nytheatre.com’s People of the Year – 2010

Every year at about this time, nytheatre.com announces our list of the 15 people and/or companies who have been particularly noteworthy in making the past year an interesting and exciting one for the NYC indie theater scene. These are theatre artists who have been prolific, versatile, and generous with their talents, and we are happy to celebrate their achievements!

And so, without further ado, in alphabetical order… here are the nytheatre.com People of the Year for 2010:

• Eric Bland
• Matt Brogan
• The Bushwick Starr
• Becky Byers
• Frank Cwiklik
• Kevin R. Free
• David Fuller & Judith Jarosz
• Godlight Theatre Company
• Javierantonio Gonzalez
• David Hilder
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
• Kristin Marting
• Catherine Porter
• Saviana Stanescu
• Kristen Vaughan

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And now, let me tell you a little about each of these remarkable folks!

ERIC BLAND
What he does: Playwright, director, actor; an adventurous theatre poet who speaks with the voice of his generation
What he did in 2010: Emancipatory Politics: A Romantic Tragedy; Jeannine’s Abortion: A Play in One Trimester
What’s coming up in 2011: “Other than rest and refueling, in 2011 I look forward to working with 31 Down on their spring production at the Bushwick Starr and to re-entering the studio with my company, Old Kent Road Theater, to begin creating new works.”
Where you can learn more about Eric: Old Kent Road Theater’s website

MATT BROGAN
What he does: Set designer; a miracle worker who creates stunning worlds for plays on an indie budget
What he did in 2010: Balm in Gilead; Joking Apart
What’s coming up in 2011: “I continue to work full-time as a consultant with Cosler Theatre Design (theatre planning and design).  Currently, I have a small design at The Kraine throughout December, and in 2011 I hope to keep working on 4 or 5 shows a year but, unfortunately, don’t have anything solid lined-up.”
Where you can learn more about Matt: Matt’s website/portfolio

THE BUSHWICK STARR
What they do: Indie theater venue, producer, curator; the next up-and-coming spot for in-the-know indie theater artists and audiences
What they did in 2010: The Ring Cycle: Parts 1 & 2; New Hope City
What’s coming up in 2011: “We start off the year in February  with Tina Satter’s company Half Straddle and their new show,  Football which is a musical depiction of an all female football team.  Then, in April, we’ll show the results of our Big Green Theater program where local kids write plays about environmental issues.  May will bring 31 Down Radio Theater’s meditation on war titled The Wind.  Then The Bushwhack Series in June which will be part of Bushwick Open Studios.  In the fall we’ll show a new piece by Jake Hooker; Reggie Watts and Tommy Smith’s Transition; and bring back our music video puppet festival in December.  Whoo.  It’s going to be a busy year.”
Where you can learn more about The Bushwick Starr: The Bushwick Starr website

BECKY BYERS
What she does: Actor; a startlingly proficient and thrillingly prolific addition to the indie scene
What she did in 2010: Emancipatory Politics: A Romantic Tragedy; The Little One
What’s coming up in 2011: “Upcoming projects include Jack the Ripper’s Holiday Spectacular at the Bowery Poetry Club with Trav S.D., the conclusion of Nosedive Productions’ Starboat at the Vampire Cowboys’ Saloon, and Dog Act with Flux Theatre Ensemble in Feb. ’11.  After being so blessed to have worked with such amazingly talented companies last year, I can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring!”
Where you can learn more about Becky: Interview with Becky on Flux Theatre Ensemble’s blog

FRANK CWIKLIK
What he does: Playwright, director, impresario and auteur; purveyor of pop and low culture as great (though not high) art
What he did in 2010: Plan 9 from Outer Space; The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski
What’s coming up in 2011: “DMTheatrics’ next assault on the delicate sensibilities of innocent and unsuspecting theatergoers includes Bible and Wine, a dance fantasia set to the music of orchestral pop pioneer Eric Matthews, opening at the Kraine in January; and the next American Shakespeare Factory production, The Taming of the Shrew, set in the NASCAR and beer-drinking south, scheduled for May 2011. Also planned for later this year is the tenth anniversary staging of the infamous Bitch Macbeth (which leads into an exciting and interesting three-year play cycle about which, more later); and God’s Comic, a tribute to the work of silent screen comic Harry Langdon. Also, there will be pie.”
Where you can learn more about Frank: DM Theatrics website

KEVIN R. FREE
What he does: Actor, playwright, director; a true Renaissance man of the theatre who had two shows in last summer’s FringeNYC festival
What he did in 2010: A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People; Standing Up: Bathroom Talk & Other Stuff We Learn from Dad
What’s coming up in 2011: “I will continue to use the theatre to explore race, sexuality, and identity. I will continue to record audiobooks. I will audition A LOT. I am writing a short play to be performed a benefit for the Trevor Project. I will do a run in Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind in February. I will complete my educational projects for Queens Theatre in the Park in June. I will direct the summer production at Broadway Training Center in Westchester.”
Where you can learn more about Kevin: Kevin’s website

DAVID FULLER & JUDITH JAROSZ
What they do: Both are accomplished actors, directors, musicians, and producers; they’re also longtime members of the nytheatre.com Reviewing Squad and dedicated servants of the NYC indie theater community
What they did in 2010: Twelfth Night; The Cradle Will Rock
What’s coming up in 2011: David and Judith have just announced the creation of a new theatre company, Theater 2020, Visions for a New Millennium. David says: “Theater 2020 is planning a gala benefit Sunday February 13, 2010 at 3PM at Church of Saint Ann and the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn Heights (corner Montague and Clinton Streets). We also have plans for a Shakespeare production to be produced late spring or early summer.” And Judith adds: “Also, I will be continuing to pursue the completion of the cable show about the arts with Trav S.D.”
How you can learn more about David & Judith: Theater 2020′s official website

GODLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY
What they do: Produce plays; under the leadership of artistic director Joe Tantalo, they bring contemporary drama to life in productions that are always hard-hitting, high-energy, visceral, and unforgettable
What they did in 2010: An Impending Rupture of the Belly; In the Heat of the Night
What’s coming up in 2011: “Next up is Clifford Chase’s Winkie, adapted by Matt Pelfrey and directed by Joe Tantalo. Drama Desk Winner Godlight Theatre Company brings Cliff Chase’s scathingly funny and surprisingly humane novel to 59E59 Theaters, in which the zeitgeist assumes the form of a one-foot-tall ursine Everyman — a mild-mannered teddy bear named Winkie who finds himself on the wrong side of America’s war on terror. But just as he is discovering the joys and wonders of mobility, Winkie gets trapped in the jaws of a society gone rabid with fear and paranoia — and is suddenly surrounded by the FBI, who instantly conclude that he is the evil mastermind behind dozens of terrorist attacks that have been traced to the forest. Terrified and confused, Winkie is brought to trial, where the prosecution attempts to seal the little bear’s fate by interviewing witnesses from the trials of Galileo, Socrates, John Scopes, and Oscar Wilde. Emotionally gripping and intellectually compelling, Winkie exposes the absurdities of our age and explores what it means to be human in an increasingly barbaric world. At 59E59, March 4 – April 10, 2011.”
How you can learn more about Godlight Theatre Company: Godlight’s website

JAVIERANTONIO GONZALEZ
What he does: Director, playwright; a creator with a keen theatrical imagination, bringing contemporary absurdist and bilingual drama to the NYC stage
What he did in 2010: Floridita, My Love; Barceloneta, de Noche (revived in 2010)
What’s coming up in 2011: “My company, CABORCA, will be presenting my play Open up, Hadrian about the gay Roman emperor, and the second part of our devised work-in-progress El correo de la noche.  The Public Theater will be presenting a reading of my play Zoetrope as part of the Spotlight Reading Series and I will be directing a Spanish Golden Age script TBD at Repertorio Español as part of the Van Lier Directing Fellowship.”
How you can learn more about Javierantonio: CABORCA’s website

DAVID HILDER
What he does: Director, playwright, nytheatre.com reviewer; an insightful and intelligent theatre artist with a deft and subtle touch
What he did in 2010: Hassan and Sylvia; Daddy
What’s coming up in 2011: “I will begin 2011 directing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland.  After that, I may be assisting on a new musical off-Broadway; I will certainly keep working on my newest play; and I’m told there will likely be a production of an older play of mine, Bay Orchard High, in Los Angeles.”
How you can learn more about David: David’s website

LA MAMA E.T.C.
What they do: Produce plays; lots of them, with the same sense of affection and respect for artists and audiences and the same sense of joyous adventure that they’ve had since they started when off-off-Broadway was just getting underway
What they did in 2010: America Hurrah Revisited; In Retrospect; Great Jones Variations; and dozens of other shows
What’s coming up in 2011: Mary Fulham, La MaMa’s Managing Director, says: “As La MaMa prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 18, 2011, the excitement for our 49th Bridges Season continues to build with over 50 full productions of new work from local, regional, and international artists. In January 2011, La MaMa teams with Mark Russell and The Public Theater to present shows from Under The Radar Festival, and in March 2011, La MaMa presents Perforations Festival New York with boundary-defying artists from Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. In May 2011, our annual festival of contemporary dance, La MaMa Moves!, leaps onto the scene with new work from over 50 emerging and established choreographers. Next fall, La MaMa turns 50! It’s going to be a world party with distinguished alumni artists such as Patti Smith, Philip Glass, David and Amy Sedaris, Bette Midler, Harvey Fierstein, and Sam Shepard returning to La MaMa to celebrate their first creative home.”
How you can learn more about La MaMa: The official website

KRISTIN MARTING
What she does: Director, playwright, and artistic director of HERE Arts Center, one of indie theater’s most consistently invaluable presenters of quality work
What she did in 2010: Sounding (co-creator); Border Towns, Aunt Leaf (presenter)
What’s coming up in 2011: “Kristin continues to develop Lush Valley,  a live art participatory performance that chases the elusive idea of the American Dream. Created with a diverse ensemble of collaborators, Lush Valley uses dance, music, text, online technologies, and video to explore how the Dream shapes & twists our imaginations.  Lush Valley will have a workshop showing in HERE’s Culturemart January 15 & 16 and premiere at HERE on  September 11, 2011.”
How you can learn more about Kristin: Lush Valley blog; HERE’s website

CATHERINE PORTER
What she does: Actor, co-artistic director of Peculiar Works, development director of Dixon Place; she’s one of the stalwart, dedicated, multi-talented artists who make indie theater as vital and vibrant as it is
What she did in 2010: Wake; Can You Hear Their Voices?
What’s coming up in 2011: “My 2011 plans include performing in Immortal: the Gilgamesh Variations at the Bushwick Starr from January 20-30 (I play Ninsun, the goddess mother of Gilgamesh; Siduri, a barmaid at the end of the world; and various creatures, furniture pieces, etc.), produced by The Forge. Then, in late summer, Peculiar Works Project will be presenting Manna-hata, a site-specific (site tbd), promenade extravaganza about selected moments from 400+ years of NYC history (I’ll be performing in it, and co-producing, of course). And, as always, I’ll be raising money and paying bills for Dixon Place. There are bound to be other performing and producing surprises along the way, but that’s what I know for sure right now!”
How you can learn more about Catherine: Peculiar Works’ website

SAVIANA STANESCU
What she does: Playwright, theatre reviewer and essayist; her unique sensibility as a Romanian emigre who arrived in NYC right before 9/11 permeates all of her remarkable, vivid work
What she did in 2010: Polanski Polanski; Romanian Film Festival; co-curator/presenter at undergroundzero festival
What’s coming up in 2011: “We’ll be doing a full run of Polanski Polanski in the spring – the venue is not clear yet, but we got some financial support and we’ll be doing it for sure, Feb/March. Also it’s pretty clear that we will be touring it to Romania and maybe Poland in the summer. My play Final Countdown / Cuenta Regresiva has a run at Teatro El Milagro in Mexico City and will move in January-March to Teatro La Capilla in Mexico City. I’m in various developmental stages with my plays Bechnya at NYTW (director: Tea Alagic), Useless at the Lark (director: May Adrales), and Ants at EST (director: Daniella Topol). Origin Theatre Company will produce my Lenin’s Shoe in NYC, dates and venue TBD. I’ll be working on the production Los Putrefactos, directed by Tompa Gabor, at National Theatre of Sibiu, Transylvania, at the end of the summer, opening in Oct. The short film The Party, directed by Israeli-American director Dorit Ritter, based on my short play natasha, will be shot in the spring (I co-wrote the script too). Besides NYU, in the spring I’ll be teaching a few playwriting courses at ESPA Primary Stages, including an online one, with a virtual classroom – exciting!”
How you can learn more about Saviana: Saviana’s website

KRISTEN VAUGHAN
What she does: Actor; her consistent excellence virtually guarantees a watchable experience in whatever play she’s cast in
What she did in 2010: Clothes for a Summer Hotel; The Desk Set
What’s coming up in 2011: “Right at the moment I’m taking a bit of a rest. It really has been an incredible year and I need to store up a little for my next role (whatever that may be), so I’m not sure what my plans are for the next year. I can say that I look forward to both being in and going to more of the great work that’s happening in indie theatre.”
How you can learn more about Kristen: Kristen’s website

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Information about previous nytheatre.com People of the Year (2004-9) is here.