NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY
Mon Mar 30 2009 18:43:56 ET

The U.S. government is set to offer an online emotional rescue kit!
"Getting Through Tough Economic Times" will launch Tuesday with a media push across all platforms. The site is meant to help people identify health concerns related to financial worries. The feds will warn of depression, suicidal thinking and other serious mental illnesses. It will raise warning flags for: Persistent sadness/crying; Excessive anxiety; Lack of sleep/constant fatigue; Excessive irritability/anger. The guide will be available starting at midnight at http://www.samhsa.gov/economy.

Developing...

I am directing a new production of "My Name is Rachel Corrie", produced by Co-Op Theatre East, opening the first week of April at the Kraine Theater. The play will also be done at Pace University's Left Forum and at Bluestockings bookstore. This play is close to my heart for many reasons. Here is some more information below:


This is information from Joseph Shahadi's Blog (http://vsthepomegranate.blogspot.com/)

A new production of My Name is Rachel Corrie by theater company Co-Op Theatre East (www.cooptheatreeast.org) premieres at New York's Kraine Theater April 5th. COTE was founded last spring by three graduates of the Performance Studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Co-Artistic Directors Ashley Marinaccio and Robert A.K. Gonyo and Literary Director Casey Cleverly write, "Co-Op Theatre East produces socially minded performance that deals with the questions of today, the situations we find ourselves immersed in as New Yorkers, Americans, and world citizens at this moment. Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner from the writings of Rachel Corrie, a young peace activist whose life was cut tragically short, this play is a testament to the potential for one dedicated person to make a profound impact on the world."

COTE's production of My Name is Rachel Corrie is presented in collaboration with actress Theresa C. Johnson and Pace University, with support from Pace University's Office of Multicultural Affairs, Sociology/Anthropology Department, Theatre and Performing Arts Department, Project Pericles, and Pforzheimer Honors College.

April 5th at 2 p.m.
April 5th, 6th & 7th at 8 p.m.
The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street, (betwen 2nd and 3rd Aves)
Manhattan

Here are a few pictures from the Notes For Peace trip to Israel. I have posted more (with details) on my photo blog located at:

http://www.photoblog.com/ashleymarinaccio/2009/03/24/notes-for-peace-alternative-spring-break.html
and
http://www.photoblog.com/ashleymarinaccio/2009/03/25/notes-for-peace-asb-cont.html

World Theater Day Message
by Augusto Boal

All human societies are "spectacular" in their daily life and produce
"spectacles" at special moments. They are "spectacular" as a form of
social organization and produce "spectacles" like the one you have come to
see.

Even if one is unaware of it, human relationships are structured in a
theatrical way. The use of space, body language, choice of words and voice
modulation, the confrontation of ideas and passions, everything that we
demonstrate on the stage, we live in our lives. We are theater!

Weddings and funerals are "spectacles", but so, also, are daily rituals so
familiar that we are not conscious of this. Occasions of pom
p and circumstance, but also the morning coffee, the exchanged good-mornings,
timid love and storms of passion, a senate session or a diplomatic meeting
--all is theater.

One of the main functions of our art is to make people sensitive to the
"spectacles" of daily life in which the actors are their own spectators,
performances in which the stage and the stalls coincide. We are all
artists. By doing theater, we learn to see what is obvious but what we
usually can't see because we are only used to looking at it. What is
familiar to us becomes unseen: doing theater throws light on the stage of
daily life.

Last September, we were surprised by a theatrical revelation: we, who
thought that we were living in a safe world, despite wars, genocide,
slaughter and torture which certainly exist, but far from us in remote and
wild places. We, who were living in security with our money invested in
some respectable bank or in some honest trader's hands in the stock
exchange were told that this money did not exist, that it was virtual, a
fictitious invention by some economists who were not fictitious at all and
neither reliable nor respectable. Everything was just bad theater, a dark
plot in which a few people won a lot and many people lost all. Some
politicians from rich countries held secret meetings in which they found
some magic solutions. And we, the victims of their decisions, have
remained spectators in the last row of the balcony.

Twenty years ago, I staged Racine's Phèdre in Rio de Janeiro. The stage
setting was poor: cow skins on the ground, bamboos around. Before each
presentation, I used to say to my actors: "The fiction we created day by
day is over. When you cross those bamboos, none of you will have the right
to lie. Theater is the Hidden Truth".

When we look beyond appearances, we see oppressors and oppressed people,
in all societies, ethnic groups, genders, social classes and casts; we see
an unfair and cruel world. We have to create another world because we know
it is possible. But it is up to us to build this other world with our
hands and by acting on the stage and in our own life.

Participate in the "spectacle" which is about to begin and once you are
back home, with your friends act your own plays and look at what you were
never able to see: that which is obvious. Theater is not just an event; it
is a way of life!

We are all actors: being a citizen is not living in society, it is
changing it.


Dia Mundial de Teatro - 27 Março, 2009
Augusto Boal

Todas as sociedades humanas são espetaculares no seu cotidiano, e produzem
espetáculos em momentos especiais. São espetaculares como forma de
organização=2 0social, e produzem espetáculos como este que vocês vieram ver.

Mesmo quando inconscientes, as relações humanas são estruturadas em forma
teatral: o uso do espaço, a linguagem do corpo, a escolha das palavras e a
modulação das vozes, o confronto de idéias e paixões, tudo que fazemos no
palco fazemos sempre em nossas vidas: nós somos teatro!

Não só casamentos e funerais são espetáculos, mas também os rituais
cotidianos que, por sua familiaridade, não nos chegam à consciência. Não
só pompas, mas também o café da manhã e os bons-dias, tímidos namoros e
grandes conflitos passionais, uma sessão do Senado ou uma reunião
diplomática--tudo é teatro.

Uma das principais funções da nossa arte é tornar conscientes esses
espetáculos da vida diária onde os atores são os próprios espectadores, o
palco é a platéia e a platéia, palco. Somos todos artistas: fazendo
teatro, aprendemos a ver aquilo que nos salta aos olhos, mas que somos
incapazes de ver tão habituados estamos apenas a olhar. O que nos é
familiar torna-se invisível: fazer teatro, ao contrário, ilumina o palco
da nossa vida cotidiana.

Em Setembro do ano passado fomos surpreendidos por uma revelação teatral:
nós, que pensávamos viver em um mundo seguro apesar das guerras, genocídios, hecatombes e torturas que aconteciam, sim, mas longe de nós em países distantes e selvagens, nós vivíamos seguros com nosso dinheiro guardado em um banco respeitável ou nas mãos de um honesto corretor da Bolsa--nós fomos informados de que esse dinheiro não existia, era virtual,
feia ficção de alguns economistas que não eram ficção, nem eram seguros,
nem respeitáveis. Tudo não passava de mau teatro com triste enredo, onde
poucos ganhavam muito e muitos perdiam tudo. Políticos dos países ricos
fecharam-se em reuniões secretas e de lá saíram com soluções mágicas. Nós,
vítimas de suas decisões, continuamos espectadores sentados na última fila
das galerias.

Vinte anos atrás, eu dirigi Fedra de Racine, no Rio de Janeiro. O cenário
era pobre; no chão, peles de vaca; em volta, bambus. Antes de começar o
espetáculo, eu dizia aos meus atores: "Agora acabou a ficção que fazemos
no dia-a-dia. Quando cruzarem esses bambus, lá no palco, nenhum de vocês
tem o direito de mentir. Teatro é a Verdade Escondida".

Vendo o mundo além das aparências, vemos opressores e oprimidos em todas
as sociedades, etnias, gêneros, classes e castas, vemos o mundo injusto e
cruel. Temos a obrigaç o de inventar outro mundo porque sabemos que outro
mundo é possível. Mas cabe a nós construílo com nossas mãos entrando em
cena, no palco e na vida.

Assistam ao espetáculo que vai começar; depois, em suas casas com seus
amigos, façam suas peças vocês mesmos e vejam o que jamais puderam ver:
aquilo que salta aos olhos. Teatro não pode ser apenas um evento--é forma
de vida!

Atores somos todos nós, e cidadão não é aquele que vive em sociedade: é
aquele que a transforma!

I'm going on a little adventure. I'll be leaving the country tomorrow and returning next week. It's too late to post details right now but I'm going to finally start doing everything I've always wanted to do... well, at least a very specific something. Wait. I must rephrase this one more time... I'm going away to begin laying down the framework for something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I will blog very little about this until I'm done. That is it.

About a week ago I had a transformative night at the theatre that I've been meaning to write about. I saw "33 Variations" written and directed by Moises Kaufman, starring Jane Fonda. I am completely undone by what I saw. It was intelligent, thought provoking, heart breaking, inspiring and utterly brilliant (of course, I don't expect anything less from Moises Kaufman). This is a piece of theatre that we need right now. I want to see him get the Tony for "33 Variations". I have a feeling he will get nominated in both playwriting and directing. Jane Fonda (and the actor who plays the German Woman... blanking on her name) should also get nominated. I left the theatre incredibly inspired. Generally, I don't pay attention to reviews, but I look forward to reading these and seeing how it's received by the media. I have a feeling it will do well. Broadway NEEDS art like this. I'm excited to see what the future holds for "33 Variations". If you haven't seen it yet, GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! (http://www.33variations.com/) Jane Fonda also has a blog that I've been following. She has been tracking her journey with the show from the first rehearsals, to previews and beyond. It's fascinating. She's incredibly fascinating and inspiring.

While on the topic of free publicizing .... I deem it necessary to shout out "The Cocoa Bar" on the Lower East Side (apparently they have several locations). I'm serious about my food, especially sweets. "The Cocoa Bar" is exceptionally hipster and far too expensive... but if you look beyond that, they have the BEST hot chocolate ever made. It's literally melted dark chocolate diluted with whole milk (it must be). It's so rich that it's almost difficult to finish and so good that I wanted to eat the cup (especially for the price...). If you catch yourself in the area, or want to spoil yourself with something good, and totally worth it, visit the Cocoa Bar. ( http://www.cocoabarnyc.com/ )

While I'm on the topic of food... I am proud to announce that I am on a mission to find the best cupcake in New York City. This has been going on for awhile. Next month I will rank them. Let me know if you recommend a place not listed here.

ALREADY HAVE VISITED:
- Crumbs Cupcake Factory (NoHo)
- Sugar (L.E.S.)
- Sugar Sweet Sunshine (L.E.S.)
- Magnolia Bakery (West Village AND Rockefeller Center)
- Buttercup Bake Shop (Upper West Side - http://www.buttercupbakeshop.com/album.html)

NEED TO VISIT (recommended):
- Prince Street Cafe (SoHo)
- How Sweet It Is (L.E.S. - http://www.howsweetitispastry.com/)