The House of Ash

It's been awhile since I last posted. I am in the middle of participating in the American Theatre Wing's Springboard intensive (http://www.americantheatrewing.org/springboardnyc/). I can't stress enough how much I recommend this to any performer, especially those who are making to move from out of town to the city. Although I have been living in NY for some time now, it has given be me new prospective on living in the city, plus I have been able to meet and network with some of the best and brightest in the theatre community. In the last week I've seen tons of shows (more to come) and have had a 9am-6pm schedule of workshops, talks and mock auditions with agents, casting directors, working actors and directors. I'm really happy to be part of Springboard.

Co-Op Theatre East is officially fiscally sponsored (get your checkbook out...) through Fractured Atlas. Because Robby and I attended a workshop at SSDC (Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers) the fee was waived and we will not have to pay dues to Fractured Atlas for a year... when we will have the money to pay for dues (woot). As soon as the logo is finished (we have an amazing artist working on our logo) we'll be launching our website(s). Lots of (brackets) in this last paragraph ...

I'm working out the rest of my summer plans as I type this. I have the opportunity to participate in a peace/conflict resolution delegation to Israel and the West Bank in a few weeks. I really want to do it but am also following the news closely and considering safety measures. I would also be working in the Freedom Theatre in Jenin for a month which of course would be life changing and I'm dying to make contacts there, especially for future COTE initiatives etc. We'll see what happens... I need to book this plane ticket by the middle of the week if it's going to work.

I have several exciting events coming up which are listed below including performing with ZehlSteen Think Pound at the UCB theatre tonight, directing a solo performance at Theatre for the New City, which is part of the Lower East Side's Art Festival on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 and Co-Op Theatre East's Summer Reading Series, beginning in June. I definitely hope to see you at some of the performances!

My sketch comedy group, ZehlSteen Think Pound's Upright Citizen's Brigade show is today... Monday, May 19th at 6:30. This is a very important show, as we're competing for a regular spot at the UCB. The location of the show is:

Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre306 W 26th St between 8th and 9th Aves.

Renowned sketch comedy group Murderfist will also be performing. Only $5 for two very nice groups.
Again, reserve tickets here:
http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/reservations/create/11870
ZehlSteen Think Pound on the web: www.myspace.com/zehlsteenthinkpound

I am directing performance artist Katherine Adamenko (http://www.ladypants.com/) in a short piece from a new play called "Halma and Raina" by Issak Esmail Issak . The play was produced in Iran last year (an incredible story) and has had productions in other countries outside of the US (Norway and Canada). We're hoping to get it picked up in NYC. Please feel free to stop by and check it out.
We go up at 10:00 pm ... the details and location is below...
Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
Telephone: (212) 254-1109
Fax: (212) 979-6570
http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net/les.htm

L.E.S.THE 13TH ANNUAL LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Friday, May 23rd, 6pm - 1am
Saturday, May 24th, 10am - 1am
10am - 6pm - OUTSIDE ON E. 10th STREET - Cultural Fair, Performances, Food, Vendors!2pm - 5pm - INSIDE - Performances for Kids and by KidsSunday,
May 25th, 6pm - 1am
FREE!!! FREE!!! FREE!!!

Co-Op Theatre East News...

Beginning June 2, we're going to be reading plays on Monday nights @ 7 p.m. in Washington Square Park. Not "performing" for the public, per se, but getting folks together, maybe throwing a frisbee around a bit, reading together, then maybe grabbing a beer afterward. We're going to start with The Trojan Women on June 2; on June 9, we'll be reading Waiting for Lefty. Come join us! We're hosting a festival of new short works!!! We are currently accepting unpublished, un-produced plays, up to 15 minutes in length with small casts (that fit the mission statement!); 4 or 5 will be produced in September.

If you'd like to submit, send your work to cooptheatreeast@gmail.com .

Our company:
...is called Co-Op Theatre East, and we operate from New York City.

Our mission statement:
The Co-Op Theatre East believes in the power of art to foster a dialogue for social change. We provide an entertaining performance forum in which to ask evocative, challenging questions of artists and audiences on our way to creating collaborative answers.

For more information on Co-Op Theatre East, e-mail cooptheatreeast@gmail.com

I have a callback tomorrow for the National Children's Theatre tour tomorrow. Looking forward. I recently have had my 4th callback for Mrs. Lascalzo in "The Awesome 80's Prom" Off Broadway. Lot's of callbacks... hoping to book something soon!

I can't stress enough how thrilled I am to be involved in the Hemispheric Institute's EMERGENYC 2008 (http://hemisphericinstitute.org/emergenyc/) . In just 3 meetings, I've really felt myself stretching as an artist and performer. It's also given me a rich foundation to work from for my next directing projects. We've been working on a lot of Boal technique with George Sanchez and have had some fantastic workshops with Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Patricia Hoffbauer. I'm looking forward to working with Reverend Billy at the end of the month, among others. The other artists in the group are insanely talented and dynamic. I can't wait to see how the final performance is going to turn out in November, especially since the work thus far has been fantastic.

I know that I will be continuing the solo performance piece I started working on with Karen Finley this semester called "What to do In case You Miss the Rapture (... and other apocalyptic tales)". It started out as a response to my experiences within the Evangelical community and looking specifically at the beliefs in "end times" and eschatology... all of those fine topics. It actually was inspired by a pamphlet that a church group handed me in Times Square last summer called "What to Do In case You Miss the Rapture"... it's a bizarre little pamphlet complete with drawings and inscriptions ... and I knew it would make a fabulous theatre piece in the future, so there. The topic has broadened since last summer though to include testimony from people of many religious orientations. Currently, it's a response to our culture's dooms day obsession. I've edited several interviews (enough to have about 15 minutes worth of material) but I have an outline and will continue working on it this summer and have it done (or at least have a workshop ready script) by the time EMERGENYC is finished.

I'm currently directing a short piece in a theatre festival at Theatre for a New City coming up on Memorial Day Weekend. This is actually a very exciting collaboration. I will be directing performance artist Katherine Adamenko (http://www.ladypants.com/) in a short piece from a new play called "Halma and Raina" by Issak Esmail Issak . The play was produced in Iran last year (an incredible story) and has had productions in other countries outside of the US (Norway and Canada, I believe). We're hoping to get it picked up in NYC. Katherine is a founding member of a new feminist performance artist group called Estrogen Radical Artists (ERA) (http://www.myspace.com/EstrogenRadicalArtists) which I can't wait to see get itself off the ground.... definitely a much needed initiative.

I saw a great show last night at the Women's Project (http://www.womensproject.org/07-08_season.htm) called CroOked by Catherine Trieschmann and directed by Liz Diamond. It was absolutely beautiful and moving (my kind of play). Trieschmann tackles some heavy issues, very realistically and poignantly. I highly recommend it. As soon as Co-Op Theatre East has enough money to buy rights (pretty soon! hehe) this is a show that I NEED to direct. It's a "coming of age" story with some very contemporary twists. I'm pretty sure this is its last week. Anyway, be on the lookout for future productions. The cast was great too!

Oh, and I'm now *officially* a "Master of Performance Studies" ... so, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you may need a "Master of Performance Studies", you know where to find her.

One of my colleagues and closest pals, Robby and I have started a theatre company. We know it's going to be a lot of hard work to get it on its feet but we're ready to commit to it. The company is called Co-Op Theatre East and our mission statement is to create art that fosters dialogue to create social change. We provide an entertaining performance forum in which to ask evocative, challenging questions of artists and audiences on our way to creating collaborative answers. Below is our first call for short plays, which will be performing at The Tank in September. We're taking submissions from playwrights both nationally and internationally. Below is our call. We should have our logo finished soon and our myspace page/facebook group ready to go in a few weeks.

Co-Op Theatre East (COTE) is seeking new, unpublished works for its upcoming short play festival scheduled for Fall 2008.

All submissions should:

- require small casts;
- be no more than 15 minutes in length; and,
- fit the company's mission statement: The Co-Op Theatre East believes in the power of art to foster a dialogue for social change. We provide an entertaining performance forum in which to ask evocative, challenging questions of artists and audiences on our way to creating collaborative answers.

Four to five pieces will be selected for production as part of COTE's first short-play festival, tentatively scheduled for September 2008. We look forward to working collaboratively with participating playwrights as we develop these productions; however, as the festival is being staged as a fundraiser for Co-Op Theatre East, we cannot offer compensation to playwrights.

To submit, please send a copy of the script, along with your contact information and résumé, to cooptheatreeast@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2008.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Artistic Directors Ashley Marinaccio and Robert Gonyo via e-mail: cooptheatreeast@gmail.com. Additionally, please feel free to share this e-mail with friends and collaborators!

Thanks in advance, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Please come and cheer ZSTP on at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on May 19th, as we audition for a regular show at the UCB theatre. This is a huge opportunity for us and we'd be thrilled to have all of our friends and supporters there.



Zehl Steen Think Pound in "SPANK!" at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

Date: Monday, May 19, 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Street: 307 W. 26th St
City/Town: New York, NY

Phone: 212-366-9176
zstp45@gmail.com





Become a friend of Zehl Steen Think Pound on MYSPACE ... http://www.myspace.com/zehlsteenthinkpound
Some of our past sketches...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sSu-tfr-mOk - A Really Great Job!
http://http//youtube.com/watch?v=Wc3UrToN2uI&feature=related - Healthy Products!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF86yJK9fpI&feature=related - Hipster World!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_boTGZKqN-o&feature=related - French Tourism Commercial!

First presentation of "Becoming Columbia" tonight. It went well considering we're just starting Phase 2 of the project. I have posted some pictures from the presentation on the project's blog. www.academicfreedomtheatreproject.blogspot.com . I guess this is the first time I have mentioned the "Academic Freedom" theatre project on this blog. It definitely won't be the last. To make a long story short, I'm working with a fantastic group of actor/writers on developing a documentary theatre piece on academic freedom. We're questioning the definition of academic freedom and bringing to light incidents at Columbia, NYU and Pace where issues of "academic freedom" and "free speech" have come to light. Although we have been working since January and have already presented 15 minute segments (next presentation coming up in May), we have a long journey ahead of us. It's a very exciting project and everyone is looking forward to pressing on. I'm also in the process of writing a supporting "artistic statement" to hand in as part as my MA presentation... which basically analyzes the material using performance studies theory. Basically, I'm looking forward to not having to approach it as an academic piece, and rather just a script and a play that will open up discourse on this topic in both non-academic AND academic circles. After all, as I've learned from one of my informants, "Academic Freedom is Free Speech in the University and what is happening in the University represents what's happening in the society at large". Eventually, I look forward to returning to the hundred or so pages of testimony that we have to write an ethnography for academic circles etc. However, for the next few months the focus will be on making this an accessible theatre piece.

The Academic Freedom blog is easily accessible through the "About Me" section of this blog.

Woow... I wrote a lot on this topic. I'm very happy about it. Documentary Theatre is what I've always wanted to do and working with a fantastic group is very rewarding!

The first 15 minute reading of my Master's Project and future full length documentary play tentatively titled, "Becoming Columbia: Academic Freedom in a Post 9/11 Society" will be held next week. I'm looking forward to getting feedback on it as I know we have a long way to go. My gang is fantastic though and we will be working on it long after the MA program is over. For future updates on the project, visit www.academicfreedomtheatreproject.blogspot.com . Or, even easier... just click the link attached to this website.

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-ISM Gala

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium

The Center provides grants for students to create original artistic projects on various social -isms. All grant recipients will be showcasing their work at the -ISM Gala. Some of the projects being showcased are Inventionism, Confused Feminism and Hairism. Contact Tanesha Barnes (tanesha.barnes@nyu.edu)

WHAT'S AN -ISM?
You've heard of Sexism and Racism, but have you heard of Inventionism, Confused Feminism and Hairism? Join us on Wednesday, April 23 at 6:30pm at the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium in Kimmel as student's showcase their original works about specific -isms at the annual -ISM Gala. The showcase is the culmination of the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs' nationally recognized -ISM Project that provides semester-long grants for students to create original artistic projects on various social -isms.