Spotlight On...Jake Lasser

Name: Jake Lasser

Hometown: Cortlandt Manor, NY

Education: B.A. Columbia University (class of 2012)

Select Credits: Theater in Asylum's ¡Olé! (NYC, US Tour, and Prague International Fringe Festival), Marc Arthur's Mascot, Dara Malina's Lilith,  Equus (Columbia School of the Arts)

Why theater?: Come on, let's start with a difficult question! (Kidding.) Theater for so many reasons, the least of which is that theatre making is the hardest thing I know how to do, which in some twisted, New York artist universe makes it my favorite thing to do. Less selfishly, theatre for its potency as a social and political force, for the way it demands more of artists and audiences. Theatre for its unparalleled aesthetic complexity as an art form that includes all other artistic media. Theatre because it is inherently populist and unendingly collaborative, and because it gave me the excuse to be an expert on horse-grooming last month in Equus and on life as a Czar's son in late 19th century Russia this month.

Tell us about Vera; or, The Nihilists: What a strange old play! It has Oscar Wilde's scarcely beatable wit mixed with this young, radical political energy that feels just as necessary today as I imagine it did in the late 1800s. You can dig into it and excavate tangled webs of complex political philosophy (it was written at the end of a very exciting century of philosophical writings and political happenings in Europe) or simply one coy, silly, cheeky joke after another.

What is it like being a part of Vera; or, The Nihilists?: Awesome. I'm going to have amazingly toned abs from all the uncontrollable laughing. It is an absurdly hilarious rehearsal room full of absurdly talented people.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm crazy about theatre that pushes the form and f***s things up. I'm really interested in the American theatrical dependence on linear narrative and how American artists can successfully upend that. I'm also attracted to successful models of intense collaboration and devised work. I love Jan Fabre, the TEAM, the Rude Mechs...that said, I'm also a sucker for a good gut-renovation of a good old play. Ivo von Hove and Michael Thalheimer are two geniuses at that game.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: This is a tough one. Definitely Treplev in The Seagull (Chekhov). Also Katurian in The Pillowman (Martin McDonaugh). The title role in Baal (Brecht). The Fever (Wallace Shawn). And then my alternate-universe Ethyl Eichelberger self has always wanted to play Medea, Klytaemnestra--all those magnificent murderous mamas.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Maybe "Salomon Song" from Threepenny Opera or "Moments in the Woods" from Into the Woods...which seem like polar opposites, now that I think about it! And lately I've been listening to Dave Malloy's Great Comet on repeat--I just got the recording and am certifiably fixated.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Pretty much the same names I said inspire me--Ivo von Hove, Jan Fabre, Ariane Mnouchkine, the TEAM, the Rude Mechs. Oh, and Elizabeth Marvel, just to watch her work.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: “I Broke My Finger Acting” or “I Ripped My Pants Acting” or “I Wonder How I Got these Bruises...Probably Acting” starring...Diane Keaton and Woody Allen's nonexistent hippie lovechild?

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I've been in rehearsal so much lately that I haven't been doing much recommending. The last show I saw that I would recommend was Robert Wilson's Life and Death of Marina Abramovic.

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Sawdust and Diamonds" by Joanna Newsom. I used to listen to it every night before bed.

Spotlight On...Jenny Seastone Stern

Name: Jenny Seastone Stern

Hometown: New York City

Education: I went to LaGuardia HS of Music and Art and Performing Arts before receiving my BFA from NYU at Playwrights Horizons and The Experimental Theatre Wing.

Select Credits: North Atlantic (The Wooster Group), Grimly Handsome (Julia Jarcho; OBIE Award for Best American Play, 2013), Stay (Rattlestick), Gin Baby (KidBrooklyn), Our Planet (Japan Society), A (Extremely Condensed and Expanded), Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, (after David Foster Wallace) (Daniel Fish), Blood Play (The Debate Society), Dreamless Land (New York City Players), American Treasure (13P), The Bereaved (Partial Comfort), P.S. Jones and the Frozen City (TerraNOVA), Goldor $ Mythyka (New Georges), Vendetta Chrome (Clubbed Thumb), Devil Land (SPF), Dawn (The Flea), Purity (PS122). Selected Film: "The Girl From Monday" (Hal Hartley), "Meanwhile" (Hal Hartley) and "Planet Earth: Dreams" (DJ Mendel).  TV: "Over/Under". Member: Partial Comfort Productions. Affiliated artist of New Georges. Founder of the performance series Catch.

Why theater?: Theatre is an attempt to understand the human condition. It's an experience with other people­–an event that is shared­–a conversation with an audience.  The writer, director, designers, producers, the stage manager and the actors all give their hearts. In turn, the audience opens theirs to receive­ as both a witness and a participant. It’s an exchange of imagination. Theatre is human. And as a performer theatre affords me the opportunity to better understand my humanity–to dig into myself and be my both more than and also my full and best self.

Tell us about The Gin Baby: From the IRT website: "No longer able to self-medicate with alcohol and in a desperate search for escape, a young woman finds herself standing on the edge of the 1 subway platform. She faces the train as it roars into the station, and then faces the consequences as she commits herself to a psych ward in one last attempt to commit to herself." I play the Amelia's roommate in the psychiatric ward, Ellen, who is dealing with a lot. She goes on a big journey in the play. I don't want to say much more about it.

What is it like being a part of The Gin Baby?: There are such incredible artists working on this brutally honest piece, which is written by the talented and fearless Sarah Shaefer. I perform on stage mostly with Lesley Shires. It's pretty magical to breathe with her and discover the world of the play together every performance. Our director, Daniel Talbott, asks us to uncover new things each night. So the show always ends up a little different. This really forces us to live in the characters–to explore our relationship to each other in a fresh way every time we step on stage. Daniel has given us so much. He also allows us so much freedom; demands it actually. His ideas about theatre–what theatre means–are quite powerful. It’s truly a gift to work with him. He’s an inspiration. I’m in awe of all of the other performers in the show as well. Lesley Shires, Shyko Amos, Jelena Stupljanin, Maxwell J. Hamilton and Chris Stack. I’m honored to be able to watch them perform and to share the stage with them. Everyone in the company is giving their hearts, full force.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: New Theatre. Theatre that pushes boundaries either in form or content. I’m interested in examining the human condition. Of being let in to private worlds. I believe in bravery, truth, and the discovery and exploration of humanity, as well as the exploration of what it means to do theatre as a medium. My favorite visual artists right now are William Kentridge and Brent Green. I'm really excited to see the Art Speigelman exhibit when I have a chance. I like to read poetry. I have a number of favorite theatre artists. And I often feel inspired when I'm on the Q train crossing the Manhattan Bridge.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Saint Joan. I'm sure there are a million that haven't been written yet; that I don't yet know; that I'm dying to play.

What’s your favorite showtune?: I'm not well versed in the musical theatre genre. I feel unqualified to answer this question. 

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Robert Wilson.  There are really so many people that I cannot wait to work with.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: This question is too existential for me to answer right now.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Right now I can't see anything because of my schedule, but if I could, I would see Grounded, which P73 is producing, Actress Fury at the Bushwick Starr. I can't wait to see Thomas Bradshaw's Intimacy at The New Group. The Wooster Group is doing Troilus and Cressida, which I am looking forward to. I would also love to see Animals at Dixon Place and Tyson vs. Ali at PS122.  There's so much right now!

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Papa Was A Rodeo" by the Magnetic Fields and "Angel From Montgomery" by John Prine are on my iphone backstage.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Homeland. I'm on Season 2 right now.

What’s up next?: Fault Line Theatre's production of The Faire written by Crystal Finn and directed by Aaron Rossini.  It goes up at the 4th Street Theatre on February 7th.

Spotlight On...Maxwell Hamilton

Name: Maxwell Hamilton

Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA

Education: BA in Theater, Global Studies Minor from UCLA

Select Credits: Slipping (Rattlestick West); Mike and Seth (Encore Theater, Piece by Piece Productions)

Why theater?: Because its limitless! There are no rules! There is no endpoint, there is no final product, it keeps evolving and fluctuating, as we in our everyday lives continue to evolve and fluctuate. Even once performances begin, there’s still so much to discover! It’s never going to be perfect, and I think that’s the best part about it.

Tell us about The Gin Baby: The Gin Baby is a play unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen before. Sarah Shaefer is one of the most fearless people and writers I’ve ever been fortunate enough to become acquainted with- and she puts it all into this play. It deals with nasty, rough, dirty, terrible, mean and gritty and extremely, extremely personal subjects and brings it right forward up on stage. No filters. No hints. No winks to the audience saying “oh... you get the point.” Nope. This play summons the brutal nature of mental illness, alcoholism, selfishness and the everyday struggle to make it to the next day- paints it on a large glass window- and then takes a sledgehammer and smashes the glass right into the audience. It ain’t cute. It’s beautiful.

What is it like being a part of The Gin Baby: Being a part of this show has been very eye opening. I’m fortunate enough to have never had to expose myself to a lot of these themes in the show. That being said- when I read this script- I knew this was something that wasn’t only going to stretch any actor working on this, but this was going to stretch my perception on what’s possible in theater. And it’s been doing that and so much more. My character, Dave, has been a really great challenge for me. Taking the Dave and Amelia’s relationship and putting it into one scene in the beginning of the play- there’s no room for acceleration. I cant walk on stage and start warming up to the reach a climax during the scene. This play goes 0-100 in zero seconds. Dave is ultimate rage, vulnerability, heartbreak and bleeding love all at once, right when the lights go up. That for me has been a huge challenge as an actor- embodying so many extreme themes and bringing it up at 100 percent before the play even starts.


What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: This is where I think I am a very lucky person. I’m working in the very scene that keeps me going. Before being exposed to Rising Pheonix and Rattlestick, Daniel and Addie Talbott and Sarah Shaefer- I was losing hope for theater. I thought plays were becoming pretty- they were trying to put rose colored glasses on the audience so they could take their minds off their everyday life. If I wanted to take my mind off my life, I wouldn’t go to a theater and watch actors distract me- I’d lock myself in my apartment and play video games until my eyes bled. Seriously. That’s just the way it is nowadays. Theater needed to be something else- and these companies and these people exposed me to a kind of theater that made me feel things again. Something that takes the struggle, the good and the bad the beautiful and the absolutely abysmal things people face everyday and funnel it into a piece. I want theater to hit me in the face and remind me of the vast array of feelings we as humans can feel. I don’t want to hide in a theater. If I want to hide, I stare at my phone all day.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: I’ve been very keen on picking up on new works lately and trying to help create these new roles. For me as an actor, there is nothing more satisfying to give birth to a new character. However, of course, there are some characters I’ve seen or read and am dying to play sometime in my life. I would love to play Ken, the assistant in John Logan’s Red. I saw Jonathan Groff play him alongside Alfred Molina and was absolutely blown away. Speaking of Jonathan Groff, the performances in Spring Awakening still get to me. I love rock music and I think that story is beautiful, so I’d love to be a part of it someday. However I was fortunate enough to see my good friends Adam Cropper and Coby Getzug play Moritz and Melchior this past spring, and still need time to recover from that. I don’t think I can top what those guys did.

What’s your favorite showtune?: I love rock music and rock musicals like I said, but sometimes those classic showtunes really get to me. I was walking around the east village the other day and “Cabaret” came on my shuffle (which gets really awkward if that happens at a party and I'm being DJ) but it hit me in the stomach and I couldn’t help but dance on the street corner. For now, "Cabaret" is right up at the top for me.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Everyone. I know, that’s such a terrible answer to your question, but I don’t even have a list of people that I don’t want to work with. I’m game for anything right now, I’ve got no reason to say no to anything. In the near future though I’ll be working with David Van Asselt, the artistic director of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and I’m beyond excited for that. I had met him about a year ago and have been a huge fan of his work and especially how he works. I think working closer with him is going to be a fantastic experience.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Hahaha well hopefully my life continues on a little longer, so I could have an adult play me and not a kid. I’d have Ellen DeGeneres play me. Why not. That’d be interesting to see. I’d make it very weird. Probably have it in black and white. Call it “Uprooted”.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: My friend Lindsay Nyman is directing something amazing in Los Angeles. She’s directing a piece called “SIT” with the CRE Outreach Foundation, which works with At-Risk Youth, the visually impaired, and military veterans through performing arts. I think that’s the coolest. Her play comes out on Feb 21st at the Promenade Playhouse. Couldn’t be more excited to see it.

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: Ooo I’m glad you asked. My top played song on my Itunes is “Sinister Kid” by The Black Keys. I like that. It’s a great song- very funky and bluesy and makes you move. And the content of the song has really been hitting home lately. That’ll be my top song for a while, I predict.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: The band Hanson. I’ve seen them more times than you could count on your hands. No shame. It started as a family tradition/ joke when they got big with “MmmBop”, but their recent albums are actually really good- and they tour almost every fall, and you bet my family gets tickets and makes it out there. This interview isn’t public, is it?

What’s up next?: Once Gin Baby closes im sticking with Daniel and going to San Francisco to revisit a play we’ve been working on, Mike and Seth. We’re re-workshopping it, doing some changes, and also turning it into a screenplay to hopefully shoot over the summer. Other than that- I’ve got a few choices to make. There’s some opportunity in a few different places for me right now, one of them being a car and roadtripping to the South. I don’t know yet. I’ve got some decisions to make, but I’ve got time. : )

Review: Story Time on the Plains

Everyone’s life is a story. Some are more interesting than others. But when a storyteller can bring you to that time and place, that’s when a story matters, regardless of what it’s about. In Brian Watkins’ expertly crafted My Daughter Keeps Our Daughter, we watch two estranged sisters tell a story of their ailing mother and her pet sheep.
Brian Watkins has created a novel for the stage, beautifully rich in imagery and language. Watkins does a sensational job at painting a vivid picture, allowing our imagination to roam. That being said, perhaps it would have been better served as a short story on the page and audio book. Once Vicky, the mother’s pet sheep, enters the story, the play takes off like a fireball. Prior to that, we’re overwhelmed with set ups and exposition that are not nearly as engaging as the reason why we’re listening to the sisters. Without spoiling, after a nice night where the girls come together to celebrate their mother’s birthday, Vicky innocently startles Sarah, she engages in a wrathfilled lashing that climaxes into commotion. Was the play a metaphor for euthanasia? The overlying story was about two girls caring for their ailing mother. After beating the sheep, the girls did everything in their power to put the sheep out of her misery. Was this a parallel to putting their mother out of her misery as well? With their mother as so much of a burden, did they wish the same fate for her? If it was, it certainly worked! The way the play is devised, the girls are offering direct addresses. But I kept wondering who were these girls were realy talking to and I kept wondering, due to the interrogation style lamps, were they being interrogated? Either way, there was certainly more dramatic action to be played. As sisters Sarah and Hannah respectively, Katherine Folk-Sullivan and Layla Khoshnoudi do a fine job sharing Watkins’ words. Khoshnoudi certainly shines as the younger sister. She was able to flesh out a beautiful character arc. 
Director Danya Taymor offers some wonderful stage pictures especially with her shadow work. Her choreographed moments were in sync with the story. The stillness by Folk-Sullivan and Khoshnoudi in the sheep story was flawless allowing us to hear the tale, however lacked the extra punch since stillness in their monologue delivery happened so often before. In a play that relies so much on the impact of the storyteller, it became tedious to watch nothing happen beyond the clever foreshadow building of the fire pit. Adriano Shaplin does wonders with the soundscape of the Colorado plains, bringing subliminal sounds throughout. However there were some jarring moments of underscoring that pulled attention away from the storytelling, specifically the rock heavy driven composition during the Vicky story. The set by Andrew Diaz seemed incomplete. What was present was perfect, but the stage wanted to filled with dirt and weeds.
My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer is a sensational work of storytelling with a standout performance by Layla Khoshnoudi. But with the lack of theatricality, you could have closed your eyes and listened to the script being read on the radio and still felt the same guttural impact.

King Kong to Stomp Onto Broadway in December?

According to Gerry Ryan, chairman of Global Creatures, the production company producing the musical King Kong will be stomping onto Broadway in December 2014. After being a hit in Melbourne, the musical, which features a book by Craig Lucas and music by Sarah McLachlan, Massive Attack, and the Avalanches, will be looking for a home in a big Broadway house, with eyes on the Foxwoods Theater. If the Foxwoods does house the 20 foot tall puppet, it will be the second straight big budget extravaganza in the theater. What do you think? Is Broadway ready for the monkey musical?

Spotlight On...Corinne Chateau

Name: Corinne Chateau

Why theater?:
 I'm an actress. There's nothing more exciting than being in a terrific play, acting with wonderful actors and sharing the experience with an audience. I love film but it can never replace 'live' theater.  It's a happening in the moment.

Tell us about The Sun Shines East?: The Sun Shines East is a play I've written loosely based on the true journey my husband and I took to adopt a child from the Republic of Georgia. It will be playing in an Equity Showcase production for 15 performances at the beautiful Marjorie Deane Little Theater at 10 West 64th street, from January 31st through February 16. In brief The Sun Shines East, is about Christine, a New York actress in her early 40's, who after suffering a series of miscarriages, finds herself drawn “east” to The Republic of Georgia to adopt a child.  Her husband Robert, also an actor, a bit less enthusiastically, goes along with the idea, but it soon becomes apparent that there are plenty of obstacles to achieving this goal, both internal and external.  

What inspired you to write The Sun Shines East?: My journey to adopt a child was so wonderful and difficult and challenging, it was so full of synchronicities and miracles, and it was so life changing that I wanted to tell the world of my experience.  The inspiration for The Sun Shines East has come directly from my own personal experience, but it is about so much more than just my own story. It is a cry, a plea for the abandoned and unwanted children of the world. It is an urgent call to action as children continue to be used as pawns by politicians throughout the world. If we do not speak up for them, who will? 

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The kind of theater that speaks to me the most is when I see a living experience created on stage. Not an imitation of an experience, but a real experience that reveals some aspect of the human condition.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: 
Vanessa Redgrave. To me she always brings such humanity and truth and generosity to whatever she does.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Well, I recently saw, No Man's Land with Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart. I thought the acting and the relationship that they created between them was just amazing.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Juliette Binoche. I think she's a wonderful actress and I identify somehow with her energy. We both have a French father and a Polish mother. The movie would be called "Walking into the Unknown."

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I like my red wine. I'm French.

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: Maria Callas singing "Casta Diva" from Bellini's  "Norma."

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be_____?: I would be writing––which is what I do. I wrote a book about my journey to adopt my son called the 'Road to Cali,' and now I'm writing a book about my family's hidden Jewish background and their escape from Poland during WWII. 

What’s up next?: Well, connected with the above, I'm putting together a video documentary of my search.

Spotlight On...Sarah Shaefer

Name: Sarah Shaefer

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Education: Boston University, studied German and Spanish

Favorite Credits: Writing: The Gin Baby!!!!  I Can't Explain It Better Than That (Rising Phoenix Rep's Cino Night series, dir. Evan Caccioppoli).  Also, acting: Bus Stop (Inge Theatre Festival, dir. Erma Duricko), Glowing Dinoflagellates (Rising Phoenix Rep and Kid Brooklyn Prods, dir. Daniel Talbott)

Why theater?: I think theater is such a beautiful art form because you create something that is destroyed moment-by-moment.  Each moment will never happen again.  It's like watching the ocean.  Every day that you go to the ocean, you will never see the same ocean.  It's the same with a show.  No two shows are ever exactly alike and I think that's cool.

Tell us about The Gin Baby: The Gin Baby is about a young woman whose life falls apart after getting sober.

What inspired you to write The Gin Baby?: I wanted to tell a story about a person who deeply fails at life and ultimately succeeds (or tries to succeed) as a direct result of that failure.  Writing the play has helped me come to terms with failing.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like theater that nails me to my seat, so that I can't move after the show is over.  I love Jose Rivera's work.  I love Daniel Talbott's work.  Marcus Gardley's work also nails me to my seat.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would kill to work with Steve McQueen.  His work makes me grateful to be alive.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I recommended that everyone see Rattlestick's production of Scarcity, which was directed by Daniel Talbott, as well as Killers and Other Family, directed by Caitriona McLaughlin, as part of Rattlestick's Hill Town Plays this past fall, celebrating Lucy Thurber's work.  I couldn't get out of my chair after seeing both of those plays.    
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Oh geez.  I don't know and I don't know.  Samantha Soule would be awesome.  I love her.  It would be called “Crazy Pants”. 100% kidding about the title.  I'll cross that bridge if and when it comes.  ;-)

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I LOVE watching British murder mystery TV shows like Midsomer Murders on the BBC. 

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Spoon" by Cut Chemist.  It's my wake-up alarm.

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

What’s up next?: I am collaborating with the playwright, Troy Deutsch on a devised piece for Ali Dachis and Jacob Perkins.  I was also commissioned to write a play for Kid Brooklyn's upcoming production La Ronde Project, featuring short plays by several NYC playwrights.  I'm also going to be working on several projects with my theater company, Rising Phoenix Rep, this coming summer and fall.

Bradley Cooper Will Return to Broadway in The Elephant Man

Though not the best kept secret as previously rumored for months, Hollywood superstar Bradley Cooper will return to Broadway in a revival of The Elephant Man. Cooper will be joined by Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola, all of whom appeared in the Williamstown Theater Festival production of the show. The production will open at a Shubert theater to be announced in the Fall. This will mark Cooper's return to Broadway having previously starred in the 2006 production of Three Days of Rain alongside Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. Are you excited to see People's Most Beautiful Man play someone not so pretty?

Review: A Nightmare in a Seedy Motel

Starting out with a bang is always important. It gets your audience engaged. But keeping that bang going throughout the play, that’s the trick. It’s a challenge that not all plays can successfully tackle. In John Pastore’s Panic at the Riverside Motel, we get that bang but unfortunately that bang wasn’t maintained beyond the first scene.
Panic at the Riverside Motel follows Kaitlin and Jake, a young soon-to-be married couple, and their unfortunate situation when a man commits suicide in their seedy motel room before they can make their drug deal that will help them pay for their expensive wedding. Unsure of how to dispose of the body, Kaitlin calls her wanted brother Billy who’s ready and willing to chop the body in pieces and forget any of this happens. Madness ensues as the motel manager waltzes in, getting wrapped up in the madness, and calls a madcap detective who seems to have walked into the wrong the play. Pastore’s script is one part Tarantino gory story, one part black comedy, and one part farce. Unfortunately where these things should line up, they don’t. The story is clever but when it’s about to gain momentum, it veers right and takes a turn for the odd. The biggest problem comes in the form of Detective Miller. The character, a horrendous detective who is bound to never solve a crime, seems to be lost in this world. If you put Detective Miller in another play, in his own world, he would be wonderful, but he just didn’t fit here. While his character is essential for the end, it’s just not realistic, as established prior to his first entrance. If Pastore’s goal was to let his trio get away with a crime, he needed them to be much smarter. Despite this, Pastore crafts some great moments of comedy, playing into the filth of this motel and allowing for some fun physical gags.
The ensemble of five do their best to float on the surface of Pastore’s script. Olivia Rose Barresi and Michael Orlandi as the young couple give great individual performances but lack chemistry as a couple, probably because we spend most of the play trying to figure out why these two polar opposites are together. Barresi’s hard ass Kaitlin and Orlandi’s pushover Jake lack the backstory that make the plot credible. Thom Christensen as bad boy Billy gives a performance packed with strength, especially when his humility shines through toward the end. Tom Burka as Detective Miller is all over the place. You’re left shaking your head with his bizarre antics.
Overall, the attention to detail throughout the show holds the production back. The first sight gag of the play is the lights rising on Kaitlin and Jake spattered in blood. It’s funny but director Maria Riboli has her actors spend the good portion of the first half of the first scene wiping the blood off their face, which should have been removed after the first swipe of the towel. It’s almost as if they were directed to, when in doubt and have nothing to do, pick up the towel and wipe their face. A key, though strange, piece of evidence that would play in the revealing as the trio being guilty is a orange lollipop that the body was sucking when he blew his brains out. Unless you’re sitting in the first two rows of the theater, you don’t see it and later forget about it when it’s referenced and picked up by Detective Miller. Set designer Jeremy Ciliberto did an ok job creating the seedy motel. It certainly had the dirty quality but the tiniest details were forgotten. The light source in the motel was believed to be an overhead light yet there was not a single light switch in the room. Additionally, there was no attempt to cover or hide the legs of the two moveable walls, reminding us that we were looking at a set and not a hotel. The shining light, pun intended, of the set was the Riverside Motel sign that appeared in act one.
Panic at the Riverside Motel was packed full of potential but just missed the mark, needing more time to fine tune the specifics of the script.

Peter Pan to Take Flight on NBC

After a rating's smash with The Sound of Music, NBC and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have announced that they will stage Peter Pan, the 1954 musical, on NBC next December. While casting is currently underway, no names have been announced to don the iconic green tights previously worn by Mary Martin. After The Sound of Music casting debacle of Carrie Underwood, here's hoping the lead in this one has some musical theater experience. Who are you hoping gets to fly into your homes? And don't you think Tony winner and The Sound of Music alum Christian Borle should play Captain Hook?

Hugh Jackman Returns to Broadway in The River

Fear not Jackman fans, he shall be returning to Broadway after all! Hugh Jackman, who recently pulled out of the Broadway aimed musical Houdini, tweeted today that he will be returning to Broadway in Jez Butterworth's The River in early 2015. The River, had its world premiere at the Royal Court starring Dominic West, will be directed by Ian Rickson. Are you excited for Hugh to return? It's just too bad that it's not a musical.

Spotlight On...Lisa Szolovits

Name: Lisa Szolovits

Hometown: Newton, MA

Education: Occidental College

Favorite Credits: This show. I've done a whole lot of assisting at places like Playwrights Horizons and The Public and a lot of directing for other people's companies and festivals, but this is the first time I've directed a project from its inception to a full production like this. I feel very responsible for the work, which is both scary and thrilling.

Why theater?: It's an opportunity to practice empathy, to exercise all your senses in a way that changes how you pay attention to the world. Every one of us played make believe as children and theater feels like the most basic extension of that essential human function.

Tell us about We Were Nothing!?:I think Will sums it up nicely.

What inspired you to direct We Were Nothing!?: Such a large percentage of my interactions with people is not in person. I think that's the case for a lot of people - yet it's a part of our relationships that's underrepresented on stage. And when I do see texting or phone calls on stage, it's often dull and unimaginative. My big carrot for directing this show was getting to tackle the challenge of performing this long-distance language in a way that's theatrically compelling and feels truthful to how these forms of communication feel.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that feels like the people who made it - that feels like humans are choosing to wrestle with something big and to share that vulnerable process with us. I love watching hard work and invention. Daniel Fish, Marianne Weems, and Nature Theater of Oklahoma inspire me. So do Janelle Monae, Maurice Sendak, Andrew Bujalski . . .

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Frances McDormand. I'm kind of obsessed with her at the moment.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Most recently, Bodycast at BAM. (Frances!) I wanted that show to keep going and going.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Sarah Polley would write/direct. I'd let her decide the rest.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Darrell Lea licorice

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: I went and found my very old, very large iPod and charged it up because I am persnickety. The only things on there are a bunch of This American Life podcasts and sound cues from an Adam Bock play I assisted on three years ago. So I think it's like "p.72 vo v2."

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Living somewhere cheaper and warmer.

What’s up next?: Will and I have been working on You're Sadder Than You Realize - a play about Justin Bieber and an 18th century French cannibal - and I'm hoping we can find a way to stage it in this really extravagant way I have in mind. I'm also adapting text from the Aeneid and Dido & Venus with Aubrey Saverino, creating a performance project in Google Hangout with Amy Clare Tasker and Wolfgang Wachalovsky, and planning a theatrical experiment  using laser tag technology with a friend who is getting her PhD in visual perception, action, and motivation.

Broadway Comings: Radcliffe Returns and New Revivals

It was a busy day of announcements of some new productions joining the Broadway circuit this year. First up, Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe will return to Broadway in the Michael Grandage production of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan. The transfer of the sold out run will play the Cort Theater beginning April 12 with many of the original cast returning. Radcliffe, who seems to have been bitten by the Broadway bug, will make this third appearance on the Great White Way having previously appeared in revivals of Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Next up is a revival of the Maury Yeston and Peter Stone musical, Titanic. Though no Broadway house has been named as it's home, Titanic will have a pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto this summer. Finally, Roundabout announced a revival of the hit comedy Noises Off will return to Broadway in the winter of 2015 at the American Airlines Theater. Though no casting has been announced yet, the revival will be directed by Jeremy Herrin. So which show are you most looking forward to?

Spotlight On...Josh Hecht

Name: Josh Hecht

Hometown: NYC, Baby!

Education: Wesleyan University

Favorite Credits: Allison Moore's Slasher at The Humana Festival; Bradford Louryk's Christine Jorgensen Reveals at New World Stages, Brian Sutow's The Personals at No Rules / Signature Theatre DC, Wearing Lorca's Bowtie at The Duke, Anna Ziegler's BFF at the DR2.  But of course, I love all my babies equally...

Why theater?: Many years ago, I remember Lucy Thurber telling me that she went into theater because it helped her feel less lonely.  At the time, I didn't really understand what she meant, but I knew instinctively that I agreed.  But now I think that when people say that, they mean that the theater has a unique ability to enlarge our souls.  It's what Jung would call a “trans-personal experience,” one of the few times in our life when we somehow are able to be inside another person.  Me, the actor, the playwright and finally, the audience – all of us are together for a few moments inhabiting a character, seeing ourselves in one another, having the same experience.  What a rare thing that is.

Tell us about The Clearing?: What a beautiful play Jake has written.  The play is about two brothers who witnessed terrible tragedy when they were age 7 and 10 and impulsively decided not to tell anyone what they saw.  The play opens 18 years later, when the younger brother –  a sensitive man in his late twenties who has spent his life devoted to his lonesome mother and life-impaired brother – finds himself in love for the first time.  Together, they must all decide whether they have the courage to break the dynamic that has kept them locked in their grief for nearly two decades.  It's an incredibly intimate play about moving on.  But it's also highly theatrical, and these designers have managed to bring an entire forest clearing into the Theatre at St. Clement's.  Mostly, though, it's been so wonderful to work on something this deeply felt.

What inspired you to direct The Clearing?: I first encountered the play when I was on a committee evaluating plays for a contest in the Hudson Valley.  About a year later, the artistic director of a company called Axial Theatre asked me if I'd be interested in directing the play at his theater.  There's such a beautiful longing in the play, I instantly responded to it.  And I had a vision for how this play, which is set at the edge of a gorge in the middle of a woods in someplace like Upstate New York, could fit inside that theater, which uses a beautiful, century-old stone church that has been converted into a theater.  The Theatre at St. Clement's, an historic off-Broadway theater, is similarly a church that has been converted into a beautiful theater space.  I think the play engages the space around it in a wonderfully theatrical way.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that makes me feel something, whether it's funny or touching, quirky or deeply sad.  I go to the theater to be moved, to be in touch with our common humanity.  To learn about myself and others.  The theater does this through empathy, it seems to me, rather than through the intellect. Most of my work is with new plays, but I'll say that one of the things I've enjoyed about making and teaching devised theater is that it teaches us that inspiration is found everywhere.  When you start to become aware of it, you can find little compositions in the most mundane daily life around us.  This stuff, this ephemera, the dailiness of our lives, when it's put on a stage, can show us the most touching parts of our humanity.  That's what inspires me: the pathos and humor of our human experience. As for who it is that inspires me, perhaps I'll just say that I've learned most from the writers who have taught me to understand and accept the parts of myself (and of all of us) I want not to look at; the actors who have been fearless in transferring deep emotion onto strangers; the designers who have challenged me to be bolder, more spare, more theatrical, more lush; the directors who have shown me ways to see the unseeable; and producers who  find ways to say yes (even when they are saying no).

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Oh wow.  There are so many people on my “hit list” – writers, actors, designers.  But the thing that comes to mind when you ask me this question is: it be great to build something from the ground up with a movement person.  I haven't done something like that since I created Heliantha with Rachel Schroeder at Dixon Place, DTW and the Berkshire Theatre Festival back in '08.  That was a very different experience for me than what I'm used to.  I miss that kind of wordless collaboration, maybe because in my daily life I'm so verbal (in case you hadn't noticed! Keep it brief, Hecht!).

What show have you recommended to your friends?: In the last year, it's been Old Hats, Machinal, Marie Antoinette...but I was also out of town much of the fall, so I'm a little behind!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: This question cracks me up.  Oh the pressure to be mordant with the title!  Okay, okay, um... Bradley Cooper [cuz why not, it's a fantasy, right?]  in “I Can't Believe You Asked Me to Come Up with the Title when Everyone KNOWS that's the Hardest Part of any Play/Movie/Book!” (gotcha!)

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Reality television.  There, I said it.

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: Damn it – new iphone. Technology shortcut fail! The other day I found myself listening to Patsy Cline, John Hartford and ol Willie Nelson.  Maybe it's this show, but I was in a classic Americana mood.  So, can I answer most-recently-remembered, rather than most-played?

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _______?: A Therapist.  I like understanding why people do what they do.

What’s up next?: Workshops, workshops, workshops.  I have 6 new play and musical workshops, both in town and out of town, in the next three months!  (Another thing I love about directing: going from world to world to world...)  So it's a lot of time on the road. I think of it as “R&D” for the next two years of productions.  But I'm also trying to carve out some time for a prose writing project I've started that I'm loving working on – something new for me.  The next thing people can come see are presentations of Anna Moench's play HUNGER at BRIC in March.

Spotlight On...Donna Vivino

Name: Donna Vivino

Why theater?: I've always enjoyed the immediacy of theatre. Maybe I am simply impatient but there is nothing like the instant chemistry between an audience and performer. It is fairly magical in my opinion. Alchemy.


Tell us about It’s Not Easy Being Green: It's Not Easy Being Green is a piece that I put together that explores my journey from child actor to child actor has-been to adult actress and oh yeah my journey as a human being too. What's cool about this return performance is that I am also going to be weaving in songs and stories from my debut album "Beautiful Dreamer" so I think it's going to be very exciting. I also have a new band member joining me too so that is going to be fun.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I have such an eclectic taste in art and music and theatre. Case in point: I was blown away by Exit Pursued by A Bear's production of Dani Girl which is experimental theatre but I also felt just as blown away and moved by Kinky Boots. I think for me it doesn't matter if something is commercial or not. The same holds true for film -- gimme an obscure French independent film but don't take away my copy of “Ace Ventura”.  If something moves me it moves me and I like it. Lately I have felt greatly inspired by singer/songwriter James Blake, the musical Once, Laura Nyro and the recent production of Pippin.


Any roles you’re dying to play?: I would love to originate something completely new. But if there was a revival of City of Angels I would absolutely want to play Donna/Oolie. Also...I am "dying" to sink my teeth into some Shakespeare again. I've been working on it a lot again and it's been exhilarating.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Anything from West Side Story and that's a fact. I'll even gladly hum the first three notes of the score into the opening scene. Yeah...that's my show.


If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would like to work with Emma Thompson I think she is grand. I also would like to work with John Tiffany and Stephen Hoggett and it doesn't have to be with them together though I'm certain that is a winning combo to work with !!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Oh my this is quite the question. I think Drew Barrymore should play me since we share the same birthday and even though she is bit older I feel like she could catch my vibe. The movie should be called "Aquarius/Pisces Cusp"  -- and hey! Drew would totally that haha!


What show have you recommended to your friends?: Once, Pippin, Kinky Boots and Fun Home

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: My biggest guilty pleasure is going to the movies by myself and eating gummy bears.


What’s the most played song on your iPod?: Most played song lately is probably James Blake's "Retrograde"

What’s up next?: I have a show coming up at 54 Below on January 23rd 9:30 pm called "It's Not Easy Being Green" and you can grab those tickets online at 54below.com. Also the webseries "Submissions Only" Season 3 is coming out soon and I play Serena Maxwell and I am very excited for the world to see it!

For more on Donna, visit http://www.donnavivino.com/.

Broadway to Be Frozen?

Disney's hit animated movie musical "Frozen" will be getting the Broadway treatment according to Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger in an interview with "Fortune." Iger said they are "not demanding speed, we're demanding excellence" so Broadway's "Frozen" (not to be confused with Bryony Lavery play of the same title) could be years away. "Frozen" is Disney's biggest hit since "The Lion King." With so many Broadway veterans involved with the movie (with songs written by Bobby Lopez and actors including Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, and Alan Tudyk, among others) it begs the question, will they appear as their character on the Great White Way?

Spotlight On...Will Arbery

Name: Will Arbery

Hometown: Born in Nashua, NH. Raised in Dallas, TX. Four years in Gambier, OH. Two years in New York. Now in Evanston, IL. But my parents live in Wyoming now. 

Education: B.A. English and Drama, Kenyon College. Working towards an M.F.A. in Writing for the Screen and Stage, Northwestern University.

Favorite Credits: Devising and writing Six Windows Presents A Hero of Our Time with Calliope Theater Company last year. Dancing in Shaina Cantino's i went into a home that wasn't mine at a festival in The Kennedy Center. Sitting in a red hat as Zac Efron's body double in Liberal Arts.

Why theater?: Because theoretically it's always dying and it's pure. Because when it's bad, there are few things worse than having to sit through it. It's torture. But when it's good, it feels holy and impossible and scary. I just want to make things that make people a little freaked out to be in the same room as this happening thing.

Tell us about We Were Nothing!?: We Were Nothing! is a play about a friendship. It's also about different modes of communication. I don't know if it's funny or sad. Mostly I find it really embarrassing. It's site-specific and a little over an hour long and it's about two girls but I wrote it thinking about my own friendships. It's a noisy play with a scary silence underneath it. It's immersed in banality and evasion. But it's also sincere.

What inspired you to create We Were Nothing!?: I wanted to write a play that reversed the dramatic formula, something that was resolution until the conflict at the end became the resolution. I had also been obsessing about the effects of technology on communication. But more than anything, I wanted to write about growing apart from people, and growing up. So it's a mix of this immediate emotional stuff and formalistic academic stuff. I worked closely with Elly and Shelley and Lisa, and then Emilie when Shelley went off to grad school. We looked at our archived chats, emails, and texts. Eventually we realized that technology was the setting of Act One, but that the play wasn't "about" technology. This play is really about was how hard it is to talk to people.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm inspired by a lot of things and mostly I'm just trying to come to terms with my own shame at being alive at all, but writers and people who have inspired me pretty directly are Young Jean Lee, Richard Maxwell, James Wright, Bela Tarr, Annie Baker, Orson Welles, Chekhov. More than any of those, I'm inspired by my sister Julia, who has Down syndrome. I love the way she talks. You can get a sense of it here: thedailyjoof.tumblr.com. I'm fascinated with people who talk from entirely the heart in a very specific way. I want to capture the way they say things, exactly, because I think there's so much truth and delight and homage in that level of precision.

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

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I haven't been in New York since September, but when I was there I recommended We're Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I crowd-sourced this question and all my friends were like "oh man, that's super hard." But then my friend Will Dagger was like "Young Anthony Perkins?" and I like that. I grew up in a big Catholic family with seven sisters. My nickname when I was a kid was "Pickle" because apparently as a baby I came out all sour. Maybe the movie would be called “Pickle”, starring Young Anthony Perkins.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I don't feel guilty at all about it, but baseball stats. I'll troll baseball-reference.com and look at obscure players' numbers. 

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: "A Little Lost" by Arthur Russell.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A teacher.

What’s up next?: Going to Aspen at the end of January and New York in mid-April for the Theater Masters MFA Festival, where I'll workshop and produce my short play The Logic, alongside students chosen from other graduate playwriting programs.

Could a Larry David/Jerry Seinfeld Collaboration Appear on Broadway?

According to a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" interview, Jerry Seinfeld revealed that a "big, huge, gigantic" secret project is in the works with Larry David. That project is a play written by David which will Seinfeld will star, direct, or produce. Though no word on what exactly the play is or any timeline, it is rumored to be a priority for David.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is Broadway Bound

Based on the Mark Haddon best selling novel, the London hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will arrive on Broadway this Fall. The drama follows Christopher, fifteen year old kid with an antisocial disorder, who solves a neighborhood mystery and comes to a greater understanding of his own family. The play was the recipient of 7 Olivier Awards. What other British plays or musicals do you think should pond hop to Broadway?

Tupac Shakur Musical Coming to Broadway

The music of late rapper Tupac Shakur will be featured on Broadway in Holler If Ya Hear Me, set to debut at the Palace Theater on May 26. Directed by Kenny Leon, choreographed by Wayne Cilento, and featuring a book by Todd Kriedler, the musical is a non-biographical story about "friendship, family, revenge, change, and hope." How do you think Holler If Ya Hear Me will stack up with jukebox musicals of late? And what other musician's songbook do you think needs to done on Broadway?

Spotlight On...John Pastore

Name: John Pastore

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Education: B.A. - English Writing

Favorite Credits: Family of Strangers, Sidetracked

Why theater?: Because we have the opportunity to make a live audience uncomfortable in the best possible way. I love making a live audience think and / or cringe. Also, as a writer, theater affords me the luxury to maintain focus on a limited number of characters within one or two sets.

Tell us about Panic at the Riverside Motel?: What are your options when you are $50,000 short on an extravagant wedding? What happens when you've exhausted every avenue of help? Thankfully for Jake and Kaitlin, they have the opportunity to sell $50,000 worth of cocaine at the Riverside Motel. But things go wrong...immediately.

What inspired you to create Panic at the Riverside Motel?: I've always wanted to write a show that took place in a seedy motel. I think they're fun. I had the general idea in my head, but nothing else. A lot of things happen in these motels, so I felt my idea had potential. I eventually realized that combining the sleazy motel environment with desperation based on superficiality would naturally cause even more trouble for these characters. It felt very comfortable.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The best theater for me makes you think, even if it's a comedy. The audience should be able to sit there and put themselves in whatever position a character is in, and just wonder..."what would I do?" My first inspiration was Sam Shepard. I read a lot of his plays in college, and they were the first ones that I related to. After that, I felt I had permission to write my own plays.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: High hopes here: Melissa Leo, Ethan Hawke

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Revivals of Waiting for Godot and True West

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Edward Norton- “Hanging By A Thread”

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: WWE Wrestling! Been a fan since I was a kid!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Back in the office job that I quit.

What’s up next?: I just finished a script that I'm considering turning into a short film. It's pure comedy.

Spotlight On...Maria Riboli

Name: Maria Riboli

Hometown: I was born and raised in Pesaro, a small town on the Adriatic sea in Italy. I toured the Old Boot a lot back then, working with different shows, and in 1998 I arrived in NYC and I finally felt at home. The moment I arrived in New York I knew I belonged here. The energy of the city fed my mind and my soul. I feel very thankful to live in such an amazing place. I’m inspired every day.

Education: I graduated from the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in NYC, but I’ve always felt very lucky because since I started in this business as a child, I had many opportunities to study with some amazing teachers from all over the world, from experimental theater, to the Japanese “Theater No”, to the Russian masters of the Theater Academy “Viera Kamissergevscaia”, to the physical Grotovsky technique with Ceasar Brie, to the Theatre du Soleil from Paris, just to name a few.

Favorite Credits: Every show I do, whether I’m acting in it or directing it, holds a very special place in my heart. But there are a few who truly stand out in my memory. The first one is BAAAHHH!!!, a satirical comedy that I directed and also acted in. It was bizarre look at bureaucracy that at the end would leave the audience feeling like it could actually happen to them as well. I did the show at the Fringe Festival here in NY and then we extended for a full month in the theater district. After that, I was able to bring the show to London at the Pleasance Theater. Two other shows that I hold dear to my heart are Want & Need a romantic comedy from a male point of view. I directed and acted in that one as well. We had a sold out run here in NY in November 2012, and right after that I directed Family of Strangers written by John Pastore. It was another sold out run here in NY. It was a very compelling drama that touched the audience deeply.

Why theater?: Because there’s nothing like a live audience. In an era where human contact is limited to ‘poking’ someone on FB, I find the reward of hearing an audience laugh, cry and cheer for the characters they meet for just an hour or so, absolutely magical. The power of being able to connect to someone you’ve never met before and who you might never meet or see again, but being able to move them in some way, for me is priceless.

Tell us about Panic at the Riverside Motel?: Panic at the Riverside Motel is a fast paced dark comedy that will keep you on the edge of your seat…unless you will fall off of it, laughing…It’s a very powerful show that will make you laugh out loud and cheer for all the wrong reasons.

What inspired you to direct Panic at the Riverside Motel?: When I read the script, I immediately had a vision for it. I could see the characters and the place they were at. I could ‘feel’ them. I want this to be a wild ride for the audience as much as it is for the characters. I want the audience to leave the theater laughing and wondering if maybe they shouldn’t be laughing at this situation…I want them to talk about the ending and figure out if they are happy for the characters or if they wish it would have gone in a different direction…No matter what, I always want the audience to think. John Pastore’s writing is very inspiring to me. This is the second production I've worked on with him and his words always spark creativity in me. I was also blessed to find some amazing actors to bring this great show to life, and they’ve been inspiring me every day in the rehearsal room. I’ve been known for being a director that will push my actors to their limits…I always do that…because I want them to see that they have none. I’m extremely proud of the very hard work they put into it. And I cannot wait for all of you to see them!

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like anything that will make me think, that will inspire me. I love to be surprised in art. I have deep respect for creativity. I’m inspired by life. I’m a Method actress myself and a “Method director”, I love to go deep with the emotion. I never stop at the first layer. Passion inspires me as well - To see in people that undivided love for something. The moment I feel someone’s heart beating with hope and vision for something they love…that inspires me.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Sir Ian McKellen would be on top of list.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Many different ones depending on what they are in the mood for. I have to say if they ask me for a musical The Book of Mormon is the first one I suggest. I loved to see something so not-Broadway on a sold out, laugh-out-loud, Broadway theater! Very refreshing!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Oh my…I’m gonna go with Cate Blanchett in “Nothing to lose”

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Not sure I can disclose that.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Wondering how it all went wrong…

What’s up next?: I have a couple of short films on my plate that I will direct and another one that I’ll be starring in. But you can follow me here www.mariariboli.com trust me it’s a pretty interesting ride.

Spotlight On...Tim Eliot

Name: Tim Eliot

Hometown: Pembroke, New Hampshire. The woods.

Education: I got my undergrad degree at Yale, and spent a semester of that studying at the Moscow Art Theater. I went back to Moscow and trained with more Russians during grad school at the ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard.

Favorite Credits: I loved playing Hamlet a few years ago, directed by my great teacher, David Hammond, and when I was in Moscow in 2009, I got to play Walsingham in Pushkin's Little Tragedies, which is a fantastically mind-bending, heart-exploding piece. I've been having a blast directing in the past few years. Romeo and Juliet in a taxi garage, a half-open-air Much Ado at the cell this summer. I've been dabbling in film, too, and I'm in awe of the efficiency and expertise of a great set. My two-day bit part on "Boardwalk Empire" was glorious.

Why theater?: Why not theater, right!? Uh, I got hooked in high school after I experimented with improv and being a bit girly. Got to be hammy and deep at the same time, hang out with the funniest weirdos.. And then in college, I got really sucked in discovering the rich history and theory of theater. Schechner, Brook, Soyinka, Brecht. Directed the Undergrad Shakespeare Company for a while, played Tamora, Romeo, Horatio, and directed Merchant. I've never made much money, but there's a value in doing this thing that so wildly surpasses our ability to monetize it. All we can do is charge admission, but everyone knows how endlessly valuable play is.

Tell us about Suicide!??: I've never actually seen this play, but when I first read it aloud, I knew that I had to be a part of a production some day. First, it's just effing funny. It's audacious, right, to write a comedy about a potential suicide and just call it Suicide. Erdman had balls, theatrically and politically. The play was shut down several times and never officially produced in Russia until the 90's. It just savaged orthodox Communist thought, so it was continually censored. That's the other part that I love: it takes apart so many illusions we have about our political and philosophical convictions. So it's dark, dark, dark, and yet it inspires such fun and joy and togetherness. I've been laughing to tears every day and had such a blast with this cast. We're all busting our asses to make it as good as possible, and even though the material is real and heavy and difficult emotionally, we're having so much fun.

What inspired you to direct Suicide!??: I think the intensity of the media rampup to the 2012 election got me really thinking about this play, and what it asks us about what we believe in and why. What would you die for? An end to war? An end to poverty? Misogyny, homophobia? Would you be willing to die if you knew it would make the world a better place for everyone else? Now, would you be willing to let someone else die for it? Rediscovering the Interart Annex space made us all really excited. It's a play about people on the edge, living illegally, and this space is both incredibly raw and beautifully theatrical.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love theater that really connects with both our primal eldest fascinations, fears, and desires, and with what's going on in our culture. I got really excited about the possibility of directing Romeo and Juliet in an incredibly divided community next summer. I mean, really, who needs that play the most? Who has the most to bring to it and the most to take away? So theater of any kind that engages with its source material fully and asks how that matters to contemporary culture, and then takes that into a wildly imaginative realm. Kama Ginkas has a production of Black Monk, a Chekhov short story about a young mathematician losing his mind, on a thrust stage that's populated with a field of peacock feathers. As the actors work through the story, they lazily pull at or angrily demolish the field. It's a breathtaking metaphorical gesture. Sumptuous, elegant, simple, and devastating.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Wow, a whole ton of people. Bob Woodruff, Kama Ginkas, Steve McQueen, Janosz Szasz, Dmitri Krymov, John Tiffany, P.T. Anderson, Rebecca Miller (are you all paying attention, please!?). I'd also love to direct some of my favorite actors, you know? Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Day-Lewis!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I got a few people to check out Krymov's Opus No. 7 when it came to St. Ann's. The second act of that made me love theater again. I've always been a fan of Nick Jones, and I really hope his Trevor comes back to New York. If it does, don't miss it!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I'm told constantly that I look like James McAvoy, although I'd prefer a Baldwin brother. Really, I would only demand that the title be "Cowboy Shakespeare".

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Ugh, Facebook. Sucks me in, and I love seeing pictures of friends, but it's bad for my left parietal cortex.

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: Oohhhh, the dirty secrets! “Skating” by Vince Guaraldi or “Valerie” by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Hopefully teaching people to ski or meditating a lot.

What’s up next?: On Saturday I start rehearsals for MacBeth with the Shelter Theater Group, directed by Julia Campanelli. Careena Melia and I will be playing Lady M and MacBeth, and we're doing it in St. Theresa's Church in the LES. It's a huge, active Catholic Church, and we're running January 26th-30th. Lots of current and alums of Sleep No More and the ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard. If you like immersive, site-specific, and/or Shakespeare, come check it out!

Spider-Man Costume to Smithsonian

It certainly is history! Reeve Carney's costume from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark will be inducted to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.  The iconic costume was designed by Tony nominated costume designer Eiko Ishioka and specifically fitted for the original star. Spider-Man will turn off the dark on Broadway on September 4th. What other iconic Broadway costumes do you think should be honored at the Smithsonian?