Spotlight On...Eddie Prunoske

Name: Eddie Prunoske

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Education: SUNY Purchase

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotlight On...Diana Beshara

Name: Diana Beshara

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL

Education: BA in Theater from Northwestern University

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotlight On...Anthony Michael Martinez

Name: Anthony Michael Martinez

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotlight On...Anna Van Valin

Name: Anna Van Valin

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotlight On...Elizabeth Simmons

Name: Elizabeth Simmons

Hometown: Hagerstown, MD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review: Basement Party!

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

photo credit: Stacey Abeles

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

Spotlight On...David Harrell

Name: David Harrell

Hometown: Brunswick, GA

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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


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


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


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

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