Spotlight On...Mary Hynes

Name: Mary Hynes

Hometown: Hagerstown, MD

Education: BA Theatre from Butler University (minor in Vocal Performance) University College Cork, Ireland and the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg Russia. Improvisational Education with Gotham City Improv and Improvisation News.

Select Credits: Off The Top of Our Heads, improv show (Gotham City Improv),  He Loves Me Not, sketch comedy, (Improvisations News), The Philosopher Cycle at The Producers Club and Times Square Art Center, and most recently a National Geographic series, "Ape Man".
 
Why theater?: When I am performing and storytelling, I am my happiest.

Tell us about Human Resources: It is an experimental piece of modern theatre that marries scripted and improvised work, presented by Artistic New Directions. Five separate theatre companies have rehearsed the play with their own team of actors. The actors have worked separately on our roles and then we meet on stage for the first time in performance. It is exciting and invigorating to have organic human reactions on stage. I feel like it is as close to a natural slice of life as you can get with scripted work.

What is it like being a part of Human Resources?: The experience has been both thrilling and invigorating! It has been a great opportunity to challenge myself as an artist. I am grateful for the opportunity to marry my recent improvisational training with Dave Razowsky (The Second City, LA.) and Gary Austin (the founder of The Groundlings.)  I've done my best to be brave and vulnerable every time that I walk out on stage. It is a gift to be able to go onto the stage and blindly trust your fellow performers and the audience is with us for the discoveries that unfold.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: My college education focused on experimental theatre. I love working with an ensemble and revisiting a classic work, or staging a new piece of social commentary. Artists and actors who bravely commit themselves to their characters inspire me. My mission statement as an artist is to inspire, explore, and unite through light love and laughter. I do my best to keep that mantra in mind for any work that I do.

 Any roles you’re dying to play?: I have always wanted to play one of the step sisters in Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. As far as film goes, I love the character that Gweynth Paltrow plays in "Iron Man" and would enjoy a "Pepper Pots" type of role. Another goal is to be in a movie where I get to wear a cat suit.

What’s your favorite showtune?: I love all of the music from My Fair Lady. I played Eliza Dolittle in high school and it was a dream come true! I also adore Rent and relate to it immensely as a young artist in the concrete jungle of NYC.
 
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would love to work with Carol Burnett, as she is a comedienne I have always admired. My comedic style has often been compared to her.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: My mother has often referred to me as "the brunette Cameron Diaz" so I would like to say it would be her!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I recommend that everyone see the great shows at Gotham City Improv & Improvisation News.
 
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Nachos and Naps, in that order! (the queso from Qdoba is irresistible)

What’s up next?: I will be doing some short form ("Whose Line is it Anyway") style improvisation every Friday night at Gotham City Improv. I am also writing and producing some live and filmed sketches with Improvisation News. You can catch some of the sketches I have done on my profile at www.ImprovisationNews.com.

For more on Artistic New Directions, visit http://www.artisticnewdirections.org/

Spotlight On...Nathaniel Kent

Name: Nathaniel Kent

Hometown: Morgan Hill, CA

Education: BFA: NYU Tisch

Select Credits: Bea Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Arthur, Ars Nova); Three Seagulls or, MASHAMASHAMASHA! (Andrey - HERE Arts Center); The Sister (Bob, The Brick); The Land Whale Murders (Henry B. Lubbins III, Sergeant Fitz, Blow Hole Gang Member #2, Shelby Company)

Why theater?: I've been in theatre since I was a kid. It makes sense. Couldn't imagine NOT doing it. For the past few years I've been involved in mainly original work, which has certainly become a passion. Working with playwrights and putting together productions that help keep theatre alive and meaningful is always rewarding, challenging, and fun.

Tell us about Trevor: It's a great play. Nick has written a funny, tender, and sometimes scary portrait of a 200-pound chimpanzee you can't help but relate to. The story is pretty simple: Trevor was a show chimp, but now he's bigger and older and isn't getting hired. He can't really figure out why, but he has a resolve to make a big comeback. He has fantasies of being back on the air with Morgan Fairchild, doing things that humans do - like roller skating or smoking cigarettes - but ultimately Trevor is an animal living in a world in which he can't quite fit. Seeing Trevor 's struggle to feel part of the human world is at once beautiful and tragic, and it makes for a really great play.

What is it like being a part of Trevor?: Thrilling. Working with the team Lesser America has assembled is really a dream. The rehearsal period has been short but sweet. Design looks beautiful. Being in the room with Nick, Moritz and the rest of the cast has been amazing. It's a really talented bunch of people, and everybody loves the play and really wants to make it a great thing.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love a lot of types of theatre. From Shakespeare to musicals and everything in between. But I think what's most exciting for me is a playwright's work. If you get me going on the best stuff I've ever seen, some of it is because of the spectacle or the design, some of it certainly is due to performances or direction, but more often than not it has a whole lot to do with the writing. Theatre has always been a writers' medium, and a lot of contemporary work is more interested in other aspects of the work. So I really get jazzed when the script is incredible.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Ron Swanson at 25. I was him for Halloween two years ago and I can't tell you how many strangers asked me to take pictures with them. Felt real famous. People say I look like Orson Welles sometimes, so it'd be pretty killer to play him in a play or a biopic or something like that. And then of course, there's some Shakespeare I'd love to play around with.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Specific songs are tough, but I love Sweeney Todd and Ragtime.

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

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Daniel Day-Lewis, cause he can play anyone, I'm sure I wouldn't be a stretch. My life would certainly be in capable hands. It'd be called "Gift Of God" (that's what "Nathaniel" means...)

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Play: Tribes by Nina Raines. It played here at Barrow Street all last year, and now it's at the Mark Taper Forum. I've been telling all my friends in LA to check it out. TV Show: "Ben and Kate" (even though its off the air now, boo). It's real sweet. Very funny and original.Podcast: "Comedy Bang! Bang!" Every week something hilarious to listen to on the subway.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Every summer I watch "So You Think You Can Dance", weekly. I don't vote, but I watch.

What’s up next?: I do a monthly sketch show called Ephemerama at the Magnet Theatre, so that's always in the mix. Next show is March 18 at 7pm. We're working on making some web videos to complement the live show very soon as well. My theatre company, Shelby Company, got into the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the 5th straight year, so we'll be doing that over the summer. And we're narrowing down a project to produce this winter, most likely December, maybe first thing 2014. So keep an eye out for that!

Shameless Plug: Rhapsody Collective Indiegogo Campaign

Rhapsody Collective, a group of young actors, directors, dramaturgs, and writers, has launched an Indiegogo Campaign to fund their upcoming Dream Projects of new plays and they need YOUR help! Devised from the ground up, this May Rhapsody Collective will present the six plays in one harmonious rhapsody. But this can't happen without help and support from you. Click here to check out the campaign and please consider helping out these emerging artists! Thank you!
-Michael Block

Smash Report: The V-Mo Show

And we begin with a musical montage! Why? Because the episode is appropriately called “The Song.” Our friends are getting their day kicked off as V-Mo sings a song, fresh from her killer Oscar performance, oh wait that was J-Hud, for her little show. McSleazy asks Linda the Stage Manager a dumb question, prompting her to role her eyes. Go girl! V-Mo’s mom, played by Sheryl Lee Ralph, pops in at rehearsal to be the ultimate momager. McSleazy is grumpy because things aren’t going his way after Tom doesn’t help his image but V-Mo’s instead. Julia calls Tom telling him that she’s at NYU to talk to Peter the Dramaturg’s acting class. Is Peter playing nice? Well, Julia ain't! She’s got a list of digs at Peter to share! Kyle and Jimmy can’t get a concert of their music until their little angel calls, giving their dreams life. Could their song debut at V-Mo's show? At NYU, Julia discovers she’s not there to talk to the students, oh no, but instead to hear her little Bombshell out loud. Peter is not playing nice! Peter has changed the names of all the characters so she can hear it for what it truly is. Nice move! At V-Mo’s rehearsal, Ivy pops in to be a replacement dancer while Kyle and Jimmy are ready to present their music for V-Mo to sing. V-Mo’s mom got Bravo to film the concert, which would give Kyle and Jimmy the recognition they need. Will it work out in their favor? We’ll found out after that dreaded opening sequence. Sorry. I still don’t like it. Maybe by week five I’ll come around.
Karen performs a Jimle (Kyle and Jimmy…do we like it?) song for Tom for consideration to be a part of the concert. Tom shoots them down and gets bitchy when one half of Jimle snaps at him. Can you guess which one? Tom tries to level with them when he’s summoned by McSleazy over PA system. The other half of Jimle says he can write a song by the end of the night. Can you guess which one? At the NYU reading, the kids offer their suggestions about Marilyn, I mean Mary. They offer good criticism but Julia is still so attached that she can’t let go. Segue to Jimle’s song session of a song called "Can't Let Go"! They’re not have the best of luck, so Kyle gives Jimmy space, until Karen comes in to offer her suggestion. Of course it’s magical and what Jimmy needed. Jimmy explains he’s never written a song for anyone before so Karen says write it for you. Jimmy likes this profound idea and asks her to stay with him. Someone’s coming around! I smell love. Julia calls Tom about sociopath Peter and says she’s spending the night reading his one and only play. She opens the play up and her mouth drops. Why! Why! Could it be a play about Marilyn too? Well, we can’t know yet because Eileen just got surprised by her criminal boyfriend Nick! Uh oh…
J-Hud, I mean V-Mo has lunch with Ivy talking about life and McSleazy. Ivy calls him a genius. Fo real? V-Mo decides to give McSleazy’s ideas a shot. Don't play it safe. His version turns into a sensual version of “I Got Love.” Apparently V-Mo has never felt sexy before in her life. McSleazy gets in her face until Cynthia the Show Mom stops the show. Cynthia lays the smack down! She blackmails him by saying she’ll give Tom the director spot and spread the gospel of his continual sleazy ways. From sleazy to the sleazed. Eileen loves Nick who announces he’s about to turn himself in. To bed before jail! McSleazy finds Ivy outside of the theater who lets Ivy give him advice. Give them (the audience and Cynthia) what they want. V-Mo’s traditional way. So when Jimmy brings out his new song, he gets shut down by McSleazy who says he just has to wait his turn. Jimmy likes giving a bad boy impression so he gets right in McSleazy’s face. Unfortunately for him, he ain’t backin’ down! He looks for support from Karen but she can’t leave with him. Show must go on.
Karen calls Kyle looking for Jimmy, learning that Jimmy has a trigger that makes him wander for days. Someone’s got a dark side! Julia finds Peter and throws his play in his face. Literally. We learn that The Singing Bird is not about Marilyn but in fact about a singing bird. Oh boy. And I can't get my works published??? Julia doesn’t want to play games anymore, finally succumbing to Peter’s requests. In V-Mo’s dressing room, Stage Mom tries to sway her in a direction that she doesn’t think is right. Broadway and beyond. V-Mo tells her mom that she doesn’t know what she wants anymore. Tom and McSleazy try to go over the set list until Tom pulls out Jimmy’s music saying he’s the real thing. Will McSleazy bit after being told he sucks when he's a pushover? Yep! But McSleazy is forbidden from telling anyone Tom likes Jimle's music. In a montage moment of searching for Jimmy, Kyle is rudely interrupted by a plug for “Smash” Season 1. C’mon! But as the song continues, it’s actually a pretty good song. Definitely has a Billy Joel vibe with a key change giving V-Mo a non J-Hud moment on “Smash”! FINALLY! Separation! It’s subtle yet she gets to exclaim her glory note. Ivy hears her and thinks she should sing the song at the concert. Will she? Meanwhile Karen didn’t call the cops, instead stumbles upon a drunk missing Jimmy.
Jimmy shares he’s on drugs to deal with his life. He’s sick of letting everyone down and doesn’t want to show his face. But the real reason he was at the theater was because he was waiting for Karen. And they share their first kiss. It’s not perfect (ie the drugs) but it is sweet. Peter and Julia meet at Tom’s apartment, an odd meeting place, and drink at noon (which is so a theater thing) to attempt to work or something. Julia discovers that she writes better men than women (dig at TR!) and realizes that Marilyn is defined by the women she was with. Upon her epiphany, Julia rushes to her books to get back to research! Eileen reveals to her skeezy ex, Jerry, that Nick turned himself in and that she can’t really keep Bombshell. Backstage at V-Mo’s show, with Linda the only Stage Manager in the “Smash world (hey I need a job!) calling places, Cynthia the Stage Mom sees that V-Mo is a changed women and will do things her way for once. Buckle your seat belt momma, you’re not gonna wanna miss this!
V-Mo’s show has the McSleazy stamp of sensual on it. Her backup dancers are all touchy feely, including Ivy and Karen on each other. Subtext or just weird? But has V-Mo got her groove back? In the wings, Jimle pines over the fact their music isn’t being used. Or is it. V-Mo's got an announcement. A new song? It’s Jimle’s! The backdrop of roses, that eerily resembles the recent Follies revival, sets the stage for V-Mo’s final performance with Ivy and Karen singing back up. As we saw in this episode, there are three visions of what this song was going to be. McSleazy’s, Jimle’s, and V-Mo’s. Surprisingly, “I Can’t Let Go” is a perfect blend of all three. Everyone watches in amazement, including tear-filled Cynthia and happily shocked Jimmy. As rose pedals drop, Jimle can’t help but smile. The song ends and V-Mo invites Jimle on stage to take credit for their star moment. How sweet! If only everyone in theater was that honest and humble. Meanwhile at Julia and Peter’s work session, twelve hours later, Peter invites Julia to the Berkshires to work. She gets interrupted by Eileen to meet at headquarters. She announces that Bombshell is free to go to Broadway as long as Eileen steps down and Jerry taking the helm. Tom and Julia aren’t thrilled with the idea but they can’t pass it up. Jerry sits at his desk on the phone creepily revealing that he’s finally beaten Eileen at her game. He says to the person on the other line that he’ll pay him for his work as long as he never contacts him again. Jerry signs the check. Who is he addressing it to? Oh. My. God. No. Way........Ellis Boyd! SNOOPY! Snoopy was in on it! BEST ENDING EVER (on "Smash")!
“Smash”, it may have been a lackluster episode but you ended on the biggest shocker the show has ever seen. I mean, we should’ve seen it coming, right? But three episodes in and no mention of Snoopy, I thought he was gone without a trace. Oh no! Snoopy was the cause of the downfall of Eileen and Bombshell version one. Revenge is a bitch! So what do you think about Ellis’s involvement and the rest of the V-Mo-centric episode?

Spotlight On...Yanomi

Name: Yanomi

Hometown: Oita, Japan

Education: Hiroshima University, English and American Literature

Why theater?: Because performer and audience can share the real time and space filled with our voice and physical expression with our limitless imagination. Theatre is the miracle magic world!

Tell us about A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup: The mysterious Miss Hiccup lives alone, but is definitely not lonely. She is forever accompanied by a raucous cast of sounds and music that make her life an absurd adventure.

What inspired you to create A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup?: I often hiccup in my real life and it seems to be funny and embarrassing as an adult. I love the sounds from my body and the world.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love theatre in general, comedy of course, especially Japanese traditional comedy Kyogen is my favorite.  I love reading books as well, Michael Ende is one of my most favorites. And music always inspires me.

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

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The Cody Rivers Show is the best ever.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: "The Troublesome" starring Yanomi, myself!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Drinking beer all night long.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: An English teacher in Japan

What’s up next?: I'm going to perform in Czech Republic for the first time!

Spotlight On...Karim Muasher

Name: Karim Muasher

Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia

Education: BFA Acting, Ithaca College / MFA Lecoq Based Theater, London International School of Performing Arts

Favorite Credits: Definitely my role as Zombie in The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular!

Why theater?: As a child, I really loved watching TV.  I was also very solitary (in other words, I had no friends).  These two things gave me a lot of imagination, and so I think theater was a perfect fit.

Tell us about The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular: It's about a mustachioed professor (Penelope Vindlevoss) and her domesticated zombie (Edvard) putting on an entire circus by themselves.  The circus is a test for whether Edvard has truly reformed and become human.  It's got physical comedy, absurd characters, and a lot of heart.  After being developed at different variety nights, it toured to fringe festivals, and now makes its NYC premiere in Frigid Festival.  Tickets available at frigidnewyork.info

What inspired you to write The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular?: My fiancee (Carrie Brown) and I met in graduate school.  When we first moved to New York, we weren't sure if we wanted to make theater together.  We created Penelope and Edvard for a cabaret, just to test the waters and see how we collaborated.  They were such a hit, and we loved playing them so much, that we decided to make a full show.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love theater that really makes use of the live experience.  Anything with minimal sets and props, anything that breaks the fourth wall, anything that requires the audience to take an active part in the experience (whether through imagination or action). My work usually involves creating some kind of absurd or fantastical world.  I'm always inspired by the people I see every day.  The streets are full of characters that can be the seeds for something hilarious, tragic, poetic...

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I'd think it would be great to work with the writer-director-actor Gyda Arber.  We first met when I performed at the Brick's Game play Festival, and now we're both a part of Graffiti, the Brick's writing group.  We seem to be interested in similar types of theater, and have a mutual appreciation of each other's writing.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I don't really see a lot of theater.  I love the American Museum of Natural History, and would consistently recommend that to friends.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: The amazing local indie theater actor Timothy McCown Reynolds.  It would be called "Karim."

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I don't think I have any guilty pleasures.  I love baking bread and playing video games, but have absolutely no guilt about them.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A teacher, maybe.  Or a visual artist.  It would be really cool to have a rock band.

What’s up next?: After our Frigid Festival run, we go on tour this summer with our new two person show: Petunia And Chicken.  It's a prairie love story that occurs in a Willa Cather inspired world of cornfields and Czech accents.

Spotlight On...Lucas Brooks

Name: Lucas Brooks

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Education: Bachelor of Arts in The Arts with an Emphasis in Theatre from Eugene Lang College: The New School for Liberal Arts. Mhmm.

Favorite Credits: I'm very proud of my one-man shows VGL 5'4" Top and Fame Whore. I'm also having a great time with my burlesque career, which has been blossoming over the last year or so. I have some fond memories of playing Silvius in As You Like It and a mute jester dressed in purple lycra in The Glass Slipper back home in Michigan.

Why theater?: I love the give-and-take relationship that the stage offers with an audience. I love sharing my thoughts and feelings with various forms of media, but on stage you can actually feel the responses you're evoking and that makes the experience so much more valuable. If I tell a joke, I like to hear the laughter. If I share something very emotional, I like to see the reaction. It's fuel for me to keep doing what I do.

Tell us about VGL 5’4” Top: VGL is the story of one young man's struggle with his own body image and how it's affected by online dating. When we try sell ourselves online as potential mates, we have to place ourselves into a bunch of different categories, and not all of us are so easily boxed in. Mine is just one voice out of thousands of people who would make perfectly handsome mates if people could just abandon their obsession with "type."

What inspired you to create VGL 5’4” Top?: When I moved to New York and began to experience life as an adult, I started using the internet to meet potential partners. Over the course of several years, I found myself being criticized and rejected on a regular basis because I didn't meet all the expectations that guys had of me based on my appearance. Because I'm small, I must be a power bottom. Because I'm young (and look even younger) I must be dumb or naive. I decided to create a one-man show about these experiences for my senior thesis and the resulting product was VGL.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I have high respect for all theatre, but I generally respond best to the kind of stuff that makes you feel good… comedies, musicals… If I'm going to get really immersed in a hardcore tearjerker, it usually has to be something I closely relate with, like The Normal Heart. Mainly, though, I am most intrigued by theatre that breaks the mold and shows me something I haven't seen before. Patterns are so easy to fall into, and I am just as guilty of that as most people, but I believe that the most interesting art is created because the artist wants to, not because they think it's what somebody else wants to see.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Since most of my work is self-driven, this list is quite long. One of my longtime idols is John Tartaglia (Avenue Q) and I'd love to work with him on…well, anything. Alan Cumming is another one. He's an incredible actor…his range blows my mind. The list goes on, as they say.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I usually encourage people to look for theatre in unlikely places. New York's nightlife has some simply astounding entertainment available. I've had some wonderful theatrical experiences at the Broadway theaters, but I've also seen a drag show at a bar just a few blocks away that was even more entertaining, and FREE. I highly suggest investigating New York's burlesque scene as well. It includes some of the best performers I've ever met, that way too many people haven't even heard of!

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: The working title is "LOL: Lucas Out Loud". For the starring role it's a toss-up between Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe. Elijah has the look down pretty well, but I think Daniel would have more fun with it. He's also already used to taking his clothes off on stage, so there's that.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Old TV shows from my youth on Netflix and Hulu… Power Rangers, Young Hercules, Beast Wars, Reboot, etc.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: My day job is a sex educator in an adult toy shop. If I weren't performing, I'd probably get a bit more deeply involved in human sexuality. Teaching about it, I mean. I'm already pretty deeply involved in the usual way.

What’s up next?: I'll be taking VGL on the road a bit later this year… First for a campus gig in Illinois in April, then to the Toronto Fringe Festival in July. Once that's all over, I'll probably try to get my second show Fame Whore on stage again, and maybe even start working on a third show. I'd also like to work in film a bit, and try to get back involved with some bigger theatrical productions. My burlesque will fill in the gaps as I go along.