Guest Blog #8: Art Cart NYC™ Loves Duncan Malashock

Duncan Malashock, 

Godseye 2 (Video Still), 

Digital Video, 2009

Artist we’re into- Duncan Malashock

Meet Duncan, a new media artist who will be participating in Neon Seduction! Originally from San Diego, California, Duncan earned a BA from Bard College in Integrated Arts. He will be exhibiting his digital video, Godseye 2, with Art Cart NYC™. Using luminescent color, geometric shape, and ambient noise, his video work has a magnetic power to entrance the viewer. 


Duncan currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, and is a member of online art collective Computers Club. You can check out his portfolio here.

We've Moved!

Hey All:

Just to let you know that we will now be blogging at Wordpress!
that address is fourthartsblock.wordpress.com
and you can read all the in depth creative going-ons
here at the East 4th Street Cultural Center
(and you can even expect some blogs from Tamara Greenfield, the Executive Director of FAB!)
happy reading!

FAB

Guest Blog #7: Art Cart NYC™ Loves Corey D'Augustine

Light Pile, 2009 

Installation at  The Parlour, 2009 

 (Images courtesy the artist)

Artist we’re into-Corey D’Augustine 

Meet Corey, a multimedia artist whose pile of fluorescent lights will be illuminating the interior of our art cart! Raised in Maine, Corey studied art history and conservation at the Institute for Fine Arts, and now teaches at Pratt University and MoMA. He has also made a name for himself exhibiting his work throughout the NYC art community and abroad. He participated in “Silicon Valley” at PS1 and “An Exchange with Sol LeWitt” at Cabinet.

We took particular interest in Corey after his recurring participation in The Parlour, a “nomadic curatorial project” founded by Ciara Gilmartin and Leslie Rosa-Stumpf in 2008. The Parlour pops up in a new home for each exhibition, so you can imagine our delight to discover Corey’s piece, Light Pile, not only in the white cube gallery space, but also on display on a rooftop garden. The site specific installation activates each space it inhabits and takes on a new identity as external factors change.

Discover how the installation evolves when the Light Pile takes up residence in the truck.

Until then, you can take a look at more of Corey’s work here.

-Art Cart NYC™

Guest Blog #6: Art Cart NYC™ Loves Erin Wahed

Artist we’re into- Erin Wahed.

Meet Erin Wahed, the first artist to be included in the Neon Seduction Show. Though raised in Canada, Erin has been an East Village resident for a number of years. She recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, where she studied photography. Erin’s future as an artist is bright, with gallery shows in Chelsea and Montreal already behind her and upcoming exhibitions in the fall. She manipulates found objects and scenes in her photography to create what she calls “hybrid subjects.” Erin’s work exemplifies the feeling of the East Village today; It synthesizes the raw, experimental aesthetic of the ’80s art scene with the chic and glamorous face of the revitalized neighborhood.

A clip from her statement reads:

Allow yourself to be confused.
Macro, line, shape and color inspire my work.
There is no subject.
I combine photographs.
I de-compose.
I adjust.
I experient.
Look differently.
Steer away from assumptions.
Question.
Think.

The enemy of photography is the convention…
The salvation of photography
comes from the experiment.
-Lázló Moholy-Nagy

Erin Wahed 2010

To learn more about Erin, check out our artist page for a link to her website. -Art Cart NYC™

Stripes: The Mystery Circus at FringeNYC

Come and see Sarah Hayward in the final performance of her solo show, Stripes: the Mystery Circus at FringeNYC. It's this Saturday at 7:15pm at Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce St., West Village.

In Stripes: the Mystery Circus, people-pleasing Pollyhymnia, who will do anything to get into the circus. She brazenly re-invents eight iconic circus acts including: The Escape Artist, The High Wired Act and The Bittersweet Bearded Lady. Secret theories, mysteries and Leonard Cohen are just a few of Pollyhymnia’s passions. In this metaphysical musical, Pollyhymnia finds her way through song, memories and sheer determination.

"Stripes: The Mystery Circus benefits from an engaging performer and a unique premise…What ensues is a series of songs, stories, and comic bits that aim to show that life is a circus, and we're all performers in striped costumes…."    Meredith Lee, Theatermania

Check out more about Sarah and her NYC adventures in Sarah's blog or on her website!

http://stripestheworldtourbegins.blogspot.com/

www.sarahhayward.ca/

Behind the Scenes of Picking Palin! FringeNYC Stage Manager Jessica Pollack Reviews

As a stage manager, I'm usually one of the last people hired on a show.  The cast is already in place, the first time I see the script is a few days before rehearsal starts, and the first time I hear any of the words on the page out loud is at the first rehearsal after design presentations.  Not so with Picking Palin, written and directed by Stephen Padilla and debuting as part of this year's New York Fringe Festival at the Connelly Theater.  I was fortunate enough to come on board Palin during the casting process as a casting assistant, which has made my experience with the show a unique one.    

While Picking Palin explores the truth behind how and why Sarah Palin came to be the Republican Vice Presidential pick in 2008, it became clear during auditions that at just the mention of Sarah Palin's name, many people expected the play to be a send-up and a parody of Sarah Palin (some even expected a musical) rather than what it is -- a fly-on-the wall experience that lets audience members into a hotel room with four top Republican strategists as they come to a fascinating decision on John McCain's running mate days before the pick must be announced. 

Beginning with finding a cast that can transport the audience into that room, it's been an exciting journey watching them bring the words in the script to life to open a window on a story that audiences have never before seen.  If you're looking for an experience far more captivating and moving than a "Springtime for Sarah" send-up, and one that will stay with you long after you've left the theater, check out the website at http://www.pickingpalin.com/Home.html.

Playing @ Connelly Theatre: Sat 21 @ 9:45  Wed 25 @ 9:30  Sat 28 @ NOON  

Buy Tickets at fringenyc.com.   

Opening Tonight!!! ***Take a Spiritual and Wacky Ride with “Omarys Concepcion Lopez Perez Goes to Israel (to Speak to God at the Wailing Wall)."

Written and Performed by Leila Arias

Catch the New York Premiere at The New York International Fringe Festival – FringeNYC August 13th - 29^th, 2010

Creator/Performer Leila Arias returns to the New York International Fringe Festival with the New York premiere of her multi-character solo comedy show, “Omarys Concepcion Lopez Perez Goes to Israel (to Speak to God at the Wailing Wall).”Omarys is a Persian/Puerto Rican Catholic girl from the Bronx who desperately needs to speak with God. When her father grants her the birthday present of her dreams, a pilgrimage to Israel, she never imagines that her spiritual journey will start with a lie. Forced to pretend a handicap so they can fly first class proves only the beginning, as Omarys wades through a cast of characters who both help and hinder her progress towards a conversation with God at the Wailing Wall.Although actress Leila Arias has been traveling the world since the age of 5, it was her trip to Israel that would transform her life. Inspired by Jerusalem and the people she met there, Leila wanted to create a one-woman play to capture and share her experience with others. The result is a passionate and heartfelt comedy show that offers a unique global perspective wrapped into a neat 40 minute bow. “Omarys Concepcion Lopez Perez Goes to Israel (to Speak to God at the Wailing Wall)” marks Leila’s second appearance at FringeNYC.

For more info, excerpts from the show and tickets, please go to; www.leilaarias.com

Six performances; Friday 8/13 @ 5 p.m., Sunday 8/15 @ 1 p.m., Monday 8/16 @ 9 p.m., Friday 8/20 @ 10:30 p.m., Sunday 8/22 @ 7:30 p.m., Sunday 8/29 @ 3 p.m.!!!! The Players Loft Theatre -- 115 MacDougal St., 3rd Fl. @ West 3rd NYC 10012.  

FringeNYC Feels Good

By 
Stephen
 W 
Baldwin,
 playwright
 “My
 Name
 is
 Ruth”


Heat 
making
 you 
drag? 

Fret 
not
 theatergoer.

  Help
 is 
on
 the 
way!
 
A
 quirky 
half‐pint
 heroine
 is
 dowsing 
the 
city
 with 
a
 big, cool 
bucket 
of 
happy
 over
 at
 the 
Connelly
 Theater 
on
 East
 4th
 Street.


 She’s 
bold,
 she’s 
adorable, 
and
 she’s
 the 
essence
 of 
FringeNYC.  

Meet
 “My 
Name 
is
 Ruth.”


It’s
 1950’s
 Minnesota,
 don’tcha 
know?  

A
 young 
widow 
moves
 to
 the 
big 
city
 and
 lands
 a
 job 
at
 a
 department
 store.

  But
 can
 a 
bashful 
businessman
 save 
both 
her
 home
 and 
her 
heart?  


Gosh-o‐willickers,
 we 
hope 
so!


Isn’t 
fringe 
great?

  Where
 else 
can
 you
 see
 a 
modern
 romantic‐comedy
 based 
on 
the
 Biblical
 story
 of 
Ruth?  

Or 
what 
about 
a
 show
 with 
two 
boxing 
dancers?

 Or
 a
 singing
 Dracula? 
(the 
last
 two 
are
 at
 the
 Connelly 
as 
well,
 by 
the 
way)
 
A
 cool
 breath
 of
 fresh
 arts 
blows 
through
 each 
August
 and
 relieves 
the 
city 
of
 the
 summer
 doldrums.

  It’s
 a
 chance
 for 
every 
off beat 
playwright,
 cabaret
 act,
 and
 dancing 
duo 
to 
think
 WAY 
outside
 the 
box
 and 
be
 heard.


With
 us,
 we
 like 
to 
tell 
people 
we’re 
a
 theater
 company 
that 
won’t
 depress 
you.

  This
 adaptation,
 its
 adorable 
leading
 lady,
 and 
content
—
they 
are
 completely
 sentimental
 and 
heart‐warming.  

Sincere 
to 
its
 fullest.

 
We 
think
 you 
just
 don’t
get 
to
 see
 that
 very
 often
—
sincerity
 seems
 to
 live 
on 
the
 outskirts 
of 
theatre 
these 
days, 
on 
the
 fringe
 of
 society, 
if
 you
 will.  
But
 right 
now,
 that’s
 where
 I 
want 
to 
be.  

It 
feels 
good 
to 
cool 
off 
every 
once
 in
 a
 while
 with
 the 
rest
 of
 the
 optimistic
 avant‐garde.


Feeling
 good
 never
 felt
 so 
edgy!




“My
 Name 
is 
Ruth” 
is
 produced
 by
 34west
 Theater 
and
 plays 
at 
the
 Connelly
 Aug
15-25.

  Dates 
and
 details 
are 
available 
at
 www.34west.org/ruth­nyc­fringe.


Strange Love's Journey Across the Galaxy

By Jorge J. Rodríguez
Producer, The Contasia Players

On the planet Contasia, the evil worm Dr. Roswald Tuscanunin has kidnapped the alien princess
Splontusia to use her as a test subject for his diabolical “mean” serum. As she plots her revenge,
a strange love begins to brew in the beakers of Dr. T's mad science laboratory! But before they
can slither off into the sunset, their love is challenged by past romances that come back to haunt
them...

Strange Love in Outer Space is a new sci-fi musical traumedy by 12-year-old playwright Janyia
Antrum. Currently a seventh-grader at New Haven’s Wexler-Grant Community School, Janyia
wrote the first part of Strange Love during the 2009 Dwight/Edgewood Project (D/EP), an after-
school playwriting program at Yale Repertory Theatre/Yale School of Drama that’s modeled
after the 52nd Street Project. She created the characters and crafted the world of the play over the
D/EP camping retreat. In just two days, she had imagined a whole new universe! When she got
home, she realized that her story wasn’t over yet and that same night, she wrote a sequel. A few
months later, Yale Cabaret commissioned her to write part three, and the trilogy premiered as
part of the their 42nd season, playing to sold-out audiences.

The Contasia Players, a group of students and graduates from Yale School of Drama, are now
proud to present the New York City premiere of Strange Love in Outer Space at FringeNYC!

If you enjoy zany musicals, sci-fi epics or romantic comedies (or all!), join us at The Cherry Pit
for a performance of Strange Love (Venue #14, 155 Bank Street). Five performances only—
8/14 at 2:15pm, 8/17 at 10:30pm, 8/19 at 8pm, 8/21 at 5:30pm, and 8/23 at 4pm. For more
information and tickets, visit: www.StrangeLoveinOuterSpace.com

3boys: Dogs Take a Bite Out of the Fringe

The Fringe Festival is touching down on 4th Street this August.  We at FAB thought it'd be cool to get some of the shows talking about what they're doing.  They'll be posting guest blogs right here on the FAB Feed throughout the Fringe Festival!  Check it out and be sure to get your Fringe Tickets Fast!

-Laurel

By Katie Chambers, Producer of 3boys

Ever wonder if your dog feels degraded by the name “Fifi”?  Do you think he really likes wearing that pink poofy sweater to the park every day?  These are the kinds of questions that ran through playwright Becca Schlossberg’s head as she stared at her dog and wondered whether, in reality, he was less of a family member and more of a slave.  Take those philosophical musings, add a dash of social commentary and a whole lot of darkness and you have 3boys­, the riveting and blackly humorous drama premiering at FringeNYC on August 13.

In 3boys, two older dogs teach a young pup the ropes of the human world and how they must obey the whacky rules set by man in order to survive.  Sure, it’s a play about talking dogs, but it’s no Saturday morning cartoon.  The dogs’ relationships with one another crumble under the weight of the limitations humans have set upon them—society literally beats their natural animal desires right out of them, forcing them into an image of domesticated “perfection.”  Sound familiar?  3boys is a modern Aesop’s fable about masculininty and gay rights, and how a society’s ideals of right and wrong can often do more harm than good.

3boys is created, produced, designed, and performed by a group of Drew University alums who are dedicated to telling stories that matter and who are taking New York by storm.  It’s not just a bunch of 20-somethings dressing as puppies—they hired a fight choreographer who wrestled an attack dog for research.  They mean business.

If you like your theatre short, dark, weird, violent, profane, and meaningful, come downtown to the 4^th Street Theatre between August 13^th and 28^th to play with the 3boys—we’ll try not to bite.   Dates and tickets are at www.3boysNYC.com.

Best Vintage Street Festival!

Fourth Arts Block (FAB) just wanted to spread the word and the love about the Hester Street Market!

Time Out, rightfully so, has given the Hester Street Market a large print spread stating that the
Hester Street Market has been voted as the best vintage market in NYC!!! Check out the full article here.

The Hester Street Market is filled with all kinds of unique and fashionable treasures and FAB is excited to be tabling there this Saturday (07/17/10) from 11am to 2pm. At our table we will be distributing information about local art programs, FAB Passes and selling tickets to shows happening this weekend to the best theater in the East Village. Like tickets to FAB's innovative theater group NY Neo-Futurists show Too Much light Makes the Baby Go Blind.

The Hester Street Market is the perfect summer stop this weekend. If you are looking for some shade come to Hester Street. It is the shady (as in staying out of the sun!) place to be! The market is teeming with friendly vendors who are selling a wide variety of goods from: bikes/bike repairs, raw and organic food, unique and intense ice cream, natural body lotions and oils (they smell spectacular), stuffed animals, vintage clothing, tables of jewelry and much, much more!

For the small size of the space given to the market it is crammed with a large amount of exciting things, making this your one-stop-shopping experience for the weekend!

And if that is not enough there is usually a DJ playing music as well and a ping-pong table with a nearby misting tent! So come eat, drink, shop, cool off, play ping-pong and shake your groove thing in the Hester Street Market this weekend! One stop for cool excitement!

If you stop by, come visit me at the FAB table where I will be eating a delicious Mexican ice-pop from La NewYorkina.

Hope to see you there,
Matt Elliott

The Influencial Neo-Futurists

Playwright Adam Szymkowicz interviews Neo-futurist Kevin R. Free and Kevin gives us some insight into the workings of the Neo-Futurists and how it has helped to set him on his present path.

"Q: You worked with the New York Neo-Futurists. Tell me more about them?

A: I am still an ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists, FYI. I am taking a break for a while, but I could go back in 2011.

Everything I know about myself as a writer, I learned first as a Neo. We don’t play characters and we don’t ever pretend onstage. Because we acknowledge the audience as part of the show, the show is visceral and immediate and dangerous, when we get it right. The show to which I am referring is, of course, Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes). We write and perform all the plays and most of them are under 2 minutes. The plays are so in the moment that many people mistake the show as improv (but it aint). Anyway, I discovered when I started writing as a Neo-Futurist, I discovered that I had a lot to say – about myself – but I never really wanted to say it. A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays For White People is actually an expanded, extrapolated piece that started as a series of plays in Too Much Light…"

Read the full interview here.

Thanks Kevin or “Kay-yuh-vee-yin” (as us southerns pronounce it like Kevin kindly tells us in his interview)! This is a fantastic reminder of the impact and innovative work that the neo-futurists are having on many actors'/playwrights' lives. Helping the world of theater to become a foundation for artistic self discovery. A step in the direction of a shift in theater!

The Neo-Futurists are one of the members of Fourth Arts Block and we are proud of their ability to foster such creative and unique voices. Thanks for all you do Neos! You sure know how to bring out the best!

Come be see other Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind with the Neo-Futurists by stopping by the East village this weekend and every weekend.

Thanks for keeping it fresh on a hot summer day!

~Matt Eliott

BTGay At Gent's Night Out After-Party

After a day of fantastic shopping with Pride Goes East's Gentleman's Night Out store stop by Dixon Place to see the BTGay band perform this Thursday, June 24th from 9pm-11pm. See this youtube clip of the band's previous performance.

Read this statement from the band about the performance and performers not to miss this Thursday, June 24th from 9pm-11pm.

The BTK Band got its real start at The Stonewall Inn. I'd done a drag show as an experiment in character development and met the owner. We bonded over our Philadelphia sports tattoos and when the time came for the band to play, he gave us a spot. It was a lucky break for me, as I look like a post-menopausal Russian bride in a dress. Management gave us free reign, as long as their bar sales went up. That was no problem. Our shows at The Stonewall gave us the freedom to try new things, to implement different kinds of songs, to invite storytellers onstage and create a new type of music: improvised storytelling rock and roll. We slowly built an audience, many of whom had never had the occasion to go to The Stonewall. They all came back for more. It didn't hurt that there were lesbian jello wrestling matches downstairs. When our first June show came around, we wanted to do something different. We became The BTGay Band. We brought our best gay friends to tell their stories of Pride onstage with us. It just felt right. Our rhythm guitarist, Ian Dunn, whom we call The Tennessee Senator, drafted a BTGay Marriage Bill and passed it, effectively legalizing gay marriage (non-legally binding outside of the show). We married two gentlemen in a ceremony during our song "So Says The Lord." In that song, volunteers pick random bible verses and we explain them. Two verses were chosen, both happened to be about love and tolerance. The air in the room lifted. People were all together. The music was loud. The love was flowing. It was beautiful. We are proud to have the friends that we do. We are proud to provide an environment of chaos and acceptance. Come as you are to The BTK Band show. When we are BTGay, you better come fierce.

The King of the Lower East Side

Check out FAB's homepage to see the video of the route that the King of the Lower East Side took to win Pride Goes East's Scavenger Hunt. Check out David B.'s (the King) blog on the event and his youtube videos with Tamara Greenfield, Executive Director of Fourth Arts Block, and his winning statements as King of Lower East Side. Great job David and we are honored to have you as out King!

Men Shopping Extravaganza

Pride Goes East is excited to invite all the men (or women who are buying for men or like male clothing) to an event filled with fashionable and rare shopping, liquor and an after party at Dixon Place with the BTK Band, NYC's improvised storytelling rock band who in their celebration of Pride will be known as the BTGay Band! Gentlemen's Night Out starts at 6pm and goes until 9pm on Thursday June 24th. Prizes will be given out to the first few individuals who buy $50 or more at each store.

Get a head start on your fall wardrobe at Gentlemen's Night Out with my selection of some of the most fashionable jackets from the Lower East Side.

One of the stores participating is well-tailored designs By Robert James who "aims to make every man feel who wears his clothing feel as handsome as the clothes themselves" which means that every man who shops here will be leaving looking extremely handsome. Check out this photo of Robert James' The Washington jacket.

Another store is Any Old Iron which specializes in rare and UK-specific mensware clothing. This store is the first of its kind in Manhattan. Check out this Green Tonic jacket, I know it is on my wish list for the fall! I love unique clothing stores like this. Come and help bring Euro fashions to the city and the Lower East Side at Gentlemen's Night Out.

If your style is more punk rock check out The Cast who specializes in denim, leather and t-shirt designs with a harder edge. This store is cutting edge with an '80s punk influence. Check out this hot vintage leather jacket.

Vintage-inspired Kai D Utility offers designs that he says are inspired by "wisdom". Every pocket and accessory are placed in the exact and most logical location. This store is perfect for the intellectual and philosophical man. Clean lines and cool colors offer a pristine look well suited for any chic man. Check out this sophisticated jacket from Kai D Utility.

Whether you are shopping for a well-tailored design, Euro fashion, Punk Rock/Vintage clothing or clothing for the sophisticated and wise attend Gentlemen's Night Out to meet your fashion needs. Visit all the stores and get drink tickets for the BTGay show at Dixon Place for the after-party. Make this event a must-do to kick off your Pride weekend.

Peace, Love and Fashion,
Matt Elliott

An Event of Good Fortune

It was a night of grand fortune and posh surroundings. The Fourth Arts Block Benefit, Year of the Tiger, was such a huge success sitting on top of the Cooper Square Hotel's Penthouse looking out onto the glowing city. It excited my southern mindset and I knew that I was a long way from home. As the Knickerbocker Village blog says I felt like "I was sitting on top of the world". Check out his blog on the benefit to see his wonderful slide show. This slide show has pictures to see the view if you missed the event or have trouble remember the what happened because was a wonderful night filled with generous amounts of drinking and socializing.

Coming from Lexington, KY I have never attend an event of such grand proportions. FAB sure knows how to throw a party with southern hospitality: open bars, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and people dressed in their finest apparel. I was so excited to have the opportunity to make reservations and work the line for the fortune tellers. By working the line I met all kinds of wonderful New Yorkers, who are not mean like we are told they are in Kentucky!

The fortune tellers did a magnificent job, people left their readings with goose-bumps and with information to help guide them on their path. FAB covered all the bases of fortune telling from the stars to the cards to the palms. Several individuals made the rounds to all the fortune tellers. No secret was left untold at this party and people's fortunes were made clear.


Sporting my bright pink jacket I felt like I got to be a small part in making this colorful event more colorful. Sidra Bell's Dance company filled the space with color through movement and extravagant costumes.

Tamara, Lauren, Laurel and the multitude of volunteers help create an event that will be remembered in the stars and you can hire Kevin the Astrologer to find the FAB: Year of the Tiger constellation. I predict an even more spectacular benefit.

To see some of FAB's pictures of the evening check it out on our flickr account. FAB would like to express great gratitude for A Ruiz Photography for his spectacular job in capturing the memories of the night.

Thanks for being a part of these memorable evening!

Matt Elliott
FAB's newest intern

The Golden Girls at Pride Goes East

We are excited to announce that the Golden Girls of drag will be making a special appearance at the Ladies' Brunch event for Pride Goes East. Come check them out on Sunday June 20th at 1pm!

From Nosedive Productions: The Little One

Nosedive Productions

presents

The Little One

A new play by James Comtois

Directed by Pete Boisvert

Cynthia, a fledgling vampire, is taken under the wing of a more venerable one, Marie. Marie tries to teach her little one how to hunt and be merciful towards humans. However, like all rebellious children, Cynthia has ideas of her own on how to make the most out of immortality.

Featuring

Ryan Andes - Becky Byers - Rebecca Comtois

Stephanie Cox-Williams - Jeremy Goren - Stephen Heskett

Melissa Roth - Patrick Shearer - Christopher Yustin

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street
(between Bowery and Second Ave.)

June 17 - July 10
(Thursdays through Saturdays)

All shows at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets on sale now

Discounted Pride Happenings this Weekend!

This weekend is packed full of exciting and innovated LGBT inspired Pride Goes East events!

This weekends line-up is:

Bull Dyke Chronicles
June 5 9:30PM,
Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St.,
Free FABPass with ticket purchase

Shelly Mars & Kirby (Shelly's four-legged mascot) offer a night of bull-dyke bullshit, artistry and edgy performance. Shake your tails off.

The Final Episode of Room for Cream
June 5, 5PM & 6:30PM,
La MaMa E.T.C.,
74A East 4th Street

This is the final installment of the live lesbian soap opera Room for Cream. If you missed the first few episodes, no worries!... here is a recap. This final installment will be a must see !

To Believe
June 6th at 6PM,
La MaMa La Galleria,
6 E. 1st St., Free FABPass with on-site donation to HMI

This art show features artists who are a mixture of skeptics and believers, participants and observers. Through their work they consider the actions taken to achieve self-fulfillment and enlightenment through the otherworldly.

Red Mother
June 4th & 5th at 8pm, 6th at 2:30pm
La MaMa First Floor Theatre,
74A East 4th Street

Muriel Miguel, the acclaimed Native American performer and co-founder of the Obie-award-winning collective Spiderwoman Theater, has cast herself as a Mother Courage character in her newest play, "Red Mother." Murielle Borst, Artistic Director of The Silvercloud Singers and Dancers, and Miguel’s daughter, is director and choreographer.


This weekend is filled with both comedic and enlightened LBGT stories. We hope to see you there!

Inside Look at LAVA Loving & Daring at Dixon Place!

Sarah Johnson, the Artistic Director of LAVA talks about putting together the past, present and future to make LAVA Loving & Daring which will be premiering at Dixon Place on June 3rd, 2010:

On January 3rd 2010 we began rehearsing LAVA Loving & Daring at our Brooklyn studio.  On June 3rd 2010 we will begin performing LAVA Loving & Daring at Dixon Place.  LAVA is celebrating 10 years by creating a show that has highlighted, remixed, and revived some of our and our audiences' favorite material from the past decade.  It has  been really interesting to look at all of our past work and to try to assess what has withstood the test of time. 

We are including many of our most acrobatic and virtuosic pieces:  double trapeze, human pyramids, hoop diving and team tumbling.  All are done by a cast of women who are amazingly strong and synchronized, some new to the company, some veterans with 10 years under their belts.  Also a good dose of geology and earth sciences with duets inspired by volcanoes and plate tectonics, a semi-accurate geology lecture that involves audience participation, swing dancing that combines with wrestling to point to the complexity and humor of socially-dictated gender roles, and a section from Tides inspired by the sounds and rhythms of ocean waves.  We will be showing some of our site-specific video collaborations with Nancy Brooks Brody from residencies that we did in California, Hawaii, and New York. And a parade of props that refer to the heroics and inanities of scientific knowledge.  

I am hoping that audiences will get to see the unusual combination of aesthetics, politics, and physicality that is unique to LAVA:  our feminist resistance embodied in female strength and intimate relationships, our connection to the natural world, our movement vocabulary that spans from the virtuosity of acrobatics to the simplicity of pedestrian movements that anyone could do, and our commitment to a humanity and accessibility in our connections with each other, our community members, and our audiences.  


Get a preview of the show here.

X-YU Festival is up an running!

X-YU Festival, a one-of-a-kind partnership between three arts organizations in the downtown area (Dixon Place, WaxFactory and Dance New Amsterdam) kicked off last night with a punk-energy-driven WAYS OF LOVE by Maja Delak and Luka Princic from Slovenia and SAD SAM / ALMOST 6 /, an affecting solo by the Croatian choregrapher and dancer Matija Ferlin. We've had fantastic responses from our audiences, and many interesting conversations were simultaneously bubbling at Dixon Place's cozy lounge in between the two shows, partly fueled by the delicious Festival special...a refreshing cocktail called the Dirty Socialist (no, we won't give you the ingredients...you are just going to have to come down to try it!)

The work of all three participating companies is now on view for the first time in the United States -- including tonight's American premiere of Dalija Acin's installation/performance HANDLE WITH GREAT CARE, and you can see at least two shows on any given weeknight: and, on Saturday May 29, our closing day, you can be that hardcore contemporary performance fan, and see all three works in a row, beginning at 5pm!

Also, if you are interested in meeting the artists, asking questions, and hearing more about their work, join us as they converse with several protagonists of New York dance scene: tonight, there will be a post performance discussion on HANDLE WITH GREAT CARE with Jill Sigman, following the 9pm performance; on Saturday, WAYS OF LOVE at 5pm will be followed by a post-performance conversation lead by Ann Liv Young, and SAD SAM / ALMOST 6 / at 7pm will be followed by a post-performance conversation lead by the founders of the Moving Theater.

For a complete line-up, visit: http://www.dixonplace.org/html/XYU.html

La MaMa Moves! Festival & Benefit

La MaMa is bringing back their dance festival this summer along with a benefit honoring Sara Rudner and Laurie Uprichard.  Both of these women have made wonderful contributions to the dance world: Sara with her undeniable grace and beauty in movement and Laurie for her international support and outreach to other dance communities.
The line up for the benefit is impressive: Rocky Bornstein - Robert Een - Doug Elkins - John Kelly - Jon Kinzel - Jodi Melnick - Rashaun Mitchell - Quarry Film by Meredith Monk - David Neumann - Bill Ruyle - John Scott  and Vicky Shick.  Sara Rudner herself will also be performing with her collaborators--definitely not something you would want to miss.
You can buy tickets here, and do so if you can!  It'll be a lot of fun and is for a great cause:  La MaMa E.T.C. is an institution for performance that has been giving opportunities to many artists for almost 50 years. 
 The festival itself is also hosting scores of talents from all different areas of dance.  Each day has a theme to it, including Mavericks in Motion, Dancing Divas and a showcase of NYU alums.  The festival runs from June 3rd-20th and definitely has something in store for everyone.

This Blog is Pretty Cool.

So, we just found this blog that is is doing something pretty interesting.  This actor, Anna, has given herself the challenge of seeing one play every week for one whole year.  This is a good goal to have to begin with.  Many of us here at FAB are also involved in the performing arts and between rehearsals, techs and our own shows it can be difficult to get out and see the other work that is happening.  So, kudow Anna!

Secondly, Anna has chosen to share this challenge with the world by writing about every show that she sees, giving the rest of us insight into shows that we maybe would have missed out on in the first place.  This past week, Anna went to see the much discussed Gin & "It" at Performance Space 122.  Everything that I have heard about this show sounds wonderful, creative and bizarre.

Gin & "It", by Reid Farrington, takes its inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's film, Rope.  This film used certain camera choreography to make the entire film appear to be one long take.  This is a feat within itself, and for Farrington to create this on stage is ambitious to be sure.

You can read more about the show on Anna's Blog:  A Year of Plays and I would say that you should keep going back to it since her view seems to be smart and in tune with the shows that she's seeing.  Also, be sure to get your tickets to Performance Space 122's Gin & "It" since the last performance is Sunday, May 9th!

Regina Nejman's Repertory Workshop May 17-21

Hi everybody! I will be teaching a Repertory Workshop May 17- 21 from 10Am-12Pm @
Panetta Movement Center @
214 West 29th Street, 10th Floor, New York NY 10001

I will be teaching movement from my recent works: Delete/Her and ANNETTE and will be auditioning male and female dancers for upcoming performances.
The class will start with a thorough warm-up followed by repertoire.

                                                                            

Cost:  

$90 Before May 7
$100 After May 7
$20 Single Class

 pay online at:  http://reginarepertoryworkshop.blogspot.com/

 

 

                                                                                                             Julie Lemberger

 

Pedal Power 2010: Kids' Art Bike Parade Coming Up!

Join Us! Make Art! Ride Your Bike! Register Today! - www.evccnyc.org

The East Village Community Coalition is hosting the third annual Kids' Art Bike Parade on Saturday, May 8th in Tompkins Squar Park. It is a celebration of the arts, bicycling and sustainable street design. In addition to riding in the Parade, folks may transform their bicycles into mobile works of art, join the Learn-to-Ride Class (begins at 10:00 a.m.), take advantage of free bicycle tune-ups and benefit from free helmet fittings and giveaways.

Additionally, there will be live entertainment in Tompkins Square before the Parade, and Rude Mechanical Orchestra will welcome Parade participants back into the Park before the free raffle and post-ride refreshments.

Parade co-sponsors include Transportation Alternatives, Recycle-A-Bicycle, the Lower East Side Peoples' Mutual Housing Association, Bike New York and the NYC Department of Transportation. For more information, and to register for this FREE event, call 212.979.2344 or e-mail lesbikeparade@gmail.com

"Small Voices" Installation

Today, Brian George and I deinstalled "Are We There Yet?" to make room for the second rotation of the ArtUp 2010 program. The Community Word Project exhibition consists of two images with a poem interspersed in between the images.




















The installation went pretty smooth today. Again, I want to thank Lauren for the hours she put into creating the file on illustrator and Art Digital for printing it, and delivering it to us today. Special thanks go to Thomas Caudill for helping out with the installation and to K. Savage for lending us the "magic" clamps!

Defining Addiction

My new play Moving Day, running through May 1 at the Kraine Theater is a story of addiction.

On the surface, it tells the tale of Max, a recovering heroin addict.  The play takes places on the "front stoop" of the family home in Greenpoint he shares with his sister, Emily.  Max is clean from heroin, moving away from Brooklyn, escaping to the small town of Franconia, New Hampshire to start his life over.  But, looking deeper, we see Max also has an addiction to an unhelathy relationship with his soon to be ex-wife Melinda.  And as we learn more about Emily and her "fake" boyfriend Steven, we can see their addictions as well.


I never intended to write a play about addiction.  I wanted to write a play about what happens on the front stoop of a house in Brooklyn, because I saw so many things happen there when I was growing up.  But, when I started writing, I started realizing all of the characters were addicted to something, chemical or otherwise and I became fascinated by that.  I began to think about what really defines addiction and came to the realization that it is something you think you can't live without.  It doesn't have to be drugs, it can even be a person.  Something you're consumed by, that you spend every waking moment thinking about and every sleeping moment dreaming about.  Something you want all the time.

Moving Day is a very personal story for me because my uncle was addicted to heroin.  I never knew this until I was in my 20s.   My whole life, I had been conditioned to believe that heroin addicts were those strung out, desperate "junkies" (a word I absolutely loathe, but very often the first word associated with heroin addiction) in the park with that glazed look in their eyes.  But, that wasn't my uncle.  He was funny, charming and loving and yet he struggled with one of the worst chemical addictions there is.  He had nicknames for everyone in our family -- I was Himo, my sister was Taco, my grandmother and grandfather were Bozo and Spitzy, and his sister was simply Sister.  He loved the ocean, kept a salt water fish tank and went scuba diving any chance he got.

One of my most vivid memories of my uncle is not a childhood one.  I was an adult, working in midtown, walking to my bus after work and he was on the corner, waiting for his estranged wife outside her office.  She had recently moved out and left him.  He just wanted to talk to her, he said.  What I remember so clearly was the sadness in his eyes.  The only word I can use to describe him is broken.  

My uncle's voice spoke to me in the character of Max.  Max's voice was the loudest of all the characters.  I kept trying to ignore it, to silence the sadness he wanted me to write about but I couldn't.  He wanted me to tell his story.  I am proud to share his story with anyone who wants to listen.  Moving Day is for you, Uncle Mikie, I love you with all my heart.

Moving Day runs through May 1 at the Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003.  Tickets are available through Fourth Arts Block.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fires. The Tenement Museum has posted some photos of the event on their blog.
The museum will be holding a free talk tonight at 6:30PM so check it out.

Regina Nejman- ANNETTE interview with JIM MOORE

Regina Nejman - ANNETTE - Dixon Place from Jim Moore on Vimeo.

Elephants on Parade: Interview with Playwright Rhea MacCallum

Check out the fourth in our series of interviews with playwrights from Elephants on Parade 2010, coming to Teatro IATI March 10-20, 2010. The next installment, with playwright Rebekah Lopata, will be posted on Wednesday.

Today we talk with Rhea MacCallum ("Selling Beaver"). Her credits include: Baby Secrets (Cheeky Monkey), Getting Back to Me (Acme New Works), Name Me (Theatre Encino), Flushed Suicides (Stage Left Studios), Baby Blues (MADAIR Productions), A Little Experimenting (Native Aliens, Strings Attached), Resurrection for Dummies (Stormy Weather Players), The 7th Disorder (TADA!’s 15th Annual Playwriting Contest winner, Westbeth). Rhea holds degrees from USC and New School University and belongs to the Dramatists Guild, ICWP and ALAP. Yesterday Once More was a finalist for the 2004 Heideman Award.

Check out the full interview on our Tumblr blog. For more information on the festival and five other new one-act plays, visit www.ebeensemble.com or check out the show page at SmartTix to buy tickets. Use code FAB411 for $10 tickets (normally $15!)

Elephants on Parade - Interview with playwright Libby Emmons

Check out the third in our series of interviews with playwrights from Elephants on Parade 2010, coming to Teatro IATI March 10-20, 2010. The next installment, with playwright Rhea MacCallum, will be posted on Wednesday.

Today we feature Libby Emmons ("leaving last night"). Her past work includes: Co-producer: Blue Box’s Sticky. Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission 2009. “The Worm Turns at the Fort Peck Hotel,” 2009 NY Theatre Review. Film: “I Miss You” Acorn Films, LA, 2010; “Malcolm & Margerie,” 2010. Full-lengths: The Girls From Afar, reading: East West Players, LA; Desipina, NYC.; finalist Yale Drama Series 2010; The Little Room, short listed: BBC’s 2009 Radio Play Competition. Shorts: NYC, LA, Buffalo, Sacramento, New Zealand, Argentina; Collaborator: Polybe + Seats. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence and an MFA from Columbia.

Check the interview out on EBE Ensemble's Tumblr blog, ebeensemble.tumblr.com!

For more information on the show, visit www.ebeensemble.com, or check out the show page at SmartTix to buy tickets. Use code FAB411 for $10 tickets (normally $15!)

Elephants on Parade - Interview with playwright Nicole Pandolfo

Check out the second in our series of interviews with playwrights from Elephants on Parade 2010, coming to Teatro IATI March 10-20, 2010. The next installment, with playwright Libby Emmons will be posted Monday morning!

Today we feature Nicole Pandolfo ("Things to do in New Jersey"). Her play “Canadian Tuxedo” was produced in Boston, London, California, New Mexico, Melbourne, and Singapore. It won the People’s Choice Award at the Short + Sweet Singapore Festival and will be published in the 2010 Best Ten-Minute Plays by Smith and Kraus. “Love in the Time of Chlamydia,” which she wrote, directed, and performed at the Estrogenius Festival in October, will be published in The Book of Estrogenius in 2010. She has studied with Craig Lucas, Gretchen Cryer, Austin Pendleton, Donna de Matteo, and Julie McKee.

Check it out on EBE Ensemble's Tumblr blog at ebeensemble.tumblr.com. For more information on the show, visit www.ebeensemble.com, or check out the show page at SmartTix to buy tickets. Use code FAB411 for $10 tickets (normally $15!)