nytheatre.com’s 2011 People of the Year

Today I’m very pleased to announce the names of nytheatre.com’s 2011 People of the Year. Here they are, in this photo collage:

Top row: Crystal Skillman, Chris Harcum, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Joan Kane, Gemini CollisionWorks (scene from ObJect)
Middle row: Temar Underwood, Dominic D’Andrea, Calla Videt, Kelley Nicole Girod, Jon Hoche
Bottom row: Lesser America (Nate Miller, Jonathan Blitstein, Daniel Abeles, Laura Ramadei), Nat Cassidy, The Nerve Tank (Chance Muehleck and Melanie Armer), Bobby Moreno, Ashlin Halfnight

This marks the eighth year that nytheatre.com has recognized a group of theater artists in this manner. Our list of People of the Year celebrates individuals and companies who have made a significant contribution to the landscape of indie theater in NYC and the world. The list is based on nominations made by nytheatre.com’s staff of contributors, and then selected by the board of our parent organization, The New York Theatre Experience, Inc. Information about prior winners is online: 2004-2009 and 2010.

* * * * *

Let me now introduce you to our People of the Year for 2011, and share with you some of their plans for 2012.

NAT CASSIDY is an actor, director, and playwright of surprising range and depth.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Wrote and starred in I Am Providence or, All I Really Needed to Know about the Stygian Nightmare into Which Mankind Will Inevitably Be Devoured, Its Fruitless Screams of Agony Resounding in the Unending Chasm of Indifferent Space as It Is Digested by Squamous and Eldritch Horrors beyond Comprehension for All of Eternity, I Learned from Howard Phillips Lovecraft, for which he received the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.
Plans for 2012: “I’ve got a boatload of new scripts that I’m dying to write and/or produce as soon as possible, including two spec sitcoms that I’m just starting to draft out. I’m working towards putting up my evening of short plays and original music (the first in a series), entitled Songs of Love: A Theatrical Mixtape, sometime in the first half of 2012, and then perhaps I can finally scrounge up the capital to produce my antebellum presidential ghost story, Pierce, sometime in the fall. And, of course, I’ll take whatever acting work comes my way – I ain’t proud.”
Learn more at: Nat’s website and Indie Theater Now

STEPHANIE COX-WILLIAMS is the go-to person in NYC’s indie theater community for creating gore and special effects; also an actor and Company Manager for Nosedive Productions.
One Memorable Thing She Did in 2011: Made a whole passel of zombies spurt large quantities of blood in Anti-Matter Collective’s zombie western, Death Valley.
Plans for 2012: “I will continue working with Nosedive Productions to help produce their upcoming 12th season/year.  Working with Pete Boisvert on a prop/puppet for one of the pieces he is directing in the “Dark Night” reading series.  I will be working with Gideon Productions on props and other fun creations for their upcoming The Honeycomb Trilogy.  And, I will keep working on perfecting good looking, yet affordable gore effects for the stage.”
Learn more at: Nosedive’s website and Stephanie’s blog

DOMINIC D’ANDREA master-minded and produces the One-Minute Play Festival; to date, OMPF has commissioned, developed, and produced over 1,000 brand new one-minute plays by 300+ famous and emerging playwrights across the country.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011:  Single Servings: A One-Minute Play Festival On The Topic Of Hunger in L.A., presented in collaboration with Cornerstone Theatre Company.
Plans for 2012: “Dominic D’Andrea’s One-Minute Play Festival is working in partnership with theatres who either have playwright or community-specific missions all over the country in 2012 including: Primary Stages (NYC), Cornerstone Theatre Company (LA), Playwrights Foundation (SF), Victory Gardens (Chi), Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (Bos), The New Brunswick Theatre Festival at Rutgers (NJ), Actor’s Express (Atl), South Florida Theatre League (Mia), and others.”
Learn more at: OMPF’s blog and the Indie Theater Companion

GEMINI COLLISIONWORKS is Ian W. Hill and Berit Johnson, who operate a vital and vibrant theater production company that has been a seminal part of NYC’s indie scene for more than a decade.
One Memorable Thing They Did in 2011: In August, they produced three new plays in repertory at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg: ObJects and a double bill called Antrobus/Gone.
Plans for 2012: Ian says: “Our definite projects for 2012 — as usual, in our regular August “CollisionWorks” season — are 3 pieces.  A new play I’m writing called Removal, which, like my other 2-act originals Spell (2008) and ObJects (2011), will begin rehearsals as soon as I can get a cast and some dialogue and vague notions together, and I will write it around the cast and what strikes me as we go.  Also, I’ll be making INVISIBLE REPUBLIC #3 with a group of actor/dancers — my third dance-theatre piece in this series after That’s What We’re Here For in 2006 and Everything Must Go in 2008 (which, as they go, are getting more “dance” and less “theatre”).  And finally, I will be doing a long-planned solo performance of Mac Wellman’s Terminal Hip, which was originally planned for this past year, but had to be canceled due to lack of time. As usual, that’s our main focus for the year, as well as our regular duties as Technical Directors for The Brick, so we’re always in and out making sure the place runs fairly smoothly.  I also have been the curator/line producer of the yearly Tiny Theater Festival, which has been passed on to us fully by Shannon Sindelar at the Incubator/Ontological, so I expect to be running that again this coming year.”
Learn more at: GCW’s Facebook page and GCW’s blog

KELLEY NICOLE GIROD is the founder of The Fire This Time Festival, an annual festival of original short plays by African American writers.
One Memorable Thing She Did in 2011: Co-produced this year’s festival at The Red Room (read about it on nytheatre.com)
Plans for 2012: “Through the continued staging of new works in our Fire This Time Festival (Jan 16-25, 2012) and now full productions of the playwrights who have come through the festival (Pia Wilson’s The Flower Thief will be fully produced in August 2012), I hope to continue to impress upon people that there is no one way to tell a story and to show the diversity, beauty, and complexity of the African and African American community.”
Learn more at: Fire This Time’s website and Horse Trade Theater Group’s website

ASHLIN HALFNIGHT is an accomplished playwright whose works cover a broad range of subjects yet share a deep and rich humanism.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Co-produced a month-long repertory featuring three of his plays: a revival of the award-winning God’s Waiting Room along with two premieres, Lathem Prince and Laws of Motion.
Plans for 2012: “I will begin the year in early January casting the film version of my play Survival Box, which will be directed by William Scoular, and shooting in Toronto in March. I will be finishing three plays that I’ve been working on, finally!  Elias, A Postscript, School of Touch, and New Hampshire, New York. And… that’s it…”
Learn more at: Ashlin’s website and Indie Theater Now

CHRIS HARCUM is an actor, playwright, teacher, and accomplished solo performer; he’s also a founder of the new company Elephant Run District and a member of the Board of the League of Independent Theater.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Wrote and starred in Green, a one-man, 21-character sci-fi action thriller with strong environmental and political themes.
Plans for 2012: “I’ll be playing the title role in The Return of Ragged Dick by Dan Evans for Metropolitan Playhouse’s Horatio Alger Festival at PS 122 in January. Then Elephant Run District is doing my comedy Rabbit Island in the Frigid Festival in February and March. I will be completing my first feature-length screenplay with Jason Cusato of Park Slope Films. I’m seeking opportunities to take on challenging roles and to get some of my full-length plays produced. I’ll be continuing to work with the League of Independent Theater to help improve things in our territory.”
Learn more at: Chris’s website and Indie Theater Now

JON HOCHE is an actor known for his versatility and talents in comedic and physical theater; he wrote his first play, Galactic Girl in: Attack of the Starbarians, for the 2011 Comic Book Festival at the Brick Theater.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Stole the show right out from under 2009 Person of the Year Paco Tolson (and others) in a tour-de-force turn in Qui Nguyen’s The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G.
Plans for 2012: “2012 kicks off with the remounting of The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G off-Broadway by Ma-Yi Theater & Vampire Cowboys Theater Company.  I also hope to mount a full run of Galactic Girl in: Attack of the Starbarians. And I just found out that I’ve been cast in the 1st National Tour of War Horse as one of the Horse puppeteers.”
Learn more at: Jon’s website and Galactic Girl’s website

JOAN KANE, in partnership with Bruce A. Kraemer, is  artistic director of Ego Actus, an indie theatre company creating art for art’s sake. She directs and produces plays, and works with authors to create new plays.
One Memorable Thing She Did in 2011: Directed a revival of Saviana Stanescu’s Aliens With Extraordinary Skills that realized the play’s insights and ideas in genuinely unexpected ways.
Plans for 2012: “I’m directing an updated version of Pizza Man (Darlene Craviotto) at The Bridge Theatre, January 18;  Altered Texts  (Penny Jackson) at Turtle Shell Theatre in March; Belinda, a devised, mixed media with puppets production based on the last year of Kafka’s life when he helped a young girl cope with the loss of her doll by creating an imaginary world which enabled the pains of the real world to disappear, in September. We hope to take Aliens With Extraordinary Skills to the  Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania in June. I am a firm believer in play development and in the next 12 months I am working with playwrights Penny Jackson, Carol Berman, George Dickerson, and Maria Micheles to develop their plays in a series of staged readings.”
Learn more at: Ego Actus website

LESSER AMERICA is a new indie theater company co-founded by Jonathan Blistein, Laura Ramadei, Daniel Abeles, and Nathan Miller. They formed the company right after collaborating on Jonathan’s play Keep Your Baggage With You At All Times, which won the 2011 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-Length Script.
One Memorable Thing They Did in 2011: Produced Squealer, a new play written by Blitstein and starring Abeles, Miller, and Ramadei.
Plans for 2012: “Lesser America will be continuing its inaugural season residency at Theater for the New City in the spring of 2012 with an original full length premiere yet to be announced. We also plan on continuing the tradition of Too Little Too Late and Too Much Too Soon, with another evening of short play commissions by daring new writers, and we’re in the midst of collaboration with Rising Phoenix Rep and Neighborhood Productions on a major NY premiere.”
Learn more at: Lesser America’s website and Indie Theater Now

BOBBY MORENO is one of the most sought-after young actors in New York, regularly appearing at indie/off-Broadway venues with a variety of leading companies.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Hopped from one hit play to another in two months this fall (Invasion! at the Flea in September; Hand to God at EST in October).
Plans for 2012: “First off, we’re pushing for a commercial run for Hand to God (any producers who want to be involved in the next big thing in 2012, come down to EST before Dec. 18th). Also, I’ve been developing a new show with Josh Koenigsberg titled The Mnemonist of Dutchess County, starring myself and Will Rogers. I plan on telling more stories, and keeping politically active – one of my favorite theatrical experiences of 2011 has been the Occupy Wall St movement, and I’m very much looking forward to the second act next year.”
Learn more at: EST’s website

THE NERVE TANK was founded about five years ago by Chance D. Muehleck (a writer) and Melanie S. Armer (a director) They present nontraditional theatrical work that crosses genres and breaks down barriers and challenges its audience to move beyond conventional mores.
One Memorable Thing They Did in 2011:  Took over large areas of the World Financial Center in May to present an interactive performance exhibit called The Attendants.
Plans for 2012: “Arts World Financial Center, which programmed The Attendants, has invited us to submit a proposal for one of their outdoor spaces. That project is called Glory Road, and it’s inspired by the myth of Sisyphus. There may also be a gallery component that runs concurrently, which is a collection of visual art and interactive exhibits. Our next mainstage show is 10% Nation, an assembly about celebrity culture that features multimedia in ways we haven’t used before. We are currently seeking a home for it.”
Learn more at: The Nerve Tank’s website and on Facebook

CRYSTAL SKILLMAN is an astonishingly versatile and prolific playwright whose work is being seen at companies all around NYC and the world.
One Memorable Thing She Did in 2011: Played herself in a hilarious comedy by Gus Schulenburg that ran for one night as a fundraiser for Nosedive Productions (her participation attests to the depth of her commitment to the indie theater community and the vastness of her personal and professional networks).
Plans for 2012: “Crystal is currently a finalist with two plays for Louisville’s Heideman Award. Her play Cut, produced by The Management earlier this year, will be coming out from Samuel French this winter and debut in Boston next year. Her short play commission for Drama of Works, a piece based on Dian Fossey, is a part of the theatrical event Leaky’s Ladies (which features the work of playwrights Erin Courtney and Rachel Hoeffel) opening January 13th at Dixon Place, running through February 4th 2012. Other upcoming plays include: Sex and Death in London (Rising Phoenix Rep’s Cino Night Series, February 12th 2012 at Jimmy’s No. 43); Another Kind of Love (Overturn Theatre Ensemble Residency at IRT March 26 and 27th); 4 Edges (TerraNOVA Collective’s Groundbreakers Presentation Spring 2012); Wild (Debuting in Chicago with Kid Brooklyn Productions June 14th – July 1st 2012 under the direction of Evan Caccippoli); and The Sleeping World (Upcoming Member’s Workshop at Ensemble Studio Theater directed by Daniel Talbott).”
Learn more at: Crystal’s website

TEMAR UNDERWOOD is an actor and playwright who continues to stretch and challenge himself with each new artistic endeavor.
One Memorable Thing He Did in 2011: Gave a gorgeous, glowing performance as the transsexual lesbian Resean in a revival of Stephen Svoboda’s Odysseus DOA at both Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts and Theatre Row in NYC.
Plans for 2012: “Temar is currently finishing up a run in one of his dream roles as Lion in The Wiz at The Red House Art Center in Syracuse. You can expect his new play Breaking Kayfabe to be mounted this summer. The specific venue and dates will be announced at a later date. And he just learned that he will be in the upcoming production of The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G.”
Learn more at: Temar’s website and Indie Theater Now

CALLA VIDET is a visionary director and creator of nontraditional, movement- and music-based work for theater.
One Memorable Thing She Did in 2011: Co-wrote (with B. Walker Sampson) and directed Hold Music, a highlight of The Culture Project’s Women Center Stage Festival.
Plans for 2012: “As Creative Director of Sightline, Calla brings together artists and thinkers across disciplines to generate original performance works exploring science, language, and memory. This year, in collaboration with Theater C, Sightline is creating a new dance theater piece exploring the choreographic history of Rite of Spring in addition to developing and touring existing works. Calla is also working to bring her undergraduate physics and performance thesis–a quantum and relativistic retelling of the Orpheus myth and the story of the Manhattan Project–to the New York stage.”
Learn more at: Calla’s website and Sightline’s website

TeatroStageFest Partners with La Strada for Talkback

TeatroStageFest, one of my favorite of NYC’s annual theater festivals, is working with the folks at the new Spanish-language adaptation of Fellini’s La Strada to present a post-show discussion. Here’s info from the official press release:

“Adapting Fellini to the Stage”
Post-performance discussion set for LA STRADA
Saturday, Nov. 5 following matinee performance

La Strada Theater Company partners with TeatroStageFest, the Latino International Theater Festival of New York, for a post-show discussion with the directors and cast of award-winning stage production of
Fellini’s LA STRADA and featured guest MARIO FRATTI, playwright of Nine,  the Broadway musical based on Fellini’s film 8 ½

LA STRADA performances are October 22 to December 4 Off-Broadway at TBG Theater (312 W. 36 St.) in Manhattan

La Strada Theater Company partners with TeatroStageFest, the Latino International Theater Festival of New York, to present “Adapting Fellini to the Stage,” a post-performance discussion with the cast and directors of LA STRADA, an award-winning stage adaptation of Fellini’s film of the same name. The TalkBack with the audience will take place on November 5, 2011, immediately after the 3PM matinee performance at TBG Theater (312 W. 36 St.).

The TalkBack will feature: LA STRADA directors Rene Buch (Repertorio Español) and Jorge Merced (Pregones Theatre), cast members: Nanda Abella, Israel Ruiz, and Luis Carlos de La Lombana, who doubles as Executive Producer of LA STRADA, along with  guest playwright Mario Fratti, author of Nine, the Broadway musical based on Fellini’s film 8 ½.

The TalkBack (conducted in English), is part of a series of Artist Dialogues moderated by Susana Tubert, Producing Executive Director of TeatroStageFest, which continues its 5th anniversary celebrations in 2011 by showcasing theater, dance, music and puppetry productions and events by New York based Latino theater companies side by side with visiting artists from Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain. Following the TalkBack, the audience will also have the opportunity to meet and mingle with the artists in an intimate
TeatroStageLounge reception. The event is included in the price of admission to the matinee performance of LA STRADA.

A Spanish-language adaptation of La Strada — the legendary 1954 Italian film by Federico Fellini — will be presented Off-Broadway for 6 weeks from October 22 to December 4, at TBG Theater (312 W. 36 St.) in Manhattan. The production is co-directed by award-winning director Rene Busch, Artistic Director of Repertorio Español, and Jorge Merced, Artistic Director of Pregones Theatre in New York City. The play will be performed in Spanish with English super-titles.

Presented by La Strada Company– a new Spanish theater company in NYC under the artistic direction of Luis Carlos de la Lombana — the Spanish-language adaptation of LA STRADA is written by Gerard Vázquez. The film LA STRADA — winner of the first ever Oscar for Best Foreign film in 1956 — was written by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano.

This fall production marks a return engagement for LA STRADA: La Strada Company, which has been developing the production for two years, presented a two-week sold-out run of the play last winter at IATI Theater in the East Village.

It was recently announced that LA STRADA is the recipient of two distinguished HOLA Awards for Excellence in Theater, international awards given annually by the Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors:  Rene Buch and Jorge Merced have received the HOLA for Outstanding Achievement in Direction, along with Israel Ruiz for Outstanding Performance by a Featured Actor for his portrayal of “The Fool” in LA STRADA.  The HOLA Awards will be presented in NYC on October 17, 2011.

LA STRADA is described, as follows: In need of help for his street entertainment, Zampano offers money to a poor woman in exchange for her daughter Gelsomina, a young woman whose innocence borders on mental retardation. Together they set out on a journey through several villages, presenting a spectacle of brute force leavened with comic interludes. In spite of Zampano’s abuses, Gelsomina starts to develop an intense devotion towards him. The pair eventually joins a traveling circus, where they meet “The Fool,” a clown who is
attracted to Gelsomina. Although several of the colorful characters Gelsomina meets along the way ask her to join them, she will prove her loyalty to Zampano to the limits of her will.

The cast of LA STRADA on stage will feature Nanda Abella, Israel Ruiz, Luis Carlos de La Lombana , María Peyramaure, Winston Estevez, Adela Maria Bolet, and the mosicians Stephamie Davis (violinist) and Jennifer Harder(trumpet player). Audrey Crabtree is clown consultant; Mike Yahn is stage choreographer; Zulema Clares is music consultant. Production design is by Jason Sturm, Lighting Design and Technical Director by Pope Jackson, costume design by Kanako Hiyama; supertitles designed by Betsy Pujols. Executive Producer:  Luis Carlos de La Lombana. Production Team: Nacho Blanco, Nanda Abella, Jazmín Blanco, Esther Higueras, Beatriz Fierro, America Blanco, Martín Fernandez Lombana and Luis Carlos de La Lombana.

Of Spanish origin, La Strada Theater Company is made up of a wide range of members, mostly from Spanish-speaking countries, but also from the U.S., Japan and elsewhere. The combination of multiculturalism and the vast presence of Spanish speakers in the U.S. is key to La Strada’s mission as it seeks to build on the cultural bridge between Spain and the U.S., especially in New York. The company will present plays by international writers, both in Spanish and English, while the priority lies with Spanish authors and the Spanish language.

Luis Carlos de la Lombana has received and ACE and Hola Award in NYC for best actor in 2009 as Segismundo in “La Vida es Sueño” (Life is a Dream). He has also starred in “The Island,” “Mick Jagger: The Devil in all of Us,” “Asi que pasen cinco años” (by Federico García Lorca), and most recently in LA STRADA earlier this year.

Tickets are $35 and are available at smarttix 212 868 4444. To purchase your tickets: https://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=LAS24. For more information, visit www.lastradacompany.com.

More First Thoughts from NYIT Winners

We’ve heard from some more winners of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards.  Here are their answers to the three questions we posed: (1)What was the absolute first thought you had when you heard them call your name? (2)Who was the first person you called/emailed to tell that you won? (3)What does this award signify or mean to you personally?

CORMAC BLUESTONE – Outstanding Original Music
The Caucasian Chalk Circle

First Thought:  Oh my god, why didn’t I prepare to speak?!

First Called: I called my Mom. She knew why I was calling when she heard the phone ring.

Award Means: I’ve been fortunate to work off off broadway for years with many different hats.  While it is always rewarding, sometimes it’s hard to feel like you’re moving forward.  I’ve been nominated by the IT Awards for music before, and receiving this honor and win this year makes me feel that yes, I am indeed moving forward.

JOEY RIZZOLO – Outstanding Performance Art Production
Locker #4173b

First Thought: I thought, “Is that the title we settled on?” And once that ridiculousness passed, I realized, after years of attending these ceremonies, that the real elation of receiving an award is the honor of being recognized by so many artists I respect.

First Called: I got a flood of text messages, all from New York Neo-Futurists who weren’t able to attend the ceremony. Clearly they were following on Twitter or watching the stream online, because they all bombarded us at once with congratulations. I don’t think we were even off the stage when it started.

Award Means: In any given year, there are shows with which I’m familiar that are not recipients in their nominated category, but are so, so deserving all the same. That the recipients themselves are no less deserving contributes to an ever-growing shaking of the head wherein I think, “Damn, they may as well just pick the recipient out of a hat.” In this regard, I am reminded that OOB is truly where the important work is being done, and that the people nominated for these awards really are making enormous artistic strides. To be chosen as a representative example of those strides – largely by a community of artists – is humbling and wonderful. It is also, I think, something of an initiation – one that only prepares us for a more  difficult challenge.

DUANE PAGANO – Outstanding Lighting Design
The Navigator

First Thought:  ”wait, what, that was my name….that’s not right, is it?”

First Called: Actually, it was a mass email and facebook announcement.

Award Means: That you like me, that you really, really, like me. or that, because this show was in such a small space, with very limited budget and equipment, that the quality of the work is what counts, and not always the “spectacles”.

First Thoughts From the NYIT Award Winners

“And the winner is…” If you were a nominee for the 2011 New York Innovative Theatre Awards those words can send chills and quivers as you await that all important NAME. And if that name is yours — !!! For the 4th year, nytheatre.com polled the winners to find out how they took the news.  We asked three questions: (1)What was the absolute first thought you had when you heard them call your name? (2)Who was the first person you called/emailed to tell that you won? (3)What does this award signify or mean to you personally? Here are the answers in the order we received them.

JONATHAN BLITSTEIN -  Outstanding Original Full-Length Script
Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times)

First Thought:  At first I really thought it was someone else’s name.  It was hard to hear in the auditorium, and then everyone sitting next to me was screaming and cheering, and I looked to the producer of the play, Brian Miskell, and he had this grin on his face that was like: “Dude, it was totally, totally worth every tough day of putting on that show”.  And I was still pretty much convinced it wasn’t real, even when I was walking to the stage.

First Called: I had my cellphone on me at the show, and I sent a text right away to my family, and then I texted my co-founding members of Lesser America, Nate Miller and Laura Ramadei, who were in Keep Your Baggage.  Daniel Abeles, our other co-founder was also nominated for best featured actor, and was there with me.

Award Means:  I think the NYIT community/foundation, and the indie theater audience are the power-plant lighting up theater in New York City.  To be recognized by them is a tremendous honor.  I’m just humbled and delighted.  On a personal career level, I hope this means that someday somehow I’ll get my play published, so more people can check it out.  I’m
hopeful.  I’m also thrilled to follow in the footsteps of writers like Bekah Brunstetter and Crystal Skillman!

NICK PAGLINO - Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
An Impending Rupture of the Belly

First Thought: My first reaction was quite literally, “I’m pretty sure John Glover just said my name, and if he didn’t and I’m just imagining it, I’m going to look really horrible walking up to that stage right now.” My immediate next thought was, “Okay, he did say my name, and I can’t believe John Glover just said my name.”

First Called: I texted my brother who lives in Michigan and is a huge sports fan. His response to my text was “Congratulations man! Are you seeing this Giants game right now?”

Award Means: The work that the Off-Off Broadway community does truly is a “labor of love,” and often times slips under the general radar of the public. To have an organization like The NYIT Awards recognize the work that we do is such a refreshing affirmation that our efforts are noticed and appreciated. So to me, the award (and the entire awards ceremony) really symbolizes the strength of the Off-Off Broadway community.

DEANNA MCGOVERN – Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role
An Impending Rupture of the Belly

First Thought: There was definitely a little bit of a delay in my head-for it to register that Jay O’Sanders had just called my name.  My cast mates and friends that were sitting with me all jumped up and starting cheering and hugging me, so that made it sink in.  My very close 2nd thought was- “Crap! I didn’t prepare anything to say”.  It was truly a surprise.

First Called: It was definitely my parents.  They were watching the live stream at home in Dayton, OH and they immediately sent me a really beautiful message.  And like an idiot, I didn’t thank them during my acceptance, so… Thank you Mom and Dad for everything, literally! I love you.

Award Means: It means so much to be recognized by your community and peers, in whatever field you are in.  But after living and working as an artist in NYC for almost 6 years, I think it’s safe to say, being recognized by your theatre community, in this city, is an incredible honor.  It makes the great parts of it even greater and the tough parts of it totally worth the struggle.

KRISTEN VAUGHAN – Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role
Benefactors

First Thought: My very first thought was “Okay, that’s me.”  I was in the unusual position of being nominated alongside one of my very best friends – Heather Cunningham.  Heather is a wonderful actor and also the Artistic Director and Producer of Retro Productions, a company to which I belong and because of which I received the nom and award.  Heather and I
were nominated for the same show!  And I’m not saying I’m unhappy (please… my award sits on the bookshelf, and I’m not sure when I’ll stop smiling at it), but honestly, in that first moment, I think I wanted, and was most prepared to hear Heather’s name.

First Called: I got a picture of me and the award and emailed it to Ursula, my MOM.

Award Means: Over the years, Retro has had a lot of nominations.  This is our first WIN!  I’m thrilled to have been responsible for my part in that.  Personally, the award makes me want to work all the harder, to continue to be the best actor I can be.  When I smile at it in the morning it says (in a very distinguished voice) “Keep going.”

CHRISTINE O’GRADY – Outstanding Choreography/Movement
The Drowsy Chaperone

First Thought: Susan Lucci no more!! I was excited!

First Call: My fiance. He’s on tour so wasn’t with me.

Award Means: It’s so nice to be recognized for my work Off-Off Broadway, where I’ve met some amazing collaborators who I continue to LOVE working with. For each of the times I’ve been nominated, it’s been a project in which my work has been clarified, deepened, and brought to life by the great people in the room–directors, actors, and designers. The group effort is so important to me, and The Drowsy Chaperone was just that!

BARB KIELHOFER – Outstanding Production of a Play
Balm in Gilead

First Thought: I thought I had heard wrong. We had been nominated for quite a few awards throughout the night and each time they said a name other than Balm in Gilead, so when it finally was us I was so stunned I thought that I had misheard. It wasn’t until I saw my cast leap to their feet and start cheering that I realized we had won. It was a total out of body experience. I know our director Peter Jensen had the same experience because we shared this sort of blank, stunned look before we made our way to the podium.

First Call: My mom. She had been watching the entire show online from her home in New Mexico. The first thing she said to me was “you looked beautiful, and I saw John Patrick  Shanley kiss you.” It was so sweet because she isn’t computer savvy so I know it was a big deal for her to watch online. She even live chatted with Aaron and Doug!

Award Means: For me it represents all the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in Balm. The Outstanding Production Award is a crowning achievement at the end of a rewarding and magical experience.

LESLIE KINCAID BURBY – Outstanding Director
The Navigator

First Thought: My first thought was, “No Way!!”. I was so in awe of the many talents nominated that I had completely convinced myself that there was no way I would win the award. I was thrilled!

First Called: I called my sons Henry (15) and Adam (12) as soon as the event was over.  They were super excited and apparently Adam started rolling around on the floor and cheering.  They promised me they would stay up until I got home and we would have a “big party”. However, I did gently tell them they had to go to bed and we’d celebrate the next night, which we did.

Award Means: This award meets a tremendous amount to me. It’s the first time I’ve received a major acknowledgement of my work in the many years I’ve been in the business of theatre.  I know we all need to believe in ourselves, but it can feel pretty lonely sometimes. Being a director sometimes means you have to be the “bad guy”, and shoulder a lot of responsibility whatever problems the production runs into. This can be exhausting and overwhelming.  It is a really lovely vote of confidence to receive this kind of tangible support from one’s  colleagues.   It is helping me recharge my creative batteries already!

DAVID DARROW – Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role
The Revival

First Thought: Woohoo!…oh God, I have to go up there and talk…

First Called:  My girlfriend who was sitting next to me tweeted it before I even got back to my seat…so I didn’t have to call anyone!

Award Means:  It’s the perfect ending to an incredible process. I learned so much working on The Revival. I’m thrilled the show had such an impact on our audiences.

NAT CASSIDY – Outstanding Solo Performance
Things At The Doorstep: An Evening of Horror Based on the Works of H.P. Lovecraft

First Thought: “Dammit. I have no idea what I’m going to s– … wait, are they playing ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ for Solo Performance? That is awesome.”

First Call: Given the speed our damned social media move, I don’t think I actually told ANYBODY. By the time I got back to my seat, I had text messages and Facebook posts galore. Perhaps I’ll open a phonebook at random (they still make those, right?) and call the first number I point to, just so I can have the pleasure of actually telling somebody.

Award Means: It’s a huge, huge honor – and, frankly, I was happy just to be nominated. This was the first solo show I’d ever done and it was a really, really, really weird, challenging, personal show that actually pissed a fair amount of people off (cf., our Village Voice review). But the fact that so many other people came along for the ride and enjoyed it was so incredibly gratifying and amazing, and now to somehow have an award for such a crazy experience is close to absurd (and on my birthday week, no less). So it signifies to me that, no matter how insane they might seem, taking risks is always worth it, and every now and then you might get a 5-pound aluminum something to show for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all who came and voted. (And thanks to all that came and walked out, too – you were actually more of an important element than you could ever have known.)

Plays and Playwrights 2011 Launch Update

We’ve now confirmed all of the artists who will be performing at our Book Launch Event for Plays and Playwrights 2011! As a reminder, the Launch is on Wednesday, June 29th, at Judson Memorial Church. See all details here.

Here’s the updated list of performances:

• Kerry Fitzgibbons, Billy Weimer, and Tiffany May McRae — from Amy E. Witting’s G.I. Joe Jared, Based on One Really Bad Date
• Michael Criscuolo and Synge Maher — from Tim Errickson’s Endless Summer Nights
• Eric Kever Ryle and Casey Burden — from Manuel Igrejas’s Hassan and Sylvia
• Graham Halstead and Suzanne Lenz — from Steve Kaliski’s West Lethargy
• Rebecca White, Anaïs Alexandra, and Jenna Doolittle — from Rebecca Louise Miller’s Fault Lines
• Ryan Stadler, Aaron Rossini, Daina Schatz, Victoria Watson, Ridley Parson, and Laura Schwenninger — from Jason S. Grossman’s Love Me
• Veraalba Santa, David Skeist, Marcos Toledo, Tania Molina, and Jorge Luna  — from Javierantonio Gonzalez’s FLORIDITA, my Love
• Frank Blocker, Briana Davis, Mick Hilgers, Chris Orbach, and Richard Sheinmel — from Richard Sheinmel and Clay Zambo’s Post Modern Living

In addition to all of these amazing actors and all nine of our playwrights, we expect most of the directors of these plays to be in attendance as well. It’s going to quite a party. Please be sure and join us.

Doors open at 7:00pm on Wednesday, June 29. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Book signing to follow. Food and drink will be served! And it’s FREE.

How Do You Take Your Show From a Festival to the Next Level?

There is no silver bullet, obviously; but there are proven techniques and strategies to help artists and producers bring their shows from a festival environment to the next level of production.

I will be moderating a panel on this very topic at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity on Sunday, June 26 from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon at the Robert Moss Theatre (440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor).

Joining me will be four very knowledgeable theatre professionals:

• Jason S. Grossman, a playwright, performer, and producer; his play Love Me was in the 2010 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity and he is now looking at how to move it
• Glory Kadigan, the producing artistic director of Planet Connections
• Michael Roderick of Small Pond Productions
• Katie Rosin, a publicist and marketing professional

We’ll be talking about many paths for your festival production, including re-mounting at a larger scale, publication, and exploiting the press/reviews/publicity you received at the festival for maximum benefit.

I hope you’ll attend if this subject is of interest to you! It is sure to be an interesting and informative session.

There’s info at the Planet Connections website and there’s also a Facebook Event page.

About Those Tony Awards

I watched the Tony Awards last night on TV. And as I did, I found myself really bothered by something happening on the telecast.

But first–I know you are all curious about how I did as an official Tony Pundit for Gold Derby’s awards website. I ended up getting 20 out of 26 predictions correct. I did better than four other pundits (but worse than 10 of them). So, not a terrible showing; and indeed, about what I was expecting!

But here’s what really bothered me about the Tonys: where are the new American plays?

A person watching the awards last night who isn’t very familiar with American drama would have learned in depth about only one new American play — David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, which Best Actress winner Frances McDormand talked so passionately about in her acceptance speech. Alert viewers might have noticed that there’s another new American play on Broadway this season called The Mother with the Hat (that expurgated title makes very little sense, sadly); and they may have somehow realized that Robin Williams’s bushy beard was grown to make him into the title character in (not nominated for Best Play) Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. And if they were really paying attention, they might have noticed the briefest of footage from High, Lombardi, Elling, and A Free Man of Color.

But overall, while the show was busy celebrating a season widely viewed as the best in years, the fuel that drives the American theater–new American plays–was pretty much missing from the mix.

I mean, they didn’t even let us look at the playwrights sitting in the audience when the nominations were read off for Best Play.

Time was, the American theatre was DEFINED by the giants writing original work for it: Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Neil Simon — people like that. But last night’s program didn’t seem to show all that much respect for the craft.

Tony Pundit on the Loose

We’re less than a week away from the Tony Awards, and Tom O’Neil’s annual roundup of Tony Award predictions is now posted on his Gold Derby website:

http://www.goldderby.com/predictions/event/15/tonys-2011.html

Yours truly is among the pundits involved.

Fingers crossed that my most out-on-a-limb prediction — that Arian Moayed will win for his excellent performance in the under-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo — will pan out!

Plays and Playwrights 2011 Launch Event

Please join me and a whole bunch of talented folks for the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of Plays and Playwrights 2011!

Plays and Playwrights 2011 is the newest (and 12th annual) edition of NYTE’s anthology series featuring some of the best new work by NYC’s indie playwrights. I wrote about the book in yesterday’s blog post.

Here are the important details about our Plays and Playwrights 2011 Launch:

DATE: Wednesday, June 29, 2011
TIME: Doors open at 7:00pm; performances begin at 8:00pm
PLACE: Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, with wheelchair access at 243 Thompson Street (Bing Map)
PRICE: FREE!

We are very proud and honored that Judson Memorial Church’s Magic Time is presenting this event.

From 7:00 – 8:00pm, enjoy light refreshments and chat with our nine amazing playwrights and myself. Then, at 8:00pm, we’ll have staged-reading-style performances from all eight of the plays featured in Plays and Playwrights 2011. You’ll have an opportunity to sample all of these very different and wonderful plays in five-minute snippets, performed mostly by members of their original casts!

Scheduled to perform:

• Kerry Fitzgibbons, Billy Weimer, and Tiffany May McRae — from Amy E. Witting’s G.I. Joe Jared, Based on One Really Bad Date
• Michael Criscuolo and Synge Maher — from Tim Errickson’s Endless Summer Nights
• Graham Halstead and Suzanne Lenz — from Steve Kaliski’s West Lethargy
• Rebecca White, Anaïs Alexandra, and Jenna Doolittle — from Rebecca Louise Miller’s Fault Lines
• Ryan Stadler, Aaron Rossini, Daina Schatz, Victoria Watson, Ridley Parson, and Laura Schwenninger — from Jason S. Grossman’s Love Me
• Veraalba Santa, David Skeist, Marcos Toledo, Tania Molina, and Jorge Luna  — from Javierantonio Gonzalez’s FLORIDITA, my Love
• Frank Blocker, Briana Davis, Mick Hilgers, Chris Orbach, and Richard Sheinmel — from Richard Sheinmel and Clay Zambo’s Post Modern Living
• plus actors to be announced — from Manuel Igrejas’s Hassan and Sylvia

Books will be available for sale during the event ($19). After the show, we’ll have a book signing with all of the playwrights — so you’ll have a chance to make your personal copy very special (not to mention eBay-worthy). The evening should conclude by about 10pm.

I promise you a magnificent array of entertainment. There will be comedy, drama, and some music… and great conversation before and after!

So please put the launch on your calendar (Wed, June 29, 7:00pm) right now.

And thanks to our friends at Judson Memorial Church for presenting us!

Announcing Plays and Playwrights 2011

I am very excited to announce that my latest anthology of new work from the world of indie theater, Plays and Playwrights 2011, is now available!

You can buy it online from NYTE’s own bookstore or from Amazon.com. You can also buy a Kindle edition.

Here’s what the cover looks like:

I am just delighted with this book. It’s the twelfth in our series, and the first to be released simultaneously as an ebook and a regular print book.

The Foreword is by Kelly McAllister, a Plays and Playwrights alumnus himself. Here is a bit of what Kelly wrote about the book, and our publishing project:

You have in your hand something rare and wonderful–an intensely magic book of theatrical spells; a collection of recipes for meals of the mind; an unfinished poem on the possibilities of art. You are holding a year’s worth of searching the very best indie theater that New York has to offer, put together by one of the most stalwart and amazing advocates of theatre there has ever been.

Kelly may be overestimating my amazingness, but he’s absolutely got it right about the contents of this volume! Plays and Playwrights 2011 contains eight plays by never-before-published authors. You’ve probably heard of at least a few of them:

• Tim Errickson, for example, is a very well-known director and artistic director of the excellent Boomerang Theatre Company; his first produced play as a playwright, Endless Summer Nights, is in this collection.
• Richard Sheinmel and Clay Zambo have been collaborating on projects in downtown theatre for the better part of a decade; their latest opus, which played last summer at La MaMa, is in this book–a thoughtful play with songs called Post Modern Living.
• Javierantonio Gonzalez has had work featured in FringeNYC and at Teatro IATI, and he’s currently a Van Lier Fellow at Repertorio Espanol. His play FLORIDITA, my Love, is in our book.
• Jason S. Grossman is probably best known as an actor and improv performer; his one-man It’s a Wonderful Life is a perennial holiday-time production, in NYC and elsewhere. His very funny play Love Me, which premiered at last year’s Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, is published here.
• If you’ve been involved in theater since the ’90s, you may know that Manny Igrejas was the publicist for Blue Man Group and Richard Foreman, among others. He’s now focusing on playwriting, and I am thrilled that his insightful dramedy Hassan and Sylvia is in this book.
• Rebecca Louise Miller has worked mostly as an actor during her NYC career, but her first play Fault Lines impressed me so much that it’s part of this volume, too.
• Amy E. Witting has been creating plays for several years, now; this year is an especially busy one as she’s part of the Samuel French Festival and will be taking the play we published, G.I. Joe Jared, Based on One Really Bad Date, to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
• And rounding out our author list this year is the talented Stephen Kaliski, another very young playwright and a recent Brooklyn College MFA. His play West Lethargy was at Edinburgh in 2009 and in FringeNYC in 2010.

You can learn all about the playwrights in our series of cyberinterviews with them. I hope you will take time to get to know all of them, and their plays. They are crackling, smart new voices and I am very proud to be able to introduce them to the greater theater community.

Our launch event for Plays and Playwrights 2011 will be held on June 29; I’ll be posting more details about that very soon!