These are from the Sunday 2PM matinee on the last day of performance. The performances are mostly solid (though there's some "rule-breaking" on the Mot Juste piece - an actress making extra sounds). The usual caveats about video'd live performance - though I boosted the sound, it's slightly blurry at points. And the video can get blocky or fuzzy.
But it's cool nonetheless. Have a look!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bobjudeferrante
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Great night
Saturday May 3 was a fantastic performance of the show (called Sweet Cantatas). We had a big turnout for Brat (almost 100 people, I know, nothing for NYC but a lot for up there). And they were enthusiastic, laughing, clapping. Great support, great turnout, great night.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Rehearsals
What have I gotten into? Originally I booked the NEYT theatre space with the intention of presenting an evening of my own work. Sort of an intro to the work to my hometown. Seemed like a nice thing to do.
Between the date the show was booked and the date it was to go up, I began a project with NEYT called the Performance Writers Lab. It's similar to the labwork I've already talked about here, done in Brattleboro not NYC, that's really the only difference. Otherwise the usual drill - a chance to foment new projects, hear new work, give writers a chance to bring in fresh pages and hear them for their music; chance for performers to practice their cold reading chops and maybe, just maybe get a line on a new part in a new project. And of course, all done at no charge to anyone, and with respect for the playwright and performer always paramount.
Then figured, well, jeez, since I have this project date all set up, why not make it about the lab work, rather than just an evening of my work. So it went from doing a full-length of mine to doing shorts (again, with the shorts) of my own and the work of other writers.
Then I had trouble getting a director who'd do the project so decided to direct the pieces.
So here I am now, in typical all-hectic mode, scheduling, directing, and even performing in several short pieces. All going up May 1-4 here in Brattleboro.
Hooboy.
Between the date the show was booked and the date it was to go up, I began a project with NEYT called the Performance Writers Lab. It's similar to the labwork I've already talked about here, done in Brattleboro not NYC, that's really the only difference. Otherwise the usual drill - a chance to foment new projects, hear new work, give writers a chance to bring in fresh pages and hear them for their music; chance for performers to practice their cold reading chops and maybe, just maybe get a line on a new part in a new project. And of course, all done at no charge to anyone, and with respect for the playwright and performer always paramount.
Then figured, well, jeez, since I have this project date all set up, why not make it about the lab work, rather than just an evening of my work. So it went from doing a full-length of mine to doing shorts (again, with the shorts) of my own and the work of other writers.
Then I had trouble getting a director who'd do the project so decided to direct the pieces.
So here I am now, in typical all-hectic mode, scheduling, directing, and even performing in several short pieces. All going up May 1-4 here in Brattleboro.
Hooboy.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
There are at Least 1001 Reasons to See Jason Grote's 1001
Jason Grote's 1001 is flat-out the best thing I've seen so far in 2007. And I've seen a lot. You must put down that graphic novel immediately and rush out to see it.
Why am I gushing like this? For starters it's huge. The character list includes a one-eyed Arab, a Jewish/Palestinian couple, Scheherezade, Dunsiad, Shariyah and the king's Vizier, Gustave Flaubert and Jorge Luis Borges (now how many times can you say you saw a play that featured a blind Argentinian writer?). Due to the amazing Krazy Glue of Jason's eclecticism, and the whole-cloth, filled with Unity direction of Ethan McSweeny, the entire thing not only holds together but seemingly expands, giving you plenty of space in which to contemplate the generous helping of ideas, symbols, comedy and pathos. Though the play runs only 110 minutes it feels as if an entire world is contained within.
Despite a cast of only 6, its character list positively sprawls; but due to McSweeny's deft direction and the cast's terrific chops (and faster than light costume changes), it doesn't feel at all tight. The logistics of the production alone are worth watching, because the cast and technical crew pull off all the pyrotechnics - from places to moves to props - without a hitch.
One aspect of the show that's not going to get a lot of attention but in this case definitely deserves it is the music. True to Jason's 21st-century tastes, I can honestly say this is one play with a killer soundtrack. From dance-electronica to various forms of Arabic rhythms from the parodic to the sublime, suffused with subtle rock, this is an iPod of a show.
Rachel Hauck's production design is top-notch and thoughtful. A series of colored lines on the floor guide you to your section, and once you spy the mise - a bombed and blasted NYC streetscape in Arena, with two-deep audience seating, you know you're in good hands. Tyler Micoleau's lighting is comprehensive to say the least. The backstage geek in me stopped counting at a 120 cues.
Page 73 Productions has stood behind this play all through its creation, from Jason's initial drafts to the masterful concoction that's now playing in Gramercy. They are to be commended for their support and patience, as works this ambitious can take years - in this case nearly 3 - to come to fruition.
So how to sum up? The nice couple from Jersey sitting next to me asked me, "what's the play about?" I'd seen previous readings and hesitated, then blurted out - "it's about how our lives are wrapped in stories, and how our lives wrap themselves around stories. It's about the oldest story, the largest, about the tellers of stories, about their stories."
1001 closes in only two short weeks (Nov 17) though the director said they might get a 1-week extension. The house is small. So you better get off your bum, get out there and catch it. It's at the Baruch Performing Arts Center/Nagelberg Theater on E25 between Lex and Third.
PS: Variety's Mark Blankenship's given Jason's play a rave as well; have a look:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935269.html?categoryid=33&cs=1
Why am I gushing like this? For starters it's huge. The character list includes a one-eyed Arab, a Jewish/Palestinian couple, Scheherezade, Dunsiad, Shariyah and the king's Vizier, Gustave Flaubert and Jorge Luis Borges (now how many times can you say you saw a play that featured a blind Argentinian writer?). Due to the amazing Krazy Glue of Jason's eclecticism, and the whole-cloth, filled with Unity direction of Ethan McSweeny, the entire thing not only holds together but seemingly expands, giving you plenty of space in which to contemplate the generous helping of ideas, symbols, comedy and pathos. Though the play runs only 110 minutes it feels as if an entire world is contained within.
Despite a cast of only 6, its character list positively sprawls; but due to McSweeny's deft direction and the cast's terrific chops (and faster than light costume changes), it doesn't feel at all tight. The logistics of the production alone are worth watching, because the cast and technical crew pull off all the pyrotechnics - from places to moves to props - without a hitch.
One aspect of the show that's not going to get a lot of attention but in this case definitely deserves it is the music. True to Jason's 21st-century tastes, I can honestly say this is one play with a killer soundtrack. From dance-electronica to various forms of Arabic rhythms from the parodic to the sublime, suffused with subtle rock, this is an iPod of a show.
Rachel Hauck's production design is top-notch and thoughtful. A series of colored lines on the floor guide you to your section, and once you spy the mise - a bombed and blasted NYC streetscape in Arena, with two-deep audience seating, you know you're in good hands. Tyler Micoleau's lighting is comprehensive to say the least. The backstage geek in me stopped counting at a 120 cues.
Page 73 Productions has stood behind this play all through its creation, from Jason's initial drafts to the masterful concoction that's now playing in Gramercy. They are to be commended for their support and patience, as works this ambitious can take years - in this case nearly 3 - to come to fruition.
So how to sum up? The nice couple from Jersey sitting next to me asked me, "what's the play about?" I'd seen previous readings and hesitated, then blurted out - "it's about how our lives are wrapped in stories, and how our lives wrap themselves around stories. It's about the oldest story, the largest, about the tellers of stories, about their stories."
1001 closes in only two short weeks (Nov 17) though the director said they might get a 1-week extension. The house is small. So you better get off your bum, get out there and catch it. It's at the Baruch Performing Arts Center/Nagelberg Theater on E25 between Lex and Third.
PS: Variety's Mark Blankenship's given Jason's play a rave as well; have a look:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935269.html?categoryid=33&cs=1
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Being out of it
Some artists never go through the periods known as "out of it." Those with the courage or the ability to go it alone can usually do it. Some are born with a silver spoon and that's how they manage. Others meet someone who's amazingly supportive. If you have none of those things, whether by choice, marrying for love or whatnot, you invariably end up spending large amounts of your time doing work that runs... let's say... counter to your bliss.
So in case you're wondering why I haven't blogged since last July, and why all that seems to come from me right now is static, that's why. There is some writing going on, but not the kind that cranks out large works quickly. No, it's been short plays when and if. That and course outlines for a school at which I've done work, etc.
Somehow it all feels like stalling. You say to yourself, it's just a matter of time before the waves of chaos recede and you can go back to it.
So in case you're wondering why I haven't blogged since last July, and why all that seems to come from me right now is static, that's why. There is some writing going on, but not the kind that cranks out large works quickly. No, it's been short plays when and if. That and course outlines for a school at which I've done work, etc.
Somehow it all feels like stalling. You say to yourself, it's just a matter of time before the waves of chaos recede and you can go back to it.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Houses, Openings and Closings
Vocabularian Car Crash...
My house in Brooklyn has been sold and the sale is closing this coming Monday. At the same time I'm obsessed with houses and openings with Sanctuary. And of course two shows are closing in the coming weeks. It's all just conflated.
Talked to old friend - not that either of us is old mind you - Jane Scarpantoni, rock and roll and newjazz cellist. We talked about the tension between the public parts of our careers, in both cases we enable others but less so ourselves - she doing string arrangements for other musicians' albums, in mine productions of other playwrights' plays - and our inner desires to see our own work done and promulgated.
One wishes all could happen for all... but at some point one must push all others away and begin to realize the work that breathes within our own souls.
On the train I wrote, finally, a page of pretty good dialogue and realized... I can still do this.
This year I'm going to get an entry out to New Dramatists. And to see some more of my work produced both by me and by others. That's got to remain a promise and be realized as one kept. Otherwise I'm just cheating.
There's a safety in enabling others to get their work up... then I don't have to deal with the possibility of failure in my own work... of mistakes made, or proving I'm a fool making bad choices. I can work with Sanctuary and pick great plays and make them happen in front of audiences, and the Times can come out and love them, as they did with Adam's play. But if I'm not taking the chances with my own work, investing the time to write them, and the heartbreak that inevitably falls from actual productions of the work, then what sort of playwright can I call myself? Love others, yes, but love onesself too. And self-love means seeing work completed, and produced.
So what's there to complete? Well, since The New Life, and the short Flick See Gears in the Sparklight, I've laid back in the safe zone of creating snippets of work, a character drawing there, a page of dialogue here, and not completed anything of substance. This cheat must stop. I must dedicate real time in each day to completing writing and real additional time in communicating that writing to real theaters who might produce it, and to garnering support and resources around myself as a playwright. To do these things will give me the ability to once again call myself a playwright.
My house in Brooklyn has been sold and the sale is closing this coming Monday. At the same time I'm obsessed with houses and openings with Sanctuary. And of course two shows are closing in the coming weeks. It's all just conflated.
Talked to old friend - not that either of us is old mind you - Jane Scarpantoni, rock and roll and newjazz cellist. We talked about the tension between the public parts of our careers, in both cases we enable others but less so ourselves - she doing string arrangements for other musicians' albums, in mine productions of other playwrights' plays - and our inner desires to see our own work done and promulgated.
One wishes all could happen for all... but at some point one must push all others away and begin to realize the work that breathes within our own souls.
On the train I wrote, finally, a page of pretty good dialogue and realized... I can still do this.
This year I'm going to get an entry out to New Dramatists. And to see some more of my work produced both by me and by others. That's got to remain a promise and be realized as one kept. Otherwise I'm just cheating.
There's a safety in enabling others to get their work up... then I don't have to deal with the possibility of failure in my own work... of mistakes made, or proving I'm a fool making bad choices. I can work with Sanctuary and pick great plays and make them happen in front of audiences, and the Times can come out and love them, as they did with Adam's play. But if I'm not taking the chances with my own work, investing the time to write them, and the heartbreak that inevitably falls from actual productions of the work, then what sort of playwright can I call myself? Love others, yes, but love onesself too. And self-love means seeing work completed, and produced.
So what's there to complete? Well, since The New Life, and the short Flick See Gears in the Sparklight, I've laid back in the safe zone of creating snippets of work, a character drawing there, a page of dialogue here, and not completed anything of substance. This cheat must stop. I must dedicate real time in each day to completing writing and real additional time in communicating that writing to real theaters who might produce it, and to garnering support and resources around myself as a playwright. To do these things will give me the ability to once again call myself a playwright.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
More good stuff
NYTheatre.com gave Food for Fish a great review too...
We're very lucky here... to have this piece by wonderful Adam Szymkowicz, and the work of Alexis Poledouris and the cast, at this moment.
And crowds of folks - folks we mostly don't even know - are coming out to see it and laughing and saying great things about it and telling their friends. And putting up with the lousy AC in the theater and still keeping up good spirits and still laughing and clapping at the end.
On a personal note... the house closing is now on schedule and the buyer is a nice lady who told my son (very sad about the sale of his childhood home) that he could come visit anytime. Gabe has sworn that he will grow up and become rich and buy the house back. Heh.
There's a lot of stuff here all about love - defined as the moments between people where they wish each other well and strive to do the right thing by each other - and of course, all this amazing, beautiful luck.
Sure, working your ass off for 20 years and saving and paying bills and helping other artists and hoping it all works out in the end, all the promises you make being kept, etc... that's probably part of the basis. Having a dream of making something that helps a lot of people, and that brings some more great beauty into the world, a world crying out for some beauty, is part of it. And focusing strong and relentless energy and concentrating all your positive thoughts on the outcome and being organized and cooperative and friendly is part of it.
There are probably 3 or 4 plays in all this complexity. Funny plays and sad plays. When all this slows down, and there's time to reflect, some wisdom will trickle out of all these experiences... many painful, many almost unbearably achy, and some humiliating and embarrassing. And these will be the basis of, one hopes, some kind of art. That speaks some truth to people. That communicates the value of hard, positive, focused work and good intentions and good plans.
The time to reflect on all this is coming. That reflection will bring about those many plays. And now we have a machine that can bring those plays to people. Now we need to gather about us all the support we need to make this happen. It must happen.
We're very lucky here... to have this piece by wonderful Adam Szymkowicz, and the work of Alexis Poledouris and the cast, at this moment.
And crowds of folks - folks we mostly don't even know - are coming out to see it and laughing and saying great things about it and telling their friends. And putting up with the lousy AC in the theater and still keeping up good spirits and still laughing and clapping at the end.
On a personal note... the house closing is now on schedule and the buyer is a nice lady who told my son (very sad about the sale of his childhood home) that he could come visit anytime. Gabe has sworn that he will grow up and become rich and buy the house back. Heh.
There's a lot of stuff here all about love - defined as the moments between people where they wish each other well and strive to do the right thing by each other - and of course, all this amazing, beautiful luck.
Sure, working your ass off for 20 years and saving and paying bills and helping other artists and hoping it all works out in the end, all the promises you make being kept, etc... that's probably part of the basis. Having a dream of making something that helps a lot of people, and that brings some more great beauty into the world, a world crying out for some beauty, is part of it. And focusing strong and relentless energy and concentrating all your positive thoughts on the outcome and being organized and cooperative and friendly is part of it.
There are probably 3 or 4 plays in all this complexity. Funny plays and sad plays. When all this slows down, and there's time to reflect, some wisdom will trickle out of all these experiences... many painful, many almost unbearably achy, and some humiliating and embarrassing. And these will be the basis of, one hopes, some kind of art. That speaks some truth to people. That communicates the value of hard, positive, focused work and good intentions and good plans.
The time to reflect on all this is coming. That reflection will bring about those many plays. And now we have a machine that can bring those plays to people. Now we need to gather about us all the support we need to make this happen. It must happen.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The NY Times
Bless you Anita Gates for your review of Food for Fish... it feels great... though... wellll... really all this stuff is really ephemeral, I mean what is the point of anything... "press..." whatever. Still a moment, to breathe and feel maybe something was accomplished... ahhh....
Still we need to sell a bunch of tickets to this thing to keep us out of the poorhouse. Oy. I can complain multi-culturally.
Though it never made the NY Times, in the Daily News the Caption read: "Save the life of my child."
Dunno whar that crap comes from... the sump of the unconscious prob.
My dad, ever the guy from the previous generation, but kind, says blow up the NY Times article and laminate it and post it in the lobby. As if there were room in the Kraine lobby for it. I think we should, make us feel like NY Theatre Workshop or whatever.
Still we need to sell a bunch of tickets to this thing to keep us out of the poorhouse. Oy. I can complain multi-culturally.
Though it never made the NY Times, in the Daily News the Caption read: "Save the life of my child."
Dunno whar that crap comes from... the sump of the unconscious prob.
My dad, ever the guy from the previous generation, but kind, says blow up the NY Times article and laminate it and post it in the lobby. As if there were room in the Kraine lobby for it. I think we should, make us feel like NY Theatre Workshop or whatever.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Too much-a
It's-a whadda you say, you know?
A combination of multiple stimuli (stimuluses) has lately been conspiring (if stimuli can conspire) to reduce me to a bundle of over-stressed threads. Self almost completely obfuscated behind said bundle. What threads? Thread: Apartment hunting. Yech. After all the house is closing (hope) in a matter of 2 weeks. Must be done, however who EVER wants to move to a new home? Even a snakepit is better than moving. Moving out of this gorgeous Victorian, though, now that's hard. Thread: Starting the BratFlix festival. That seems to be getting off the ground well. Thread: Managing the Hooker-Dunham and keeping the bills paid. Thread: Writing the prospectus for Susan/Taj's opera. That's yet more stuff to do. Thread: Doing the dayjob dance. That's... well... it just is. Thread: Producing Adam's play (to open July 6 at the Kraine). That's going well. Think. Thread: Getting Larry's piece up to the H-D. Thread: getting workshop pieces up there for retreat work (have heard from many playwrights and each needs care and feeding to get their projects up there).
Yet all is not lost. Morgan Faust, a filmmaker from Brattleboro, has proven amazingly organized and resourceful in helping get the BratFlix festival off the group. The Wonderful Alexis Poledouris the director (bless her soul) and B. Carter Edwards (stage manager) have found us a likely assistant - after my own efforts to find one (on top of all else I hadda do) proved useless.
Yet, dealing with that, I have this messed up kneejerk reaction. It's like 25 years ago when I was doing the EST thing, and had to "sell" workshops, and did OK but was still 1 short for a goal, and a friend brought me a sale. I didn't know how to deal with that. How do you respond when someone is just being really nice to you and doing you a huge thing like that? God. What kinda person are you? Do you feel OK when someone gives you something you need... or do you have that flash like me, where you think, "why am I such a leech?" When you're not really... you're just a nice person and people want to help you.
Where does that crap come from? Having trouble accepting help from others? Inherited from weird parents, or what? Point is, it IS there. Guess the main challenge then with that is to learn to accept the favor anyway.
A combination of multiple stimuli (stimuluses) has lately been conspiring (if stimuli can conspire) to reduce me to a bundle of over-stressed threads. Self almost completely obfuscated behind said bundle. What threads? Thread: Apartment hunting. Yech. After all the house is closing (hope) in a matter of 2 weeks. Must be done, however who EVER wants to move to a new home? Even a snakepit is better than moving. Moving out of this gorgeous Victorian, though, now that's hard. Thread: Starting the BratFlix festival. That seems to be getting off the ground well. Thread: Managing the Hooker-Dunham and keeping the bills paid. Thread: Writing the prospectus for Susan/Taj's opera. That's yet more stuff to do. Thread: Doing the dayjob dance. That's... well... it just is. Thread: Producing Adam's play (to open July 6 at the Kraine). That's going well. Think. Thread: Getting Larry's piece up to the H-D. Thread: getting workshop pieces up there for retreat work (have heard from many playwrights and each needs care and feeding to get their projects up there).
Yet all is not lost. Morgan Faust, a filmmaker from Brattleboro, has proven amazingly organized and resourceful in helping get the BratFlix festival off the group. The Wonderful Alexis Poledouris the director (bless her soul) and B. Carter Edwards (stage manager) have found us a likely assistant - after my own efforts to find one (on top of all else I hadda do) proved useless.
Yet, dealing with that, I have this messed up kneejerk reaction. It's like 25 years ago when I was doing the EST thing, and had to "sell" workshops, and did OK but was still 1 short for a goal, and a friend brought me a sale. I didn't know how to deal with that. How do you respond when someone is just being really nice to you and doing you a huge thing like that? God. What kinda person are you? Do you feel OK when someone gives you something you need... or do you have that flash like me, where you think, "why am I such a leech?" When you're not really... you're just a nice person and people want to help you.
Where does that crap come from? Having trouble accepting help from others? Inherited from weird parents, or what? Point is, it IS there. Guess the main challenge then with that is to learn to accept the favor anyway.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
...Tra : Art...
Gallery opening tonight for friend Susan Yankowitz's husband's poetry magazine Parnassus at Heidi Cho Gallery. Saw two photos there, wished to buy but didn't buy. Yoy... no money.
Adam Szymkowicz's play coming along the home stretch to production in surges, froths... lots of energy there. New draft came out. Still things to do... however it's coming along fantastically.
You'll be there, won't you? July 6 we open at the Kraine, 85 E 4th, we run 4 weeks mostly Th/Fr/Sat. Cheeeeap tickets... $15. This play is the fuckin funniest thing I've seen in a loooong while, friends, and I read a lot of scripts. End of self-plug.
Have a play opening in Romania about now, however communications are fuzzy. They were supposed to send a check, haven't seen the check... time to fly to Bucharest and COLLECT, man. I got a flurry of emails from them, then promises of payment. No, they didn't ask for my bank account information. Well, they did actually. But I didn't give it to them. Maybe they were really from Nigeria? Heh. My luck, prob-a-ly.
These are the times I wish I still took drugs.
It's not too late.
Actually there's info about it here and I'm listed right next to a production of Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis. Auspicious company.
Now where are those drugs?
Adam Szymkowicz's play coming along the home stretch to production in surges, froths... lots of energy there. New draft came out. Still things to do... however it's coming along fantastically.
You'll be there, won't you? July 6 we open at the Kraine, 85 E 4th, we run 4 weeks mostly Th/Fr/Sat. Cheeeeap tickets... $15. This play is the fuckin funniest thing I've seen in a loooong while, friends, and I read a lot of scripts. End of self-plug.
Have a play opening in Romania about now, however communications are fuzzy. They were supposed to send a check, haven't seen the check... time to fly to Bucharest and COLLECT, man. I got a flurry of emails from them, then promises of payment. No, they didn't ask for my bank account information. Well, they did actually. But I didn't give it to them. Maybe they were really from Nigeria? Heh. My luck, prob-a-ly.
These are the times I wish I still took drugs.
It's not too late.
Actually there's info about it here and I'm listed right next to a production of Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis. Auspicious company.
Now where are those drugs?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)