BroadwayWorld.com Off-Off-Broadway Stories

BWW Reviews: QUEERSPAWN: I Can't Believe It's Not Better

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:39:09 PST

Mallery Avidon's new play queerSpawn is difficult to watch, but that's part of the point. In her play, The Kid (David Rosenblatt), a high school freshman, is living a hellish life as he is bullied by most everyone, but especially Another Kid (J. Alexander Coe), because The Kid has two mothers. No one else wants to be friends with The Kid, not even The Nerd (Chris Perfetti), who's just moved to town and is conscious of his low place in the pecking order. A series of more and more humiliating bullying tactics comprise the bulk of the play as The Kid monologues to the audience; he is taunted mercilessly for being gay, though he isn't gay himself, it's his mothers who are lesbians, but that distinction is lost on the bullies.

So The Kid only has his imaginary friends, The African Kid (Akeem Baisden Folkes) who represents a possibly more understanding part of the world, advice columnist Dan Savage (David Greenspan) whose viral "It Gets Better" campaign only taunts The Kid (fittingly, Savage wrote a memoir about him and his husband adopting a child titled The Kid) and insane cult leader Fred Phelps (also Greenspan), McSteamy, the character from Gray's Anatomy and Brad Pitt (both Noel Joseph Allain), who represent a sort of celebrity masculinity that The Kid can only dream of attaining. The play ends up a sort of philosophical dialogue between The Kid and the social forces that have shaped his personal hell. Playwright Mallery Avidon's original research was supported by Colage, the only national organization for people raised in LGBTQ families, where she had the opportunity to interview teens and young adult children about their experiences at home and in the world. It's a timely, unique, and fascinating piece, though it lacks a true ending aside from an idyllic dream sequence. Many deep questions are raised and then left unanswered, which may be realistic, but I found it unsatisfying. The cast is fantastic across the board. Jesse Geiger directs very well, handling some very challenging material.

Fri May 10 - Sun May 19

Tickets: $18 General/$15 Students/Seniors (with ID)

For tickets visit here.org or call 212-352-3101

Box Office opens 5pm on show days, or 2 hours before performance

Theatre:

HERE

145 Sixth Ave.

NY, NY 10013

(enter on Dominick Street one block south of Spring)

New York Shakespeare Exchange Launches Interactive SONNET PROJECT Today

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

New York Shakespeare Exchange (Ross Williams, Artistic Director) has announced the launch of the year-long interactive SONNET PROJECT today, May 20, with an invitation only launch event happening from 7 - 9 PM at The Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35 Avenue in Astoria). For more information, visit www.ShakespeareExchange.org.

As part of their commitment to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, everywhere, New York Shakespeare Exchange embarks on a massive undertaking, filming all 154 of Shakespeare's love poems with 154 actors in 154 unique locations around the five boroughs, bringing together the classical poetry of the Bard with the urban poetry of New York City.

Throughout the year, each video will be released on the website www.SonnetProjectNYC.com and via a SONNET PROJECT mobile app. The goal is to reach an audience of 1,000,000 by April 23, 2014, in celebration of Shakespeare's 450th birthday.

This year-long endeavor culminates in the release of a full SONNET PROJECT Anthology, complete with special features exploring the textual nuances of the language, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the creators and actors.

The project will also feature several "virtual" bonuses, including special Sonnet "walking tours" of New York City neighborhoods, an interactive SONNET PROJECT website available to educators and Shakespeare-lovers of all ages, as well as Sonnet Project scavenger hunts making use of QR codes and mobile technology.

Plus, the SONNET PROJECT will also include several IRL (In Real Life) events throughout the year.

NYSX's SONNET PROJECT was financed by one of Kickstarter's most successful theatrical fundraising endeavor to date raising $49,255.

Actors participating in the SONNET PROJECT include Lynn Cohen, Michael Urie, Vince Gatton, Joanna Gleason, Austin Pendelton, Chris Sarandon, Dana Snyder, Michael Urie and 146 others!

New York Shakespeare Exchange offers innovative theatrical programming that explores what happens when contemporary culture is infused with Shakespearean poetry and themes in unexpected ways. Providing fresh points of entry to the work so that modern audiences will be exposed to the intrinsic power of Shakespeare, their goal is to encourage an enthusiastic appreciation of classical theater and to expand the reach of the art form within new and existing audiences.

Obie Awards Ceremony Set for Tonight at Webster Hall

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

The Village Voice, the nation's first and largest alternative weekly newspaper, welcomes esteemed critic and longtime judge of the awards Michael Feingold as Obie chairman for the 58th Annual Village Voice OBIE Awards, replacing former Chairman Brian Parks who has moved on from The Village Voice.

"We are thrilled to have Michael Feingold back as Obie Chariman for our 58th annual Obie Awards ceremony," said Josh Fromson, Publisher of the Village Voice. "Michael brings his elevated skill and expertise as an icon of the New York theater community with a deep history and love for the Obies."

Michael Feingold was the Voice's chief theater critic until this month, as well as a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a produced playwright and translator. He became OBIE Chairman in 2012 after chairing the OBIE awards from 2006 through 2011. He resumes his role of Chairman again this month.

Alexis Soloski will assist the committee handling some administrative duties and serve as an advisor for the awards ceremony. Alexis is a Post-Doctoral Lecturer in Literature Humanities at Columbia and a longtime drama critic at The Village Voice.

Joining Michael and Alexis as this years judge's are:

Erin Courtney. Erin is an OBIE Award-winning playwright for her work A Map of Virtue. Her other plays include Honey Drop, Black Cat Lost, Alice the Magnet, Quiver and Twitch, and Demon Baby. Her work has been produced and developed by Clubbed Thumb, the Flea, New York Stage and Film, Adhesive Theater, Soho Rep, the Vineyard, and The Public Theater. She is an affiliated artist with Clubbed Thumb, a member of 13P, and a member of New Dramatists. Courtney teaches in the MFA playwriting program at Brooklyn College and is a co-founder of Brooklyn Writers Space. MFA, Brooklyn College, 2003. BA, Brown University, 1990.

Mia Katigbak. Mia is an award-winning artistic producing director and co-founder of the New York City-based, 22-year-old NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company). She is a founding member of the newly formed Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA), is the current president of its board, and chaired its Strategic Planning Subcommittee. Together with two other founding members, Jorge Ortoll of Ma-Yi Theater and Tisa Chang of Pan Asian Rep, she was one of the organizers of the 1st National Asian American Theater Festival in 2007, and along with Lloyd Suh of Second Generation, spearheaded the 2nd Festival held in October 2009. She is currently appearing at LaMaMa's Ellen Stewart Theater in the Foundry Theater's production of Brecht's [itals] Good Person of Szechuan.

Tom Sellar. Tom is the editor of Theater magazine, published by the Yale School of Drama, where he is also professor of dramaturgy and dramatic criticism. He has been a critic and journalist for The Village Voice since 2001.

Leigh Silverman. Leigh won a double directing OBIE Award in 2011 for her work on Lisa Kron's In the Wake (Public Theater) and David Greenspan's Go Back to Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons). She recently directed the West Coast premiere of Chinglish (Berkeley Rep/South Coast Rep) after directing it at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago (Jeff nomination) and on Broadway.

Founded in 1955 by Voice cultural editor Jerry Tallmer, The Village Voice OBIE Awards annually honor the best of Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. Unlike most theater awards, the Obies do not publicize nominations or employ rigid categories. In the conviction that creativity is not competitive, the judges select outstanding artists and productions and may even invent new categories to reward artistic merit. Past winners have included such well-known stars as Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Morgan Freeman, Mos Def, Felicity Huffman, Kevin Kline, Nathan Lane, Olympia Dukakis, Denzel Washington, Glenn Close, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Kathy Bates, James Earl Jones, Viola Davis, and Harvey Fierstein, to name a few.

Rosemary R. Jorda, event director for the Village Voice Obie Awards is managing the full OBIE Awards program. Longtime publicist for the Obies, since 1994, Gail Parenteau, is responsible for booking the co-hosts and presenters.

Stella Artois is the presenting sponsor of the 2013 Village Voice Obie Awards. Further details about the 58th Annual OBIE Awards Ceremony, including the names of the co-hosts and presenters, along with information about how to purchase tickets, can be found at obies.villagevoice.com.

Founded by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, and Norman Mailer in October 1955, The Village Voice introduced free-form, high-spirited, and passionate journalism into the public discourse. As the nation's original and largest alternative newsweekly, the Voice maintains the same tradition of no-holds-barred reporting and criticism it first embraced when it began publishing 57 years ago. The recipient of three Pulitzer prizes, the National Press Foundation Award, and the George Polk Award, among others, the Voice has earned a reputation for its groundbreaking investigations of New York City politics and for its expert coverage of New York's cultural scene. Writing and reporting on local and national politics, with opinionated culture, music, art, dance, film, and theater reviews, daily Web dispatches, comprehensive entertainment listings, and unrivaled classifieds, the Voice is the authoritative source on all that is New York.

The Village Voice has independently produced and created such celebrated events as the Choice Eats, Obies Awards, 4Knots Music Festival, Choice Streets, Web Awards, Brooklyn Pour, as well as the most anticipated issues and guides of the year including the annual Pazz and Jop music poll, Best of NYC, and its Spring, Summer, and Fall Preview guides. The Voice is New York's most influential must-read alternative newspaper in print and online. For more information on the Voice or its events, visit us online at www.villagevoice.com.

Ripple Effect Artists' TWELFTH NIGHT to Benefit Freedom to Marry, 6/20-30

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:02:55 PST

Spend a summer night at Twelfth Night presented by Ripple Effect Artists, Thursday - Sunday: June 20 - 23 and Wednesday - Sunday: June 26 - 30. All oerformances are at 8:00 p.m.

FREE Matinees on Saturdays: June 22 & 29 at 3:00 p.m. Students and Actors Equity members (both with proper ID) are free throughout the run on a standby basis. All performances play the Access Theater, 380 Broadway, New York City. Tickets Online: www.rippleeffectartists.com. Click on "Reserve Twelfth Night Tickets". Ripple Effect Artists is also on TDF: www.tdf.org.

Ripple Effect Artists take on Shakespeare's raucous romantic comedy,Twelfth Night, about two shipwrecked twins - Viola and Sebastian - and the mischief they create.

Viola - reeling from a shipwreck in which she thinks her brother has been killed - dresses like her brother to survive in the strange land where she finds herself. This decision to gender-bend changes the lives of Duke Orsino, pining over Lady Olivia, who has now fallen in love with the manly-clad Viola, who is in love with Orsino, who can't love her as the her is a him but... well you get the point! This all sets in motion uproarious ruses and plots involving the dower Malvolio; the drunken Sir Toby Belch; the silly Sir Andrew Aguecheek; the fetching lady-in-waiting, Maria, and Feste, the fool. And when it turns out Sebastian is not dead... well, that's when the really fun begins!

With each production of RIPPLE EFFECT ARTISTS (REArtists), a significant percentage of the box office proceeds are donated to a Human Rights Organization that coincides with the subject-matter of the show.

Twelfth Night employs one of Shakespeare's favorite comic conventions: switching [sexual] identity. This makes it a perfect choice for RIPPLE EFFECT ARTISTS to create a project that asks the question: In matters of love, how much does gender matter? "We wanted to put on a production that deals with gender identity and to focus on how love can rise above one's gender" exclaims Jessie Fahay, the founding director of Ripple Effect Artists and author of "What Method? The Different Ways an Actor Can Train."

Proceeds from Twelfth Night will be donated to Freedom to Marry, an organization dedicated to creating freedom for all individuals to marry across the United States.www.freedomtomarry.org. The company's goal with the messaging of the production is to significantly impact marriage rights in the state of New Jersey.

Twelfth Night Creative Team:

Executive Producer: Jessie Fahay.
Director: Beth Newbery.
Stage Manager: Laurie Rae Waugh.
Technical Director: Terrence Christgau.
Costume Designer: Marcus Desion
Graphic Designer: Natalie Craig.

Cast: Paul Battiato*, Kaelin Birkenhead, Corey Camperchioli*, Joseph Esbenshade, Jessie Fahay, Terrence Montgomery, Erin Nelson, Valerie O'Hara, Kyle Sallee, Robert Shryock, Christopher Spurrier, and James Stewart* *appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association.

For more information, go to: www.rippleeffectartists.com, www.twitter.com/REArtists or www.facebook.com/#!/groups/184429398299538/.

RIPPLE EFFECT ARTISTS is dedicated to creating a connected, communicative, and compassionate world through STAGED THEATRE WORKS and GLOBAL EDUCATION. We dare our audiences to move from APATHY to ACTION, creating a RIPPLE EFFECT in the larger community and world.

Brooklyn Center Hosts SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC Today

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC) presents Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music today, May 19, 2013 at 1pm. All tickets are $15 and can be purchased by phone at 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm), or online at www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org. Recommended for ages six and up.

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music is an interactive screening of the Academy Award-winning movie musical, The Sound of Music. The film is screened with subtitles and the audience is encouraged to sing along. Before the movie begins, the host will lead the audience through a vocal warm-up, teach the group activities that will unfold at certain moments of the show, and host a costume competition. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to come in costumes related to The Sound of Music, and are given goody bags full of props to use at designated moments in the show.

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music has been on tour around the UK since January 2000 visiting almost every major venue in the country. In 2001 over 7,000 dressed up to an outdoors sing-a-long at the famous Kenwood House in London. The show launched in New York in September 2000 at the Zeigfeld Theatre with a gala performance attended by Charmian Carr (Liesl), Richard Hammond (Friedrich), Heather Menzies (Louisa), Duane Chase (Kurt), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Debbie Turner (Marta), Kym Karath (Gretl), Daniel Truhitte (Rolfe), and three goats. It has also played extended runs in Amsterdam, Dublin, St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Oslo, Stockholm and many other major cities around the globe. A highlight has been a series of sold-out performances to 18,000 people each time at the famous Hollywood Bowl.

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music was followed by the first ever live show - Sing-a-long-a Abba which celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a tour in 2011. It enjoyed a highly successful run at The Whitehall Theatre in London's West End in 2003 and has played in Toronto, New Zealand and St Petersburg, Russia, as well as a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002.

2011 saw the addition of Sing-a-long-a Grease, the film that audiences have been asking for since the very beginning. It has been running in London since May 2011 and will tour the UK from January 2012.

Other Sing-a-long-a shows include Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (launched by Donny Osmond in 2002), The Wizard of Oz, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hairspray and, in 2004, the second live show, Sing-a-long-a Elvis.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College; 2/5 trains to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue. Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org. Box Office: (718) 951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm). Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 3331.

Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400-seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving 46,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually with its SchoolTime series. In recognition of its commitment to quality family programming, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts has been recognized as both Brooklyn's Best Theater or Theater Group for Kids and Brooklyn's Best Place for Family Bonding by Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect Parents' Picks Awards.

JUNIE B. JONES and CLICK, CLACK, MOO Close Out TPAC Family Series, 5/19 & 6/1

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the longest operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, presents two TheatreworksUSA productions: Junie B. Jones, performing today, May 19 at 3PM and Click, Clack, Moo, performing on Saturday, June 1 at 1:30PM. Both shows are part of BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center's Family Theater Season, featuring plays, musicals, puppetry, concerts and dance for all ages.

Junie B. Jones Summary: Junie B. Jones is finally graduating from kindergarten and is ready for first grade, at last! Follow her adventures as she writes everything down in her "top-secret personal beeswax" journal. From meeting new friends to getting new glasses, from having adventures in the cafeteria to on the kickball field, outspoken, precocious, lovable Junie B. Jones brings a story of friendship and adventure to Tribeca PAC in this colorful, funny, fast-paced Theatreworks USA musical based on the popular books from Barbara Park. One hour in length, recommended for ages 4 and up.

Click, Clack, Moo Summary: "Cows that type? Hens on strike! Whoever heard of such a thing!" Farmer Brown cries. When his granddaughter Jenny comes for a visit, Farmer Brown declared The Farm a "tech-free zone." He confiscates her laptop in the cold barn along with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets. "No way," replies Farmer Brown. "No blankets!" So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets: no milk, no eggs! Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals' demands? Will Jenny get her computer back? Find out in a hilariously "mooooo-ving" new musical about negotiation and compromise, based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. One hour in length, recommended for ages 5-8.

Tickets are $25 ($15 for 10Club Members). To purchase tickets or a 10Club Membership, call Ticketing Services at (212) 220-1460. Single tickets can also be purchased by visiting our website at http://tribecapac.org/children.htm or by visiting the Box Office at 199 Chambers Street, Tues-Sat from 12PM - 6PM.

BMCC Tribeca PAC is Downtown Manhattan's premier presenter of the arts, reaching audiences from the college community, downtown residential and business communities, local schools, families, and audiences of all ages. BMCC Tribeca PAC strives to present a broad global perspective through the presentation of high-quality artistic work in music, theatre, dance, film and visual arts. BMCC Tribeca PAC is located on the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus, 199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich Avenue & West Street) and is convenient to the 2/3, A/C/E and R/W subway lines and the New Jersey Path Train. For more information visit the website, www.tribecapac.org.

THE THEORETICAL PHYSICS OF PROCRASTINATION [THE SECOND PART] to Play The Brick, 6/8-21

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:43:13 PST

The Brick Theater Inc, in association with New York Neo Futurists' Christopher Loar, presents The Theoretical Physics of Procrastination [The Second Part] as part of sound scape: A Theatrical Festival of Sound Design at The Brick.

The Theoretical Physics of Procrastination [The Second Part] plays as part of sound scape: A Theatrical Festival of Sound Design at The Brick. Written, Performed and Designed by Christopher Loar, the show runs Saturday June 8 @ 9PM; Tuesday June 11th @ 9PM; Thursday June 20th @ 9PM; and Friday June 21st @ 7PM at The Brick Theater, 579 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY. Call (718) 285-3863. $15 General Admission. For more information, visit www.bricktheater.com.

Drama Desk and Innovative Theater Award Nominee and New York Neo-Futurist Christopher Loar [The Complete & Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O'Neill]presents The Theoretical Physics of Procrastination [The Second Part] as part of The Brick Theater's sound scape Festival.

Continuing work developed in NYNF'S signature show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind as well as their recent main stage show On The Future, Loar examines the relationship between procrastination, creativity and global warming. Using lip-syncing, video and live sound creation, the show will generate a unified field and parallel theatrical universes on stage and off, bending time and space to construct a landscape where the performer is both 'here' and 'not actually here.' As the work unfolds, the performer is simultaneously writing the play and not writing the play as the piece reveals itself to be a talent show submission [judged by each night's audience] to earn future safe passage away from a likely burned up Earth to a colony on Kepler 22b. The work imagines and predicts an Earth that is spent, and functions as an investment to make the performer more desirable as a candidate for a future human habitat.

Christopher Loar has been creating and performing his own theater works with the New York Neo-Futurists since 2009, and is a regular fixture in their long running show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes.) He created The Complete & Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O'Neill, Volume 1: Early Plays / Lost Plays (NY Times Critic's Pick, 2011 Drama Desk Nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience) and has performed or presented work at venues such as PS 122, Incubator Arts, The Bushwick Starr, 3LD, Barrow Street Theater, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Arena Stage (DC), and many others. As a performer he has also worked extensively with Reid Farrington in "Gin& It" and "A Christmas Carol." He is also a sound maker twice nominated for an Innovative Theater Award.

The New York Neo-Futurists are an ensemble of dynamic writer/performer/directors best known for the critically acclaimed, energetic show of original short plays, "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes.)" A non-illusory collage of the comic and tragic, the political and personal, the visceral and experimental, "TMLMTBGB" embraces chance, change and chaos as present catalysts of theater making. Developing out of the format that has been a success in Chicago since 1988, the New York Neo-Futurists have roots in NYC from the mid 90's. Since re-opening in New York in 2004, NYNF has created over 2600 plays of various lengths and styles, presenting award-winning, new work every weekend at the Kraine Theater as well as many other venues in the New York independent theater scene.

Photo Flash: First Look at DEADLY SHE-WOLF ASSASSIN AT ARMAGEDDON! at La MaMa

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:20:47 PST

La MaMa, in association with Crossing Jamaica Avenue, presents the New York Premiere of the acclaimed Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon!, featuring original music and a concept by Fred Ho, co-written by Fred Ho and Ruth Margraff, directed by Sonoko Kawahara, with martial arts choreography by Emmanuel Brown (Broadway's Spiderman) and Japanese sword fighting choreography by Yoshi Amao. The show runs now through June 2, 2013 at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue & the Bowery. The show opens tonight, May 18 opening at 7:30pm. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Raised as a weapon by a brutal conspirator, a young female assassin discovers that her target has spun the empire of Japan into crisis and ruin. Torn between loyalty to her mission, her nation and her soul, she must face the unimaginable at the twilight of an imperial epoch in a cathartic story of desperation, revenge and intrigue.

A daring and imaginative homage to the 1970s Japanese raging cult manga, comic book, film and TV hit, "Lone Wolf and Cub," Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon! is a martial arts-samurai-sword-fighting-music/theater-fantasy-action-adventure-blockbuster. Deadly She-Wolf explodes with a ferocious stylistic mix of Japanese Noh theater and modern-day anime and manga influences, incorporating unique multi-martial arts and sword fighting choreography along with a glorious score fusing traditional Japanese music and soul-jazz. Featuring the Afro Asian Music Ensemble led by Masaru Koga.

The cast includes Yoshi Amao, Ai Ikeda, Marina Celander, Rick Ebihara, Bradley Fong, Jerry Ford, Takemi Kitamura, Luca Nicora, Koji Nishiyama, Teake, Jet Yung and Perry Yung. The creative team includes Anka Lupes (Production Design), Chad McArver (Lighting Design) and Youn Jung Kim (Stage Manager).

Fred Ho (Composer, Co-writer) is a noted Asian American, musical composer, saxophonist, cancer survivor, radical activist and public intellectual. He leads the Afro Asian Music Ensemble, Green Monster Big Band and Monkey Orchestra. Ho won the 2011 John P. Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition, received the 2010 American Music Center's Letter of Distinction and he's the 2009 Harvard Arts Medalist. He has won two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, three New York Foundation for the Arts fellowships and six awards from the Rockefeller Foundation. Ho has over 25 recordings as a band leader, has published eight books, and composed a dozen operas. His martial arts ballet-opera, Voice Of The Dragon, toured 33 cities in the U.S. For more info on Fred Ho visit http://www.BigRedMediaInc.com.

Ruth Margraff (Co-writer) has co-written six martial arts operas with Fred Ho for BAM's Next Wave Festival, the Guggenheim Museum, Japan Society, the Apollo Theater and a U.S. tour of performing art centers. Margraff tours regularly with her Café Antarsia Ensemble and other working-class operas throughout the world. Her writing has been produced in New York at the Ice Factory Festival, PS122, HERE, Lincoln Center and The Kitchen, and nationally at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Walker Art Center and Trap Door Theater.

Sonoko Kawahara (Director) is originally from Tokyo. She develops original pieces that integrate text, music, movement and visual elements. Her works have been presented in New York at NYTW, DTW, HERE, PS122 and Women's Project. She has directed utilizing various art forms including Otome Bunraku for Thousand Years Waiting (PS122), Beijing opera for The Queen Says Farewell (Connelly Theatre), Noh for Noh Fusion (NYTW) and Kabuki for The Cherry Orchard: Firs's Dream (Chekhov Festival). She is a member of NYTW's "Usual Suspects."

La MaMa is a remarkable arts institution with a world-wide reputation for producing cutting-edge work in theater, dance, performance art, and music. Founded in 1961 by theater pioneer and legend, Ellen Stewart, La MaMa has produced and presented more than 3,500 theatrical productions to date and is a vital part of the fabric of cultural life in New York City and around the world. La MaMa has been honored with more than 30 OBIE Awards, dozens of Drama Desk and Bessie Awards, and, in 2006, Ellen Stewart was recognized with a special TONY Award.

Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $30 / $25 (students and seniors), Appropriate for ages 10 and up. Available online at LaMaMa.org, by phone 212-475-7710 and at box office. Running time is 90 minutes including intermission. La MaMa is accessible from the F train to 2nd Ave. or the #6 train to Bleecker St. Follow the show on Twitter at @DEADLYSHEW0LF or www.Facebook.com/DeadlySheWolf. For more info about the artists and performers visit www.CrossingJamaicaAvenue.org.

Photo Credits: Corky Lee, Joseph Yoon and Kenji Mori

Bradley Fong as The Boy and Yoshi Amao as The Rogue Assassin

Cast members of the NY Premiere of Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon!

Yoshi Amao as The Rogue Assassin

Perry Yung as Iyagu

Ai Ikeda as She-Wolf (standing) and Takemi Kitamura as She-Wolf Sister (on floor)

Ai Ikeda as She-Wolf

Marina Celander as Narrator, Yoshi Amao as The Rogue Assassin, Jerry Ford as Qaseem the Killing Machine and Ai Ikeda as She-Wolf

Perry Yung as Iyagu and Ai Ikeda as She-Wolf

The Afro Asian Music Ensemble led by Masaru Koga playing live

Josiah Theatre Works to Present ANNIVERSARY at New Federal Theatre, 5/22

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:46:27 PST

Josiah Theatre Works has announced on behalf of director and writer Nickolas Long, III*, a live showcase for Woody King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre Play Competition, featuring the World Premiere play ANNIVERSARY by Estelle Francois.

The play will be directed by Long on May 22nd, 2013 at 7 p.m. in the Recital Hall at the New Federal Theatre, 292 Henry Street, NYC.

The play will feature the cast of the web drama series "Unspoken" (www.blip.tv/UNSPOKEN). ANNIVERSARY stars one of the lead models of the series, Steve Jaikarran.

Admission to this event is FREE.

Bill Bowers' BEYOND WORDS to Kick Off 2013 soloNOVA Arts Festival, 5/22

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:45:20 PST

terraNOVA COLLECTIVE and Producing Artistic Director, Jennifer Conley Darling, are pleased to present acclaimed mime, Bill Bowers' BEYOND WORDS, straight from a White House engagement to the west village: BEYOND WORDS will be a special headliner to kick off the 10TH Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the award-winning and longest-running solo performance festival in New York City, performing Wednesday May 22 at 8pm and Saturday May 25 at 2pm at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, NYC). The eight other solo shows included in the soloNOVA Arts Festival will play two weeks only at IRT Theater (154 Christopher Street, inside the landmark Archive Building). Performances begin Thursday, May 23 and continue through Sunday, June 2.

Through his first 3 plays UNDER A MONTANA MOON, NIGHT SWEETHEART NIGHT BUTTERCUP, and IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING), Bill Bowers explores the power of silence in our culture, and illuminates the experiences of Remaining Silent, Being Silenced, and Silencing someone else. In BEYOND WORDS, he investigates the effect of silence on gender identity.

Set against the backdrop of small town America, BEYOND WORDS takes us on a journey from boyhood to manhood and considers the lessons learned along the way. One of the most acclaimed multi-disciplinary artists, Bill Bowers employs an eloquent mixture of music, monologue and mime to create a vibrant and poetic montage that is BEYOND WORDS.

The production features costume design by Michael Growler, and original lighting design by Lee Terry. David Margolin Lawson is the sound designer and Laura Lindsay is the stage manager.

BEYOND WORDS will play Wednesday May 22 at 8pm and Saturday May 25 at 2pm at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, NYC). A complete list of the shows and their performance schedule can be found here: http://bit.ly/107S4cv. Special Event tickets are $30 (IRT Festival or 2 for $30 pass not applicable). IRT Show Tickets are $20 for individual shows; $30 for two shows; $80 IRT Festival pass (50% discount for all shows at IRT Theater).

For more information and tickets, visit www.terranovacollective.org. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at Box Office ½ hour in advance of the performances. Running Time: All shows are 90 minutes (or less).

Bill Bowers (actor, mime and writer, Beyond Words) has performed in all fifty states and throughout Europe and Asia. Beyond Words premiered at Urban Stages in 2011, and is now on tour throughout the US. In 2001, Urban Stages produced the world premiere of his solo show Under a Montana Moon, and since then it has been performed in Germany. Japan, Italy, Romania, Macedonia, Norway and Puerto Rico, as well as the Kennedy Center, Steppenwolf and theaters nationwide. Bill's autobiographical play, It Goes Without Saying, premiered at Rattlestick Theatre in 2006 and has also been produced nationwide in such venues as the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Adirondack Theater Festival, The Historic asolo and Two River Theatre Company. Hailed by critics as 'a great American mime' Bill has won top honors at the International United Solo Festival and International Fresh Fruit Festival, as well as the Dallas / Ft Worth Critics Award, Best of the Berkshires and the New York Times Critics Pick of the Week. He appeared on Broadway as Zazu in The Lion King and Leggett in The Scarlett Pimpernel.Other New York credits include Theatre for a New Audience, Ensemble Studio Theatre, HERE, La MaMa E.C.T., St Anne's Warehouse and the NY International Fringe Festival. He is featured in the film Two Weeks Notice and on television in Disney's out of the Box, Remember W.E.N.N., One Life to Live, All My Children, and the Onion News Network. He presently teaches at NYU Steinhardt and The Neighborhood Playhouse, and the Stella Adler Conservatory. He studied mime with the legendary Marcel Marceau. www.Bill-Bowers.com

soloNOVA Arts Festival (SAF) is now the longest-running solo performance festival in New York City. SAF began in 2004 as a vehicle to showcase innovative artists representing various disciplines and cultures, and whose solo performances reflect distinct perspectives. The festival hosts 8-10 performers annually, who perform three times each in repertory. SAF is specifically curated to showcase the best in puppetry, dance, magic, physical theater, multi-character monologues, multi-media, and other forms of storytelling, and aims to bring forth ideas and experiences from varying cultures. The New York Innovative Theatre Awards has presented SAF programming with 22 nominations and 6 awards over the past three years.

terraNOVA is an ever-expanding collective of artists devoted to nurturing distinct and innovative theatrical voices. It is dedicated to cultivating environments where the art of storytelling thrives, and actively seeks stages for the new theatre it develops.

Since its inception, terraNOVA has staged 8 full-scale productions, over 20 plays within 7 new play workshop series, and 8 annual solo performance festivals that feature diverse artists of many disciplines. Over the past 8 years, terraNOVA has developed more than 80 plays through Groundbreakers and Groundworks, and has given a platform to approximately 320 solo artists in the annual soloNOVA Arts Festival.

terraNOVA has been hosted within several artistic homes, including Performance Space 122, the DR2 Theatre and D-Lounge at the Daryl Roth Theatre (theatre-in-residence for two seasons), Barrow Street Theatre, HERE Arts Center and New Ohio Theatre.

terraNOVA Collective has received many accolades including 30 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations, 8 of which were for the productions of 'Feeder: A Love Story' by James Carter and 'Blue Before Morning' by Kate McGovern. The remaining nominations have been for shows within the soloNOVA Arts Festival, of which 6 were awarded.