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

Collaboration Town's The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of PathosGo 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

Collaboration Town's The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos

Collaboration Town's The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos

photos by Colin D. Young

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

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/

Catherine Mueller as Kim Smith in "Mary Poppins: A Show About Mary Poppins"

“Into the Woods,” a fundraiser for The Sylvia Center

Into the WoodsThis episode of Go See a Show! may not be about a technically “off-off-Broadway” show, but the impulse behind this production is very much in the vein of my favorite kinds of OOB shows — a bunch of people getting together, on their own terms, for the sake of making something beautiful.

And it’s for a good cause, which makes this all the more awesome.

Director Kevin Horne and actor Joshua David Bishop (“Jack”) are two of the folks behind a special charity performance of Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Along with their fellow employees at catering company Great Performances, Kevin and Joshua are putting on this classic musical for two performances as a fundraiser for The Sylvia Center, a not-for-profit that teaches young people about food and nutrition from the farm to the kitchen. Good stuff.

Take a listen to the interview, then go help these cats out with a buck or twenty at their Kickstarter page; and follow their progress on Facebook.


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Into the Woods actors

Martin Dockery, and his new show “The Holy Land Experience”

Martin Dockery's "The Holy Land Experience"Playwright & performer Martin Dockery is one of those guys who seems, to me, to have the most interesting life — his stories are always full of wild adventures and profoundly meaningful interactions with fascinating people, all true, all from his life.

I interviewed Dockery after a performance of his new show The Holy Land Experience at The Kraine Theater, and he answers the question of “just why is your life so awesome and mine so mundane?” beautifully. That, and more, in this episode of Go See a Show!


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There’s sadly just one more chance to see this run of The Holy Land Experience — Monday, December 19, 8PM at The Kraine. Check it out if you can; watch one of his appearances at The Moth to get a sense for the kind of storytelling you’re in for, like this one below:

The Cast & Creators of “3 Ghosts” from Pipe Dream Theatre

Pipe Dream Theatre's "3 Ghosts"In this episode, Go See a Show! talks with the (very large) cast of a production of a perennial classic, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, re-imagined steampunk style as 3 Ghosts by Pipe Dream Theatre‘s Liz Muller & Collin Simon.

This was one of the most fun interviews yet for the podcast — congrats to all involved with the show!

3 Ghosts is up at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre until December 23; tickets are available through TeleCharge.


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…and I wasn’t kidding; this cast is huge. Here’s a photo of the actors I was onstage with for the interview; this is a little under half the full cast, I think.

Cast Members from Pipe Dream Theatre's "3 Ghosts"

Robert A. K. Gonyo, Nneoma Nkuku, and Ryan Victor Pierce of “Muzungu”

MuzunguIn this special episode of Go See a Show!, guest-host Ashley Marinaccio interviews actors Nneoma Nkuku and Ryan Victor Pierce, the stars of Muzungu, along with the director, GSAS!’s regular host Robert A. K. Gonyo.

Catch Muzungu at The 4th Street Theater now thru October 30, produced by Co-Op Theatre East and Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group. Continue reading

Brett Epstein, playwright and star of “I Loved Sam Stone”

I Loved Sam StoneOn today’s episode of Go See a Show!, an interview with playwright Brett Epstein, author of I Loved Sam Stone; Brett is currently playing the role of “Ben” in the run of his award-winning show at The Tank.

You’ve still got two chances to catch I Loved Sam Stone:

Saturday, October 22 @ 9:30PM
Sunday, Octoberg 23 @ 7PM
The Tank
151 W 46th Street, 8th Floor
Tickets


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And below, take a look at their YouTube trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXBUPrLEL6Q&feature=related

John Hudson & Alexandra Cohen-Spiegler of The Dark Lady Players

Romeo and Juliet Nurse's Scene, Annunciation to MaryThis week’s podcast features an interview with members of The Dark Lady Players—Artistic Director John Hudson, and ensemble member Alexandra Cohen-Spiegler (that’s her in the red, at left, as Lady Capulet).

Dark Lady is presenting Shakespeare’s Gospel Parodies, and the performance is FREE; go check it out (after you listen to the podcast)! Continue reading

Megan Lee & Kevin Paul Smith of “Perchance to Dream Theatre”

After two weeks of conversations with (fabulous) playwrights, his week’s episode of Go See a Show! features two (wonderful) actors — Megan Lee & Kevin Paul Smith, company members of Perchance to Dream Theatre.

It’s also the first episode to be done via Skype, so please forgive the sub-par audio quality!

In addition to treading the boards, Megan & Kevin are producing an event for Perchance to Dream: This Isn’t Bloody Shakespeare, at The Delancey in Manhattan on September 18, 2011.

Listen in to the podcast to hear more about what Perchance to Dream is all about, and about what promises to be a great event on the 18th! Continue reading