July 28, 2010
In Plays and Playwrights 2008 we published Daniel Talbott’s play, What Happened When. In the same book we published two other plays directed by Daniel. These two plays are site specific.
Crystal Skillman’s, The Telling Trilogy, was specifically written and directed to be produced at Seventh Street Small Stage — a long room behind a bar/restaurant. The audience sits around the side of the room with the action going on next to them, around them and in front of them.
Daniel Reitz’s, Fall Forward, was originally staged at a Methodist Church just a few blocks from the World Trade Center. Here the audience congregates in the courtyard joined by one of the actors. They are then led into the church, seated on benches and the action takes place in the pews facing them.
Both of these are examples of many of the innovative site specific productions that Daniel stages and directs. And this summer he is teaching a class at Primary Stages’ Einhorn School of Performing Arts to a group of young directors. Wanting to learn more about the class, the topic and what these directors think about the process, we invited Daniel to record a podcast with six of his students. Tune in – it’s a chance to listen to the teacher and the students, all with slightly different thoughts.
And Daniel is also directing a new show Keep Your Baggage With You (At All Times) as part of the Dream Works Festival. It begins performances August 6.
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July 20, 2010
Six plays have been chosen as the winning scripts from the 35th Annual Samuel French, Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival The
scripts will be published as a collection and licensed by Samuel
French, Inc., available for sale later this fall/winter. We are thrilled to find that two of the winners are playwrights whose earlier work is published by NYTE Small Press.
WHITE EMBERS by Saviana Stanescu (’06) – East confronts West in this thriller about international adoptions and how they can impact a
child’s life.
DANCE LESSONS by Josh Koenigsberg (’10) — diner employees Sue and Norm get ready for another dreary day of dreary work in a dreary world — until Norm reveals that he’s secretly been taking dance lessons.
Watch for this new publication and congrats to all the winners.
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July 20, 2010
For the 7th year, the NYIT awards will be presented to honor members of the indie theater community. Congratulations to all the nominees. Here’s an extra hurrah for NYTE Small Press alumni playwrights whose work is being recognized.
- Kirk Wood Bromley (Playing With Canons, Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium – the ebook) — his play Remission is nominated for Outstanding Performance Art Production and Dan Berkey for Best Solo Performer
- Joshua Conkle (’10) — his play MilkMilkLemonade garnered nominations for Michael Cyril Creighton (best actor in a featured role), Jess Barbagallo, Jennifer Harder, and Nikole Beckwith (best actress in a featured role)
- James Comtois (’07) for outstanding full length original script Infectious Opportunity; ditto to Ashlin Halfnight (’07) for Balaton; ditto again to Crystal Skillman (’08) for The Vigil or the Guided Cradle.
Winners will be announced September 20. Great job done by all the nominees.
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June 30, 2010
This year we thought we would record podcasts with the authors from Plays and Playwrights 2010 a bit differently than in the past. We felt it might be a good idea to talk with them as they had something new on the horizon. We hope, and it often does happen, that our playwrights get to work together but this year two of our authors, also excellent actors, auditioned for the same role and ended up sharing the stage in the upcoming Henry VI, Part 3.
When Martin (editor of our books and moderator of many of the podcasts) found out about this he immediately invited them both to talk about their experiences as actors and about their plays which are published in this year’s anthology.
Jerrod Bogard is the author of Spin Cycle and he shares with listeners how this collection of one-acts came together as an evening of theatre. He further explains how it is different from most such collections in that it has a through line which joins them together making five short plays feel like one play in five acts. You really get an appreciation of the process that goes into making a great production. And Jerrod is a delight to listen to.
Nat Cassidy describes his play, Any Day Now as a normal three act family drama — except that Dad’s a zombie. His thoughts on why he wrote this and the various pop culture influences (and non-influences) are all part of the process of a talented and intelligent author. And Nat has that wonderful combination of charm and friendly good nature.
Check out this new podcast and learn a bit more about Plays and Playwrights 2010 and this new production of Henry VI Part 3.
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June 8, 2010
August brings the whirlwind that is the New York International Fringe Festival with its 197 productions in a period of just over two weeks. It’s the most exciting, looked forward to event of the summer. And it gets better each year. The choices are varied and exciting. Of course, nytheatre.com will help guide you by publishing the previews written by the participants. And we’ll have lots more online as we get closer to the opening.
I thought I would give you a bit of advance notice as to the playwrights we have published here at NYTE Small Press who will have new plays produced in the festival. Make a note, so you can try to see some of their newer work come August.
Chad Beckim (his play ‘nami is published in Plays and Playwrights 2007) will be represented twice. Look for Cookie and A Matter of Choice.
Boo Killebrew (her play They’re Just Like Us is also in 2007) is part of the ensemble theatre company, Collaboration Town, and their new piece, for which she is part of the writing team is called The Momentum.
Arlene Hutton (her short play Faerie Tale is included in Plays and Playwrights 2001 as part of Washington Square Dreams) will have a new play to check out entitled Running.
Leslie Bramm who wrote the Foreword to our latest anthology and whose play, Marvelous Shrine, we published in Plays and Playwrights 2008 will be at the festival with his work, Venus and Mona.
Stan Richardson whose play Another Brief Encounter we also published in PP ’07 will present Veritas and you can listen to him talk about this play with his director Ryan Davis on a recent nytheatrecast episode.
That’s a whole bunch to look forward to. Hope you’ll be able to catch some or all in August.
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May 18, 2010
The Obies were given out last night and I am delighted to say several of our playwrights were recognized. So very exciting for all and congratulations to all.
Informally structured, with no strict categories, The Village Voice OBIE Awards honor excellence in off-/off-off-Broadway theater. Unlike most other entertainment awards, The Village Voice OBIE Awards publish no nominations. In the conviction that creativity is not competitive, the judges may give multiple OBIEs in any category, or even invent new categories, to reward exceptional artistic merit.
Taylor Mac received a Special Citation for his extraordinary work, The Lily’s Revenge. NYTE Small Press published Taylor’s earlier play, Red Tide Blooming in Plays and Playwrights 2007. A well deserved award.
Two of our playwrights joined forces to be part of Three Pianos, also awarded a Special Citation. Rick Burkhardt and Alec Duffy and Dave Malloy were noted for this most interesting work produced at the Ontological. You will get a chance to see the piece at the New York Theatre Workshop next year. Rick’s unique, original one act, Conversation Storm, is published in Plays and Playwrights 2009. Alec’s The Top Ten People of the Millennium Sing Their Favorite Schubert Leider is a delightful piece which was published in Plays and Playwrights 2006.
An Obie Grant was awarded to Vampire Cowboys. This is the talented company who bring us so many fight spectaculars. It’s run by Qui Nguyen & Robert Ross Parker. One of their earlier pieces, Vampire Cowboy Trilogy, is published in Plays and Playwrights 2005.
NYTE Small Press is so very proud of our playwrights’ achievements and the fact that they have been noted with these awards. Read their plays, see the newer work they produce. I am sure you will enjoy.
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May 14, 2010
Josh Fox (PP06) and his company, International Wow May 6-23 at the Ohio –
RECONSTRUCTION memorializes the OHIO Theater’s pending closure in August. The production focuses on the foreclosure crisis in both the housing and cultural spheres. The production highlights the debacle facing the OHIO Theater and many of New York’s most valued cultural institutions, featuring scene after scene of foreclosure, including one where a theater company, performing the Cherry Orchard is kicked out of it’s theatrical home.
Eric Bland (PP09) and his company Old Kent Road Theater at Bushwick Star May 13-22 –
Our 22 minute piece is a ‘contemporary ecstasy’ called ‘Are We Bourgeois, Mon Amour (A Psycho’s Analysis).’ I call our piece a ‘contemporary ecstasy’ because that is what we are after—the nodes of despair and apotheosis within the ways we live today as New Yorkers. We hope to use the comedies of desire, philosophy, and physicality to discuss and dispel the notion that our age is post-ideological, post-historical, post-vital.
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May 12, 2010
Just posted the final interview by the authors of the plays in Plays and Playwrights 2010. There are 10 great reads — Martin sure asked interesting questions.
These interviews add great insight. You really feel as though you have had a chance to get to know each of them.
Read the interviews to find out which one of the authors worked with Joe Chaikin; who won a NYIT award last season; and whose piece doesn’t take place in a theatre?
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April 29, 2010
Daniel Talbott (PP’08) will be teaching at Primary Stages Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) this summer. He tells us he will be teaching a site-specific directing class and also a “facing the blank page” playwriting class.
ESPA will offer new classes in filmmaking, improvisation, voiceover, yoga and pilates for actors, and special guest instructors Neil LaBute and Keira Naughton join returning faculty members Karen Braga, Mark Blum, Denny Dillon and Linda & David Laundra.
Acting, writing and directing students work closely with one another and with theater professionals. This unique platform provides students the ability to build strong relationships among each other, within the New York theater community, and beyond.
Each semester culminates with the ESPA Student Playwrights Festival, a two-week invited reading series of student playwrights’ work, presented by student actors. Students also enjoy extensive opportunities such as “Jam Sessions,” in which students are provided space to workshop new material, theater tickets, work-study, and access to the inner workings of a professional, off-Broadway theater company.
Information is available by contacting Director of ESPA Tessa LaNeve at (212) 840-9705 x212, via email at tessa@primarystages.org, or by visiting the Primary Stages ESPA website.
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April 21, 2010
Just in from Daniel Talbott (PP’08):
Slipping at Buffalo United Artists - April 16th – May 8th
http://www.buffalobua.org/on_stage.html
Directed by Chris Kelly
So, if you live or happen to be up in the Buffalo area, don’t miss this. It had a run in the city and was very well received.
And from Neal Utterback (PP05):
FILAMENT THEATRE CO. presents the LOS ANGELES PREMIERE of “second” written by Neal Utterback – directed by Joe LaRue – produced by Celeste Den. OPENING MAY 6, 2010General admission $20. Tickets available at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/107001
or make a reservation by calling 213-373-1367
May 6th-29th, every Thur-Sat and Weds May 19th & 26th
It’s so great to know this play will be getting a viewing on the west coast. Don’t wait, get your tickets now if you are in the LA area.
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