Emma Schimminger, Neal Moeller, and Leanne Mercadante of Perchance to Dream’s “The Tempest”

Posted on July 12, 2012 by robby

The good folks at Perchance to Dream Theatre return to Go See a Show! to give us the low-down on their production of The Tempest, running now (for one week only!) at Theatre 54.

Director/Producer/Lighting Designer Emma Schimminger, and actors Neal Moeller (Prospero) and Leanne Mercadante (Ariel) took a break from tech to talk about Emma’s many hats, oozy gooey non-neutral masks, Leanne chasing around stage with a big dog head, and the future of Perchance to Dream after this, their first full-length production.

There’s only one weekend to catch this production, so don’t delay!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

…oh, and learn a bit more about Perchance to Dream by listening to this earlier GSAS! episode (the third ever!) with company members Megan Lee & Kevin Paul Smith, which incidentally was recorded during a hurricane.

Full circle, back to The Tempest.

Perchance to Dream Theatre presents
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
directed by Emma Schimminger

July 12–15, 2012
Thursday–Saturday @ 8PM
Saturday, July 14 @ 3PM
Sunday, July 15 @ 2PM

Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios
244 W. 54th Street, New York, NY
Tickets: $15, available via Brown Paper Tickets

Andrew Goffman, playwright & performer, and director Charles Messina of “The Accidental Pervert”

Posted on July 9, 2012 by robby

It might seem surprising to hear that an off-off-Broadway show has been running for three years, to consistently packed houses. Then again, when that show is a frank, honest, laugh-filled discussion of a young man’s coming-of-age story via his Dad’s porn collection and his own subsequent addiction to said porn…well, you know there’s going to be a little something in there for everyone.

In this episode of Go See a Show!, we’ve got an interview with playwright & actor Andrew Goffman, the self-described title character of The Accidental Pervert. His autobiographical one-man show is part theatre, part stand-up, (almost) entirely true, and all heart.

Listen in as Andrew and director Charles Messina discuss the broad appeal of a show about a kid’s connection to his father through porn, the porn-addicts in trenchcoats who are disappointed by the show, becoming an electrician by necessity, and how to keep a show that’s been running for over three years fresh.

Oh, and stick through to the end to hear Andrew’s “sexy voice.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

“…if you ever forget your lines, just start moving. Start cleaning up the stage. And a lot of these off-Broadway theaters need cleaning anyway…”

The Accidental Pervert
Fridays & Saturdays @ 7pm
The 13th Street Repertory Company
50 West 13th Street – between 5th & 6th Aves

All Seats $30
Tickets available via OvationTix, or call 212-352-3101
or, visit the 13th Street Repertory Box Office

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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!

The Cast & Director of Playhouse Creatures’ “Love Song”

Posted on June 19, 2012 by robby

If you’ve never been to the Access Theater, it might seem a little out of place; it’s four flights up in a nondescript building just south of Canal Street, and if not for the sandwich board out in front, you could easily miss it.

But you shouldn’t miss what’s going on in one of the theaters that lives up those four flights: a lovely revival of John Kolvenbach’s Love Song, presented by Playhouse Creatures.

Listen in to this episode of Go See a Show! as the cast — Eric Doss, Sarah Koestner, Patricia Duran, and Joseph W. Rodriguez — and director, Kenny Wade Marshall, discuss finding your character in yourself, sentimentality vs. being present, and the benefits of working together as an ensemble for years.

Take the stairs.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Playhouse Creatures presents

Love Song
by John Kolvenbach

June 9-24th
Wednesday – Saturday @ 8PM
Sundays @ 3PM
*Special added Performance Tuesday June 19th @ 8PM!

Tickets: $18, available via SmartTix

Access Theatre
380 Broadway @ White Street

photos by Justin Dodd

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).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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

“Cowboy Mouth” director Leah Benavides, and actors Diana Beshara, Geoffrey Pomeroy, and Matthew Mark Stannah

Posted on June 12, 2012 by robby

Cowboy Mouth was written by Sam Shepard & Patti Smith in 1971, a fantastical meditation on the tempestuous relationship between these two American art/punk icons. 41 years later, One Old Crow Productions has revived this volatile one-act in a Lower East Side apartment.

Listen in as GSAS! talks with director Leah Benavides & cast members Diana Beshara, Geoffrey Pomeroy, and Matthew Mark Stannah about why this play is relevant today, creating the set and sound design together, and how you take a Lobster Man from page to stage.

…and as promised, here’s the blog Diana mentions in the interview, where you can check out some photo stills and thoughts from the cast & director.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This one’s a lot of fun, and in addition to a free glass of wine with ticket purchase, you also get a free snack when you arrive. Without that snack, you can’t see the show. I will say no more; you should head down to Lucky Cheng’s to check it out.

Cowboy Mouth
by Sam Shepard & Patti Smith
June ~~7 & 8,~~ 11-14, & 20 & 21 at 8pm
Friday, June 15 & 22 at 8pm and 10pm
Sunday, June 10 & 17 at 5pm
Meet at Lucky Cheng’s, 24 1st Avenue, New York, NY
Tickets: $15, via Brown Paper Tickets (includes a free glass of wine)

Brett Epstein, Brittany Taylor Visser, and Sean Kleier of “Based On Your True Story”

Posted on May 15, 2012 by robby

What do you get when you put a playwright/director, an actress/singer, a comedian/actor, and a podcaster around a chess table in Washington Square Park late on a Sunday night?

This episode of Go See a Show!, obviously.

Listen in as I speak with Brett Epstein, Brittany Taylor Visser, and Sean Kleier about Brett’s new show, inspired by 30 interviews with friends, acquaintances, and random strangers. It’s called Based On Your True Story, it’ll premiere this week at The Tank, and you can get a sneak peek here on the podcast: tales of klonopin, awkward interviews, arrests in 3D, $7 sandwiches, interrupted interviews, and Sean not playing Hawkeye await.

“Hulk smash.”

download episode

Based On Your True Story
Six short plays PLUS a documentary short film
The Tank
151 W. 46th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY
Wednesday, 05/16/2012 – 7:00pm
Saturday, 05/19/2012 – 9:30pm
Tickets: $7, available via Brown Paper Tickets

Rachel Dart, director, & David L. Williams, playwright, of aMios’s “In the Meantime”

Posted on May 3, 2012 by robby

What if the moment you’re in is the only one that matters? Could it be that, as one of the characters posits, you’ve never done anything — so you’ve never done anything wrong?

That’s the central question of aMios’s production of In the Meantime by David L. Williams, directed by Rachel Dart. I had the pleasure of taking in an invited dress, and I can vouch for it — this is a fun play with well-placed laughs, but which will have your head awhirl when it ends.

Still, as you’ll hear in the podcast, at it’s heart, “it’s about three people in a bar, and the trouble that can bring.”

Listen in as Rachel, David & I discuss this play about the present, the possibility of an “anti-Boal” that dedicates theatre to being as selfish as possible, writing in bars, having work in your back pocket ready to go, and that ever-annoying question to any theatre artist: “what’s your play about?”

download episode

aMios presents
In The Meantime
by David L. Williams

directed by Rachel Dart

Featuring:
Lauren Berst*
Eddie Boroevich*
Jillian LaVinka*
*Actors appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Under St Marks
94 St Marks Pl. (1st Ave/Ave A)

Thursdays — Saturdays @ 8 PM
May 3rd, 4th, 5th
May 10th, 11th, 12th
May 17th, 18th, 19th
Tickets available via SmartTix
**use the code “Shotz” for $3 off tickets!**

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.

download episode

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!…)

download episode

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