Spotlight On...Keira Keeley

Name: Keira Keeley

Hometown: Born in Williamsport, PA but moved around America a lot growing up (Monroe, CT; Buffalo, NY; Phoenix, AZ; Mechanicsburg, PA; Clifton, VA; Elmira, NY; and then lots more moving around as an adult)

Education: BA in Theater & in English from Rollins College (magna cum laude); Actors Theater of Louisville Acting Apprentice.

Favorite Credits: Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches & Part 2: Perestroika (Harper, Signature Theatre); The Glass Menagerie (Laura, Long Wharf, Roundabout, and the Mark Taper, Theater World Award Winner); F2M (Parker, NYSF); Proof (Catherine, MRT)

Why theater?: I wanted to live as many lives as I could, so being in theater allows me to be many people with different jobs, perspectives, and passions.

Tell us about How to Make Friends and Then Kill Them: This is a twisted comedy that follows two sisters (played by me & Katya Campbell) and their friend (played by Jen Ponton) free-falling from childhood through adulthood without any guidance while trying to grow and mature into independent healthy well-adjusted adults, which is basically impossible.  They only have each other, and it’s like the blind leading the blind full of codependency, bullying, manipulation, betrayal, and fatal loyalty.  It’s a really stylized production that clips along at only 90 minutes with lots of laughter and lots of gasps.  I think it’s kind of like riding a wooden rollercoaster.

What is it like being a part of How to Make Friends and Then Kill Them?: Intense!  I feel like an athlete considering how much running and jumping and stage combat I do every night!  Or maybe a warrior!  I love the collaboration and I have a lot of fun performing this role.  This show challenges me, and I like it.  Everyone involved in this production is so smart, creative, and courageous.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?:  Shows that take risks, that are raw, vulnerable, and fierce.  Shows that upon seeing, change the individuals of the audience and how they perceive and interact with the world. People.  Watching people—strangers—go through moments of their day and wondering what their story is.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: I think I’d have a lot of fun playing Puck.  I’d also like a crack at Lady Gertrude or even Hamlet.  And you can sign me up for anything by Beckett.  I also really love New Works—giving a character on a page breath, life, movement for the first time.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Aw jeeze, I see musicals and enjoy them, but I don’t have a lot of showtunes on my iPod—certainly not enough to declare a favorite.  Sorry!

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Quentin Tarantino & Woody Allen.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I bet Juliette Lewis or Parker Posey would do a bang-up job.  I’m the 4th of 5 children, and all our names start with “K,” so maybe “K4” would be a good title.  Sounds like an adventure!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I put recommendations of shows I’ve seen on my public Facebook page; Signature Theater in NYC often delivers.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Marathon watching a TV series—easiest guiltiest way to lose a day.

What’s up next?: I have been cast in a theater production here in NYC immediately following How To Make Friends and Then Kill Them, but it’ll have to stay hush-hush until the official press release.  ☺  Stay tuned on my website www.keirakeeley.com and on my Facebook and Twitter!

Spotlight On...Colleen O'Connor

Name: Colleen O'Connor

Hometown: Frisco, TX

Education: Circle in the Square Theatre School

Favorite Credits: Two Noble Kinsmen (Circle in the Square); Free Delivery (Strange Men and Co.); FRESH PRODUCE'D NYC

Why theater?: I think theatre is one of the most powerful ways to tell a story and inspire conversation. It's a living, breathing art form and being on stage and telling stories is where I breath most clearly.

Tell us about Sexless in the Boroughs?: When I first moved to NYC I started a blog under the same title. The blog served as a kind of coming out for me as an old virgin and an outlet for me to sit down and make sense of my life and experiences. Back in February the idea struck me to turn it into a piece of theatre because I had finally figured out why I was an old virgin and I thought I had a relatable and important story to tell. So I contacted Kyle Metzger and asked him if he would be interested in helping me make it happen. Luckily he was and with his infinite gift of story telling he helped me craft my blog into a show that we are both very proud of.

What inspired you to create Sexless in the Boroughs?: A friend told me that he "doesn't fly Virgin Airlines because there is too much baggage." So I laughed because I mean that's funny and then I started to be overcome by fear of being an old spinster so I decided to just dive head first into the fear and try to figure out my struggles...in front of an audience, naturally.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: This is a tough question for me because I love all types of theatre. In this day and age it's hard for our brains to really engage in a show and not be distracted by our own thoughts but when I experience a piece of theatre that transports me into the world they've created and they allow me to live with them for the night, that's magic. As far as inspiration, well I should just tell you that the word 'inspire' in my absolute favorite word. I think inspiration comes from everyday things and I think the more open we are to being inspired by family, friends, lovers AND strangers, then it will be easier to love each other and understand each other. Does that make sense? Humans inspire me is what I am saying basically. All humans fascinate me.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I am open and always excited to work with anyone with passion but I gotta be honest...if I could work with Mark Rylance...I would probably combust with utter joy.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Absolutely Twelfth Night and Richard III because I think everyone should have experience and privilege of seeing Mark Rylance on stage. He will change your life. Truly.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Well I wrote a play about my life and I am playing myself...so since I am already on the 'ME ME ME' train...can I do it? If not let's give Dame Judy Dench a call. She could be my grandma but I think she would give a good showing...and I think it would be pretty funny to tell people that Dame Judy Dench is playing me. And let's call the movie "Having Sex in the Boroughs."

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Ice cream. No question.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Wishing I was.

What’s up next?: Having sex. Ha. I'm just kidding...or am I?

For more on Sexless in the Boroughs, visit http://www.terranovacollective.org/sexless-in-the-boroughs.html For more on The Glass Eye, visit http://glasseyenyc.wordpress.com

Spotlight On...Michael Rau

Name: Michael Rau

Hometown: Chicago

Education: Wesleyan University, Columbia University MFA Directing Program

Favorite Credits: "Song of a Convalescent Ayn Rand Giving Thanks to the Godhead in the Lydian Mode" at Joe's Pub

Why theater?: Theater is the only art form that uses all the other arts (art, music, literature,) to create events in space and time.

Tell us about David’s RedHaired Death: David's RedHaired Death is an exploration of how a single event can change your life completely.

What inspired you to direct David’s RedHaired Death?: I read the script and I was excited by how open the script would be to a really visual poetic treatment. I'm interested in creating theater that isn't just a replication of reality, but allows a window into another person's experience of the world. We're using 180 degrees of projections and aerialists to find poetic ways to express the language of the text.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm interested in creating experiences, and I'm fascinated by the tension between the utterly fake (theatrical) aspects of theater, and the completely true and (un-fake) aspect of theater. I've been inspired by Anne Bogart, Robert Woodruff, and Dimitris Papaioannou.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Mozart.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: "On the Floor, next to the Trash"--starring The Black Keys

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: the HarmonTown Podcast.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: There is no alternative.

Spotlight On...John Kurzynowski

Name: John Kurzynowski

Hometown: Point Pleasant, NJ

Education: BFA, NYU Tisch, Experimental Theater Wing

Favorite credits: As a director, Jaclyn Backhaus' The Three Seagulls, or MASHAMASHAMASHA! for Theater Reconstruction Ensemble. As an actor, The Really Big Once for Target Margin Theater.

Why theater?: I was bit by the theater bug at an early age. I'm from Jersey, so growing up my parents would bring me to every Broadway play or musical, and I always knew that I wanted to be a part of that world. It wasn't until college that I discovered the experimental and downtown theater scene, and the rest is history. I finally felt like I had found a community where my particular and strange artistic voice would be heard and supported, which ultimately led to the formation of Theater Reconstruction Ensemble.

Tell us about Salesmen?: Salesmen is the exploration of American realism as seen through the lens of memory and masculinity. TRE has spent this past season trying to better understand realism and that era in American drama (specifically the 1930s - 50s) and how it relates to us as a contemporary ensemble of artists. Our first production, Jaclyn Backhaus' Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play, charted that exploration through the use of a script written in the style of that era and our relationship to the process of telling a particular story. Salesmen is a devised piece that strays away from a narrative structure and instead charts our exploration of realism as though through memory and time itself, which are both more abstract and unreliable than plot and story. Being created and presented by a group of eight men, it also taps into the inherent masculinity of that era and our contemporary notions of masculinity in theater.

What inspired you to create Salesmen?: I have always loved the plays of the 40s and 50s, and have been fascinated by that era in theater. But the style of that period, particularly the Method, has always been a mystery to me. I studied it in college and it seems to come up over and over again, but I've always felt like it and I are just cut from two separate cloths. So naturally I wanted to better understand why I had never related to it and how it could be confronted in a new way. Essentially, I wanted to learn more about why I simultaneously love and reject that style and share that process with our audience.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love any kind of theater that somehow reinvents or reinterprets our established notions of right and wrong, and is essentially wholly true to itself. I'm a huge fan of established companies and artists like Target Margin Theater, Elevator Repair Service, The Talking Band, David Greenspan, and Ivo van Hove, but I'm also constantly falling in love with new companies and artists like Tugboat Collective, Fresh Ground Pepper, and Kristine Haruna Lee.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Taylor Mac! Hands down!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812! If you haven't seen it yet, you must this fall/winter! It's one of the most beautiful shows I've ever seen!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I had to ask around a bit, but the general consensus is Jay Baruchel, which I personally find flattering. As far as the title goes, maybe something like "We Could Talk About Theater, or Not Talk About Theater: The John Kurzynowski Story (Brought To You By Lifetime)".

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Netflix. By far. It's starting to control my life a bit...

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I think I'd be working in the design field - graphic design or interior design.

What’s up next?: I'll be acting in The Talking Band's episodic puppet piece The Golden Toad, and directing TRE's latest work-in-development You On The Moors Now, by Jaclyn Backhaus and the company.

Spotlight On...Hunter Canning

Name: Hunter Canning

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Education: BFA from the SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory

Select Credits: War Horse (Joey as a foal, Lincoln Center); The Late Christopher Bean (Warren Creamer, TACT); Doctor Faustus (Robin, The Brick, directed by John Kurzynowski)

Why theater?: It's collaborative, demanding, energizing, thrilling, down-right terrifying at times, painful, full of hope and there's nothing else like it in my life.

Tell us about Salesmen: Salesmen is a dreamlike exploration into questions about masculinity and the genre of American Realism. As an audience member you may not always know exactly what's going on but it'll feel oddly familiar. It's like a splatter painting, shapes take form and stories present themselves. As creators, we know what's going on under each moment but it'll be up to the audience to decide what the piece is about.

What is it like being a part of Salesmen?: It's pretty trippy. A lot of the process was about trying to remember a faded, distant memory and then recreate the memory of remembering... the memory. As heady as it sounds, it often materialized in movement sequences which later became meticulous blocking we filled with story and subtext. The process of Salesmen reminds me of what I'm told about Williams S. Burroughs when he was writing Naked Lunch. He would cut up his pages into stripes and rearrange the text to create a lucid, liquid experience. The effect feels a bit like déjà vu.
Working on Salesmen is also just a ton of fun. The cast is a blast, each of the guys bring a completely different perspective to the room.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: At the risk of sounding cheesy, artists that put their heart on the line. People want to look cool all the time and you know what? Cool is boring. I also draw a lot of inspiration from photography, Robert Frank being one of my favorites.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.  When I was in high school that play changed my entire outlook on theater. I have a while though before I'll get a stab at it.

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Unworthy Of Your Love" from Assassins

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: William H. Macy, it's on my bucket list to play his son.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Kurzynowski and I have joked that my movie would be called "From The Brick to Broadway and back to The Brick". My friends have said that Shawn Ashmore is my Hollywood doppelganger.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I just saw Natural Affection starring the wonderful Kathryn Erbe. John Pankow as the troubled neighbor is doing heartbreakingly beautiful work.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I love the TV show "Castle" starring Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic. Apparently the main demographic for that show is middle aged women but I think it's fantastic. The entire cast is stellar, it's sweet, funny and gives you everything you'd want in under an hour.

What’s up next?: I'm filming a web series called Whatever this is. from the creative team who made The Outs.  Our next public screening will be hosted by The Paley Center as apart of PaleyFest: Made in New York on October 5th. There will be a cast/crew panel moderated by the wonderful John Cameron Mitchell. Episode 4 premiers October 28th at Sanos down on White Street.

Spotlight On...Eddie Prunoske

Name: Eddie Prunoske

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Education: SUNY Purchase

Favorite Credits: A party/production of Three Sisters in my loft apartment a few years back.

Why theater?: I love the idea of a bunch of strangers in a room sharing the same experience together.  Making and seeing theater, you’re allowed (and it is a necessity) to be vulnerable and messy and scared and excited with a group of people you might not know.  I don’t think that is so acceptable many other places.

Tell us about feeling.?: feeling. Is about a young college professor whose boyfriend of 9 years abruptly leaves the relationship.  She begins to hallucinate a friendship with deceased serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to help her navigate through her grief and loneliness.

What inspired you to direct feeling.?: I love the play, I love Paul’s point of view, and I was lucky enough to have him let me direct it.  It straddles the line between beauty and ugliness, and takes big risks.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that straddles the line between beauty and ugliness, and takes big risks.  I like theater that strives to commune with its audience.  My inspiration comes mostly from the people I’m working with on any particular production.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I’d love to AD for Ivo Van Hove and David Cromer.  There’s about a million actors I’d give an organ to get to collaborate with.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: It’s been running for a couple of years, but I’m still reeling from Sleep No More.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I’d like to be played by Patricia Clarkson, and would trust her to choose the title.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Nachos and The Real Housewives franchise.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Well-rested, less neurotic, wandering aimlessly.

What’s up next?: Lots of sleep, replenishing my bank account, and figuring out what’s next.

Spotlight On...Diana Beshara

Name: Diana Beshara

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL

Education: BA in Theater from Northwestern University

Select Credits: Cowboy Mouth (One Old Crow), Love Letter You've Been Meaning To Write New York (3LD), The Bacchae (NU)

Why theater?: You know that electricity that finds a way to magically jump from heartbeat to heartbeat, suddenly and undeniably uniting an entire room of people that may have nothing more in common than being a human being currently breathing? For that. In no other space have I so viscerally felt magic happen. And had hope for the future. It's such an old and important ritual, to us as a species, watching and sharing as someone tells a story. There's power in that.

Tell us about David’s RedHaired Death: David's RedHaired Death is the beautiful, complicated story of two redheads who find they have everything in common until the death of a brother drives them apart. The redhaired mythology that empowers and glorifies these women leads them into a big love they can't safely get back out of. It's a story about the heaviness of the things we carry. Our version incorporates aerial silks, 3 walls of immersive projections and video that encompasses the audience, and a food and drink menu in collaboration with the restaurant Cantina Royal. Plus, the ticket includes a beer!

What made you want to produce Davi'd RedHaired Death: A friend, who is now co-producing the show, Elizabeth Simmons, was the one who brought the show to me. At first, it seemed like a logical next step from my company's first production, a site specific version of Sam Shepard's Cowboy Mouth in an apartment in the Lower East Side. That was a two person show, this is a two person show plus some silent presences. That was a one act, this is a full length. Neither seem so concerned with things like plot, on the surface, and leave a lot of open space for interpretation, which I love in a piece. Slowly but surely getting a little bigger, you know? When you are a small new company that has no idea where the money will come from next, these are viable concerns. Plus the language is so beautiful and poetic, I just wanted to chew on it. We started talking logistics, and it just was rolling right along. But then. Then, my father died. And her aunt died. Within four days of each other. This is a show about grief and loss. It seemed too hot to even think about, so  the project went on hold, and I went into mourning. But the more and more I held, the more and more I told myself I couldn't possibly do this show, the more and more obsessed I became with it. I really believe that things come into your life for a reason. "There are no coincidences," as Jean says in the play, and this show needed me to deal with it right at this time.  So, it actually has a beautiful and tragic symmetry to it. My father is the person who inspired me to believe that I could even do something as crazy as make my own work. I never would have started a company if he hadn't given me the idea and pushed me to make it a reality. The last thing he would have wanted is for me to stop doing what I love because of him. So in the end, I'm doing this show for him, in his honor. And I just hope I can do a little bit of justice to all the faith he had in me.
 
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like theater that surprises you. I like not knowing what to expect, but then when you see it, it feels inevitable, like it couldn't have been any other way. But really, anything true speaks to me and touches me. I'm laughably sensitive, and could go "American Beauty" crazy over a plastic bag, if it feels true. I can't tell you how many beautiful moments that bring me to tears in commute. I love being in New York. This city inspires me!

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Queen Margaret in the first Tetralogy (the entire cycle, all in a row, if possible), and Vanda in Venus in Furs

What’s your favorite showtune?: I don't listen to them so often, but the other day I randomly came across Sondheim's "Being Alive on an old iPod that I thought was broken but came back to life. It gave me chills.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I have the biggest crush on Julie Taymor. I think she would be at the top of my list. But really so many people. I just want to work with everyone. Working on something is my favorite part, I always want to be working on something.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I feel like Lizzie Kaplan would get me. I have no idea what it would be called, and I hate these questions. I thought briefly of asking my friends, but I'm a little afraid of what they might come up with!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: It's not playing anymore, but I told everyone I know to go see Young Jean Lee's We're Gonna Die at LCT3 this summer. It was so honest and vulnerable, and I felt honored to have seen and shared with her that experience.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Philly Cheesesteaks. Everyone is always so grossed out, but whenever I pass a Papaya Dog, or Gray's Papaya, I have an (almost) uncontrollable urge to eat one.

What’s up next?: Well, we've got David's RedHaired Death running until Nov 10th at LA SALA @ Cantina Royal in Williamsburg. And after that, I have this idea for a solo performance based on this memoir I found about this 19 year old Midwestern girl that self published her journal and basically manifested her own fabulous (and then sad) destiny that I really want to focus on developing. That will be a really new direction for me, and I'm excited!

Spotlight On...Anthony Michael Martinez

Name: Anthony Michael Martinez

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Education: BA in Theatre and Mass Media Studies (Florida State University). 

Select Credits: Romeo and Juliet (Prince Escalus, Classic Stage Company); I’ll Be Damned (Joey, Vineyard Theatre); Cymbeline (Iachimo/The Queen, THEATREWORKS, Colorado Springs); Romeo and Juliet (Tybalt/Paris, Shakespeare Thaetre of NJ) and The Comedy of Errors (Balthasar/Antipholi Swing, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ); Restoration Comedy (The Flea Theatre); Floyd Collins (Skeets Miller, Kentucky Repertory Theatre); International: As You Like It  (Orlando, Hyde Park, UK).

Why theater?: John Douglas Thompson says it best: Theatre “helps me connect to my better angels,” so I can communicate big ideas. If I reach one audience member on a personal level, I have done my job.

Tell us about Romeo and Juliet: Our production is aesthetically simple yet dimensionally rich in its storytelling. Also, the theatre is intimate which makes the play engaging to audiences. The show is much richer than just the love story; it really embraces the darker themes of prejudice and violence. Our Romeo and Juliet sheds light on who is responsible for the tragedy at the center of the play. 

What is it like being a part of Romeo and Juliet?: It’s serendipitous; the play speaks to me on a very deep level. It’s an empowering piece that is still relevant today; political and social upheaval pervades not only our culture, but the rest of the world. It seems we are always witness to the violence that results from personal and political differences. It is fulfilling to play the Prince, who is desperate to restore peace. I also couldn’t ask to work with a more talented, dedicated cast and company. It is a dream come true.

What kind of theatre speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am incredibly moved by Shakespeare's plays and classical theatre. But overall, I love plays with big ideas that expose what is ugly and what is real about the human condition. Plays like Long Days Journey Into Night, All My Sons, The Glass Menagerie, and, of course, Romeo and Juliet, where the characters are confused, broken, and at the height of war with themselves and each other. Artists, from Stella Adler to William Shakespeare, who settle for nothing less than the EXTRAordinary. It’s inspiring to watch and work with artists who are fully dedicated to their craft and always strive to elevate their work to a new level.

Any roles you're dying to play?: Romeo; Chris in Miller’s All My Sons; John in Cock; Edmund in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Lady Macbeth- yep. 

What’s your favorite showtune?: A tie between “96,000” from In The Heights and “I’m Here” from The Color Purple.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: David Tennant. He is fascinating and brilliant, especially when performing Shakespeare. His Romeo, his Benedick, his Hamlet: all captivating.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: 
Let’s say Zachary Quinto meets Andrew Garfield meets David Tennant and with their three powers combined the film is called “In The Vortex” or “Chaturanga Dandasana.”  

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Romeo & Juliet at Classic Stage Company, Julius Caesar at St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Glass Menagerie on Broadway

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I’m Cuban Puerto Rican Italian. So, I’m down for some Arroz Con Pollo with a side of pasteles and perhaps some lasagna, too.

What’s up next?: Auditions, agent meetings, and I’m also in the process of creating a cartoon series.

Spotlight On...Anna Van Valin

Name: Anna Van Valin

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Education: BFA from NYU, MFA from Brown U./Trinity Rep

Select Credits: The Degradation Play (Rising Phoenix Rep), Throat (Primary Stages), Created Equal (Red Fern Theater), Bloody Mary, Little Miracles, and Agamemnon (New York Madness), The Dickening (MITF), Blithe Spirit (Trinity Rep Co.), Henry V (Rites and Reasons).

Why theater?: Oh, honey I could write a book. I could write ten. It all boils down to empathy. Theater creates empathy, which is the key to any kind of progress or understanding on this planet.  It's easy to hate or dismiss people if you have no experience with them. You can see the lack of empathy from everyday discrimination to politicians passing devastating laws because THOSE people just SHOULDN'T be like that. Theater, more than any other art form, allows us to be part of stories and lives we never would be otherwise. Even in movies or TV there's a distance, a separation; but a piece of theater is a live event, and the audience is its witness. Watching human beings go through something real in the same space with you, in the same moment, even if the circumstances are imaginary, changes you. As Atticus Finch said: "You can't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes." Actors walk those miles and miles, and we bring the audience with us.

Tell us about Othello: This is a beautiful, badass production. Obviously it's an exquisite play to start with, but Shakes Exchange and Cristina Lundy have created a show that's so in tune with what we are going through as a country and a city that it's downright chilling. In our world Othello is a police captain; we wanted to explore how race and power play out in our most immediate form of protection.  With things like "Stop and Frisk" and the Trayvon Martin murder so fresh in our collective unconscious, this context shows the kind of inner conflict that can come from a man running an organization that reinforces the prejudices he has to fight every day. On top of that, it's a world of crushing sexism: women are dismissed as "whores" throughout, and it ends with two women being brutally murdered by their husbands for stepping out of line. Since the play is very old and familiar, it's way too easy for us to say "That was then" - but think of how often we call women "sluts" to shut them down, how often we read about women murdered by their partners and think nothing of it. Iago is the villain in this play, but Othello isn't blameless: even if Desdemona had cheated on him it still wouldn't have been ok to kill her. What I love about this production is that it puts into focus the fact that if you are a woman or a black man your body is public property.  A cop can shoot a black man and face no consequences. A group of men can rape a woman and never see the inside of a jail cell. And even if they do, the damage is done. Every little derogatory comment or experience of personal prejudice may not seem like a big deal individually, but they are a constant reminder that we are not physically safe. The cumulative effect of these little wounds takes its toll, and as Othello and Desdemona find out, leaves us vulnerable to all kinds of paranoia.

What is it like being a part of Othello?: It's wonderfully intense. I've been mostly doing new plays and on-camera work for the last couple of years, so getting to work on this complex, luscious language feels so luxurious - and is amazingly challenging. Shakespeare did not mess around. This show is about everything that gets us riled up: racism, infidelity, slut-shaming, violence against women, etc. Emotions run high and we all know we have a responsibility to give these topics the respect and weight they deserve. Now that we're about to open and we've hit our groove, we're beginning to relax, have fun, trust the work we've done and, above all, take care of each other. In the end, every piece is an ensemble piece.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Anything that reminds me that I don't know everything. I want to be challenged, shown something in a new way, asked a question I don't know the answer to, put in a situation that has no easy way out. I loved Alan Cumming's Macbeth because it took a play I know very well and showed it to me in a way that was totally unfamiliar. I love modern TV characters like Dexter Morgan, Carrie Mattheson, and Walter White (may he rest in peace!) that are too complex to put in any one box. I'm also so so so inspired by other actors. I would watch Mark Rylance or Cherry Jones move furniture. Seriously.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten. It's the one role I know I'll be devastated if I never get to play. In grad school I worked on monologues and scenes from it, and did a big chunk of Josie for my 3rd year recital. So even if I never get to play her all at once, I'll at least get to play her cumulatively!

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Cool" from West Side Story. Come on, that's perfection.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Judith Light. She's one of my actor heroes. I met her once and cried all over her. She was nice about it.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Chloe Sevigny, since people mistake me for her all the time. It would definitely have "blonde" in the title.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Besides Othello? Book of Mormon. I know that's old news, but it's just the best thing ever.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Binging on TV and terrible food that I'll only eat alone. I seriously don't understand why there is any food other than deep dish pizza and brownies. The writing and acting on TV is so much better than in movies these days, and Netflix and Hulu are wonderful fodder for my obsessive personality. So now you all know what I'll be doing the week after Othello closes!

What’s up next?: I'm the Head of the New York Madness Acting Company and our fourth season's just getting started. I've also started teaching a workshop for actors called "Keep Going" that reconciles the barriers that keep us from self-promotion with the tools we need to do it effectively.

For more on Othello, visit http://www.shakespeareexchange.org/ and http://shakespeareexchange.tumblr.com/

Spotlight On...Elizabeth Simmons

Name: Elizabeth Simmons

Hometown: Hagerstown, MD

Education: Point Park University, Conservatory of the Performing Arts, City College of New York, Master's Candidate, Educational Theatre

Select Credits: GoodbadUgly (Players Theatre); Hysteria (Rep Stage); Brighton Beach Memoirs (Broward Stage Door); Table Manners (Garage Theatre Group); Boston Marriage (Actors Theatre of Washington)

Why theater?: Doing theatre makes me feel more satisfied and powerful than anything else.

Tell us about David’s RedHaired Death: In our rehearsals we asked ourselves the question, what is this play about? Is it about two redheads, loss, grief, regret? With our director, Michael Rau, we focused in on grief, and the process of it. Jean and Marilyn each mourn for something in the play, in their own way. And they're each vulnerable in their own way.

What made you want to produce this show: David's RedHaired Death has been in the back of my mind for eight years since I first heard of it in Washington DC. The actress in the original cast, Jennifer Mendenhall was in the same community as me and I admire her work very much. You don't see many two women shows at all, especially ones with such depth of language and also elements like non-linear time. It really had something mysterious and special that spoke to me. When I met Diana Beshara, my co-star and co-producer, I knew she was someone I would make good theatre with. We both suffered a tragedy around Christmas, my Aunt died suddenly and I was left with the idea of this script and producing it. To be actually doing it now is such a surprise and an honor.

What kind of theater speaks to inspires you as an artist?: Oh my gosh, so much. I've always been drawn to contemporary theatre and new works, although I started out in musical theatre. I am a singer as well; if a company could find the same truths that I see in a well done straight play, I would be auditioning for every show! Classic American theatre excites me too because of the historical aspect and the language.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Stella in Streetcar Named Desire. And a newer one, the title role in Becky Shaw.

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Send in the Clowns" when Bernadette sings it.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I admire the Women's Project here in NYC. I would be such an honor to work with them as an actor.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Julia Stiles in "Bravely Onward", or Drew Barrymore in "Foot in Mouth", I can't decide!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Well, these e-cigarettes we've been using for the show are pretty good all of a sudden!

What’s up next?: I'm graduating with my Masters in the Spring, and am partnering with the Center for Arts Education and the Brooklyn Academy of Music as a Teaching Artist. I also hope to do another show at one of my favorite theaters in NYC, New Jersey, Florida, or Washington DC.

Review: Basement Party!

What happens in the basement stays in the basement. That was the common theme in Lesser America’s newest compilation of shorts, Just Right Just Now. The hot young theater company brought together short plays written by Clare Barron, Eric Dufault, Anna Kerrigan, Lauren Morelli, Marco Ramirez, and Brian Watkins and threw them in the brilliantly transformed basement theater space at Theater for the New City. Perhaps these six pieces were dramaturgically more connected than merely taking place in a basement. Each play had an element of surprise, a secret, within whether it is the characters or the location itself.
From secret affairs to secret fetishes, from creepy crawlies to ghostly inhabitants, from damaged pasts to broken futures, the basement saw it all. It’s hard to pin point if there was a “best” play on the docket, but two standouts included Eric Dufault’s eerie All the Pretty Creatures in Heaven and Earth, about a basement mortician, a necrophiliac, and a corpse, and Brian Watkin’s ghost story of the haunted basement Study That House. Each added elements of suspense and mystery in different ways, showcasing directors Peter James Cook and Stella Powell-Jones respectively. But of all the plays, Chicken Butt by Clare Barron may have been the one that missed the mark set by the high standard of the night.

photo credit: Stacey Abeles

To showcase the six stellar playwrights, were six equally stellar actors, each shining at least once. Lauren Blumenfeld embodies the loveable quirkiness of now. Shayna Small's subtle empowerment was captivating. Alex Herrald was transformative in his drastically various roles. Jon Bass’s comic timing, in both dramatic and comedic situations, was spot on. Laura Ramadei’s naturalness radiates. Eric Clem is hypnotic in his storytelling.
The overall design was outstanding. For those who know the space will be amazed at the transformation Edward T. Morris gave to the theater. It looked as if Lesser America commandeered someone’s actual basement. Janie Bullard’s soundscape, both within the scenes and during transitions, worked seamlessly into the various worlds. Co lighting designers Eric Southern and Barbara Samuels pinpointed locations flawlessly, offering separation and variety.
In the end, Just Right Just Now should probably not be missed. Lesser America has knocked it out of the park.

Spotlight On...David Harrell

Name: David Harrell

Hometown: Brunswick, GA

Education: B.F.A University of Southern Mississippi, M.F.A. University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Favorite Credits: Handicapped People in Their Formal Attire (Actors' Studio & Premiere Stages), The Merchant of Venice, Good Beer (TBTB), The GIMP Project: IF (La Mama), Richard III (NY Classical Theatre), The Comedy of Errors (NC Shakespeare Festival), Julius Caesar (GA Shakespeare Festival), Tobacco Road (Triad Stage), Ruffian on the Stair (PushPush Theatre)

Why theater?: Quite honestly because of a girl named Julie Fender.  In high school I had a huge crush on her and one day in the library she told me she saw a flyer for auditions for the new drama club and she thought I should do it.  I thought, awesome, I'll audition and Julie Fender will go out with me.  I auditioned and was cast in the play The Butler Did It and fell in love, not with Julie Fender but with the theater.  It's what I've been doing ever since.

Tell us about A Little Potato and Hard to Peel and The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook?: A Little Potato and Hard to Peel is an autobiographical solo play about my life growing up.  I was born without my right hand and the play is about my journey to define "normal".  The title comes from a story my grandfather used to tell me about his little league baseball team.  He said they were called the Little Potatoes and Hard to Peel because they were smaller than the other kids and maybe not as talented but they always played with their hearts.  So no matter if they won or lost, they never got down because on the inside they were tough, and hard to peel.  He died when I was 12 so I grew up thinking this was a true story, as I became an adult I realized it was a metaphor for life.  We can choose to not let circumstances, no matter what they are, peel away the core of our humanity. The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook is an adaptation of my story that I created for younger audiences.  A Little Potato and Hard to Peel is certainly a family show but I wanted to create something that explored the joy of play and my journey to fit in as a kid.  The play is still an autobiographical piece but revolves around my inability to be included on the playground at school until the game becomes PETER PAN.  I am perfect for Captain Hook because of the prosthetic hook I wore as a child.  At first it is fantastic to be included but I grow tired of always being Captain Hook, I wanted to be a hero.  So the story is my journey finding the hero within and teaching the other kids that you can be a hero even if you don't look like everybody else.

What inspired you to create A Little Potato and Hard to Peel and The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook?: I worked for a children's theatre in Columbus, OH right after undergrad.  It was my first time out of the South and I would tell these stories about my family and my crazy one-handed adventures.  The artistic director told me I should use these stories and create a show about my life.  I walked around for like four years telling anybody who would listen that I had this great idea for a show.  One night I was back home visiting and went to dinner with a high school friend whom I of course had a big crush on.  I told her about my idea for a show and she told me that she had thought I was always so confident in high school and she believed that if she could have only had blonde hair she would be pretty.  I was stunned, she was so pretty but it made me realize that lots of us feel like we are missing something and I think that made me want to create a show with my specific journey and hopefully it would have a universal resonance.


What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I enjoy theatre that is fierce and real.  I am inspired when I see truth on stage and love the actors who make it look easy. 

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Philip Seymour Hoffman


What show have you recommended to your friends?: Recently recommended Don Juan in Hell at the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble to friends.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would really like another performer with a disability play to me but since there are not many one-handed actors, I will say Ralph Macchio and the movie would be called "The Greatest Nub of All"


What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Gummy Bears.


If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I have no idea, maybe a high school football coach or a gummy bears salesman.


What’s up next?: I am working with my good friend Shannon DeVido to make a play we did this summer, Good Beer by Sam Hunter, into a film. I am bringing A Little Potato and Hard to Peel down to North Carolina with the Paper Lantern Theatre Company in April and have several school performances of both shows throughout the fall and winter.

For more on A Little Potato and Hard to Peel and The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook, visit http://www.afofest.org/shows/a-little-potato-hard-to-peel/ and http://www.afofest.org/the-boy-who-would-be-captain-hook/

Review: I Was a Drama Club Diva

Think your high school drama club had, well, drama-filled personalities? I can tell ya they had nothing on Desmond Channing, the fictional (let's hope he's only a creation) title character in the wonderfully funny solo play Diva by Sean Patrick Monahan. The story follows the final performance of the teenage club president who is about to get the chair. The electric chair that is. What would lead a kid to get executed? Well Desmond's got a song and dance prepared that will wow you!
Desmond is experiencing a downward spiral after he learns that not only is the drama club losing their funding for the year but he will be forced to spend his senior year performing the public domain's Pirates of Penzance. Could it get any worse? Sure it can! A ringer, a new kid in school who happened to be on Broadway at age 9, will be playing the romantic lead opposite the girl Desmond "likes." Desmond goes forth on a revenge journey only Shakespeare could conjure up that ultimately leads to his demise.
Monahan plays Desmond with a hilarious flair. He makes the closet case a stereotype that is over the top in all the right ways. He shows his range as a performer with his supporting players, that includes the old-timey drama teacher, the hot shot new kid, and the sidekick stage manager. Monahan has created a cast of characters that builds a world of nostalgia for the audience. We may not know Desmond Channing (who's name must be no accident) but we knew many kids like him. He has devised a world that is flashy, breaking out into song mid monologue, that works wonders for the conceit of the show. With the support of director James Presson, the flow of the piece is consistent and paced beautifully. 
Solo shows can be tough, but Sean Patrick Monahan didn’t seem to break a sweat. Both Monahan and his story are engaging, offering a wonderful night at the theater. There are only two more chances to see Diva, but I have a feeling there will be many more post festival.