in clowning influenced the creation of her one-woman show (featuring two people), and I learn that I’ve been pronouncing my friend’s name incorrectly for the past year.

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Mary Poppins: A Show About Mary Poppins
Performed by Catherine Mueller & Ben Vigus

Created by Catherine Mueller, in collaboration with Ben Vigus
with special assistance from Mikhaela Mahony & Alex Correia

Thursday, February 23, 2012
7:30 PM
Dixon Place
131A Chrystie Street
approx. 70 minutes

Tickets $10 students, $12 advance/$15 at the door
Available at OvationTix

For more information on this show, head over to the show’s website: ashowaboutmarypoppins.tumblr.com/

Steven Carl McCasland and Mallory Berlin, of “A Doll’s Life”

Posted on February 3, 2012 by robby

We all know the story of Nora & Torvald from Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House (wasn’t it the first thing every directing student worked on in class?). But have you ever wondered what happened to Nora after she shut the door?

Betty Comden & Adolph Green, who wrote the book & lyrics to the musical (yes — musical) A Doll’s Life, wondered just that — and the result was one of the better-known Broadway flops of the 20th Century, running for only 5 performances.

Steven Carl McCasland, Artistic Director of The Beautiful Soup Theatre Collective, has brought the musical back to NYC with a production at The New Ohio Theatre, running it in rep with the original Ibsen. In this episode of Go See a Show!, I interview McCasland along with Mallory Berlin, who portrays Nora in A Doll’s Life.

Producer’s Note: Very sorry for the lateness of this episode! Had some uploading difficulty; hope everyone can catch one of the remaining two performances!

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The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective presents
Nora in Rep
thru February 5, 2012
The New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street, New York, NY
Wednesday January 25th – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Thursday 26th – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S LIFE
Friday 27th – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Saturday 28th – 2:00pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Saturday 28th – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S LIFE
Sunday 29th – 2:00pm – A DOLL’S LIFE
Sunday 29th – 7:00pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Wednesday, February 1st – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S LIFE
~~Thursday, 2nd – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE~~
~~Friday, 3rd – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S LIFE~~
Saturday, 4th – 2:00pm – A DOLL’S LIFE
Saturday, 4th – 7:30pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Sunday, 5th – 2:00pm – A DOLL’S HOUSE
Sunday, 5th – 7:00pm – A DOLL’S LIFE

Alex Mallory & Jeffrey Karafin, Artistic Directors of Poetic Theater Productions and the festival “Poetic License”

Posted on January 5, 2012 by robby

This weekend, The Wild Project is home to a quick but mighty little festival from Poetic Theater Productions — Poetic License.

On a freezing night after tech earlier this week, Go See a Show! interviewed the company’s Artistic Directors, Alex Mallory and Jeremy Karafin, about creative communities, working with talented youth, and just what “poetic theater” means. And we get interrupted by an old friend of mine, showcasing the wonderfully random connections we make in this little off-off-Broadway world of ours.

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…on a side note, this is Episode 17 of Go See a Show! That’s not a particularly important milestone or anything…but wow. 17? We’re on a roll here, folks, and the podcast ain’t giving up anytime soon.

Spread the word — introduce your friends to the podcast!

Go See a Show!

The off-off-Broadway podcast

Category Archives: Artistic Directors

Alec Duffy, director of Hoi Polloi’s production of “Baal”

Cheryl Faraone, director of PTP/NYC’s “Serious Money”

Frank Cwiklik, director of DMTheatrics’ “FINAL CURTAIN: The Last of Ed Wood”

Eliza Clark, playwright, & Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director of “Recall”

Dan Bianchi, of RadioTheatre’s “H. P. Lovecraft Festival”

Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell, playwright & actor, from “The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos”

Cailin Heffernan, Tim Errickson, & Sue Abbott of Boomerang Theatre Company’s “The Real Thing”

Catherine Mueller of “Mary Poppins: A Show About Mary Poppins”

Steven Carl McCasland and Mallory Berlin, of “A Doll’s Life”

Alex Mallory & Jeffrey Karafin, Artistic Directors of Poetic Theater Productions and the festival “Poetic License”