Time to celebrate some of the amazing young artists in NYC (and there are many of them). Two in particular that are on my mind this week, Mariah MacCarthy, author of Ampersand: A Romeo and Juliet Story in the NY International Fringe Festival and Robert A. K. Gonyo, Artistic Director of Co-Op Theatre East and creator of Go See a Show, a new Off-Off Broadway podcast.

Co-Op Theatre East (COTE) is casting two ensemble devised projects: "El Otro" by Miguel de Unamuno, directed by Robert A. K. Gonyo and "What to Do In Case You Miss the Rapture", devised by an ensemble of writers and actors, directed by Ashley Marinaccio .

Adaptation of Miguel de Unamuno's 1926 play EL OTRO, to be performed in both Spanish and English. Actors must have proficiency in both Spanish and English (fluency in one, and at least basic 200s college-level conversational ability in the other); and, must be comfortable developing a performance in an ensemble setting.

Synopsis: One of two twin brothers lies dead in the basement, killed at his brother's hand — but the killer is mad, refusing to reveal his identity. While the housekeeper, the doctor, and the twins' respective wives try to piece together the truth of the crime, they get little help from the living twin, who refers to himself only as "El Otro:" the Other. Working with the text in the original Spanish, in English translation, and something in between, we will use Unamuno's riff on the story of Cain and Abel in an attempt to get at the sense of "other-ness" in our country. Within the context of the American experiment, what does it mean to democracy when one "group" or another is seen as the "other"? Unamuno noted that the play explores "the intimate, profound truth of the drama of the soul;" as such, we will attempt to plumb the American soul.

Rehearsals for this work will begin in early December 2011, to culminate in a workshop performance in April or May 2012.

What to Do in Case You Miss the Rapture (… and other Apocalyptic Tales) is an ensemble-devised piece illustrating the obsession with the “End of the World” and impending “Dooms Day”. Writers and Actors will be creating text based on news headlines, interviews, pop culture and/or their own experiences with 'dooms day' enthusiasts.

Seeking 8-10 Performers, all ages and types who are comfortable with writing and contributing to an ensemble devised piece. Must be team players. Writing workshops for “Rapture” will begin in late October, public performance/workshops in May.

You may submit for EITHER El Otro or Rapture (not both). Auditions will be held onThursday, August 18th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at the Looking Glass Theatre - 422 West 57th Street, NYC. Please do not submit if you cannot make the audition time or will not be in town for the performance months. To submit, please send a headshot/resume with the title of the show your submitting for in the subject line and information about yourself, your background and why you want to be part of the particular project to:cooptheatreeast@gmail.com.

"It does not interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

"It does not interest me what planet is squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear and further pain.

"I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, fade it or fix it.

"I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with the wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

"It does not interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

"I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.*

"I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from God's presence.

"I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the moon, "Yes!"

"It does not interest me to know here you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

"It does not interest me who you are, how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

"It does not interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

"I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the quiet moments.

- Oriah Mountain Dreamer

A Sign that I may need a Vacation in the Near Future:

Today someone jokingly asked me how my "kids" were doing. I thought they were referring to my theatre companies (and maybe they were) so I went into a 10 minute speech about my son (Co-Op Theatre East) and daughter (Project Girl Performance Collective).