Personal Space Theatrics

Landmark Loews

pst — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:14:47 +0000

We recently launched the Salvaged Space series, a program designed to give playwrights a space to share early drafts of their latest scripts. When we heard about a team of theatre-lovers who were salvaging space for another reason, we knew we had to check it out. On a cold February night, Mel, Jacob and I and took the PATH train to Jersey City to see Kevin Sudol and Robert Minichino, two longtime PST supporters. Kevin and Robert are also members of a dedicated crew of volunteers working to restore the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre, a 1929 “Movie Palace” that was once referred to as “the most lavish temple of entertainment in New Jersey.” In 1993, after years of disuse, a team of grassroots community activists saved the theatre from demolition and then began the long and arduous process of restoring it to its former grandeur. Now, almost 20 years later, the theater is open for weekend showings of classic films, select concerts, and other small events as the team continues, inch by inch, to remove the cobwebs and bring this theatrical gem back to its original glory.We were lucky enough to not only catch a screening of one of our favorite films—Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—but to get a behind-the-scenes tour with Robert and the theatre’s Executive Director, Colin Egan. Jacob brought his camera, and we are thrilled to share with you what we found. (And if you’d like to see all this in person, you can view the schedule and get more details HERE.)

-The theatre is right across the street from the Journal Square PATH station. This is Nick and Mel waiting for the doors to open and hoping they’ll be first ones in line for $1 popcorn!

-We didn’t get a shot of the lobby, so this one is from the Loew’s website. Walking in leaves you breathless. It’s like going back in time.

-This is the chandelier in the Grand Lobby. It’s made of Czechoslovakian crystal and allegedly cost $50,000 in 1929. It is 20 feet tall and in order to change the light bulbs, it is lowered to the floor with a crank. Even then, someone still needs to stand on a ladder in order to reach the top!

-You could spend hours examining the details. Even the exit sign is gorgeous!

-When you move from the lobby to the theatre, you’re greeted by an organist playing an original 4/23 Robert-Morton organ (a “Wonder Morton”). This organ, a sister instrument to the one originally built for the theatre, was crafted in the late 1920s. There was a total of five Wonder Mortons made especially for five “Wonder Theatres.”

-Normally PST does its best to avoid prosceniums, but this one is WOW!

-Mel dreams of running a tech here. One day Mel, one day…

-We were lucky enough to witness some action in the projection booth. These units don’t usetraditional bulbs to create the light, but glowing carbon rods.

-A bit of “talkie” history from the Loew’s website: “Vitaphone equipment was the first form of practical motion picture projection to include sound and was installed in the Loew’s projection booth when the theatre opened. Vitaphone worked by having a large wax record playing in sync with the film; this system was called “sound on disk.” It’s said that a good Vitaphone projectionist was expert at nudging the phonograph stylus along so as to keep it in sync with the moving image.” A donated vintage Vitaphone projector is still used today!

-These amazing stairs provide access to the catwalk. They are impressive looking but quite a hike to get to the top to change out the lighting instruments.

-Eat your hearts out, lighting designers! This is the (still functioning) light board circa 1929. Yes, those are bronze engraved labels for each switch. Sure beats masking tape and a sharpie!

– The Space after darkThe history here is palpable, and if the theatre leaves you inspired, you’re not the only one. Just over there, a young kid named Frank Sinatra sat and watched Bing Crosby perform. That was the day he decided that he was destined for the stage as well.

FROM THE DESK OF…NICK COTZ

pst — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:33:19 +0000

The year has gotten off to a great start. The COIL and Under The Radar Festivals were such an inspiring way to begin 2012, and they really ignited my creative juices. Below are the highlights of what I caught in the first 6 weeks of the year:

Richard III, William Shakespeare, BAM Harvey Theater

This was my first time seeing Richard III on stage. I was a bit taken aback by the anger and pure villainy Spacey brought to the role (there was a bit more yelling than I expected), but that’s not to say that it wasn’t a breathtaking performance. However, it’s Mendes who’s the real star of this production. The direction of the piece is outstanding. It is a rare but wonderful experience to see sound, lights, sets, props, and costumes all fall into such perfect syncopation. (Warning: Act I is a solid two hours, so use the bathroom first!)

CQ/CX, Gabe McKinley, Atlantic Theater Company at the Peter Norton Space

The Jason Blair story is certainly full of drama. Whether or not McKinley’s script captures that drama…I’ll leave up to you. But I will say that David Levaux directs with a fine hand and that David Rockwell’s set is pretty sick.

Russian Transport, Erika Sheffer, The New Group at The Acorn Theatre

Disclaimer: Sheffer is a good friend, and I’m brimming with pride for all the success her debut show has received. With in mind, take my advice: See this show. Sheffer’s script is unlike anything you’ll hear on stage these days. Characters say what they’re feeling, what you’re feeling, and what you’re afraid to say. It’s theater without the bullshit. And the performances by Morgan Spector and Daniel Oreskes are outstanding.

Look Back in Anger, John Osborne, Roundabout Theatre at The Laura Pels Theatre

Another play I’ve never seen on stage before. Sam Gold seems to be going out on a limb with a reinterpretation of this classic text. While the experiment is fascinating to watch, it does not necessarily make for the most compelling theater. However, Adam Driver is in this production, and he’s just one of those guys who makes everything a bit more interesting.

Mission Drift, The TEAM, the Connelly Theater

I never got to see this in Edinburgh because rogerandtom ran at the same time each day. Luckily, the good folks at PS122 were smart enough to bring it to New York City. These guys are a ballsy bunch, and the musical they wrote about Las Vegas and the American Dream is completely insane. It charts 400 years of American history and, most importantly, it has the music of Heather Christian, which I could listen to all night long.

Super Night Shot, Gob Squad, The Public Theater

I caught two performances by Gob Squad during festival season, both at The Public. The first was Super Night Shot. Four actors, armed with cameras, leave the theater precisely one hour before curtain, and arrive right before the audience walks in. The show is four screens that simultaneously show their four different journeys, and its edited as you watch. The technical brilliance of this feat alone was spectacular. Add to that the fact that that they had to interact with an unsuspecting public and break into synchronized song and dance…and you got an all-around amazing show: a romantic comedy, with the streets of the Lower East Side as the backdrop, the citizens of New York as the extras, and the unexpected life of the city as the drama.

Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had it So Good), Gob Squad, The Public Theater

Much like Super Night Shot, the Gob Squad crew played with film to alter our perception. This time we walked into the theater to find an enormous screen across the stage and a group of actors (some of whom I now recognized) inviting us to view the set hidden behind it. What followed was a wild experiment that tried, in part, to recreate the art house films of Andy Warhol, while also creating a new art form for this generation. It was an awesome experience, and one I will not quickly forget. The journey was too wild and intense to describe here, but by the end of the show the four actors were all sitting in the audience while they remotely directed audience members who were now playing the actors, playing the characters in the movie… which was the play. Ingenious, daring, and executed with grace.

Finding Art While Finding Nemo

pst — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:06:22 +0000

For Christmas this year, my parents treated the entire family to a vacation at Disney World. There were 13 of us who visited the parks, including my two brothers, my sister, and all of our respective spouses and kids. Despite the temptation, we did not dress alike in order to find each other. Instead, each morning, we noted what the four kids were wearing, as well as my older brother who was in charge of carrying the schedule and maps in a small white binder (I’m not the only organized one in my family).

Among the lists of roller coasters, kiddie rides, and 3D movies, he had the start times to the various live shows that the parks produce. My brother has never been “into theater,” so I was surprised that he included things like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. These shows are intended to give the audience a taste of the story—an abbreviated version of the movie so you get the moral, some funny parts, and the songs. In short, they are designed to entertain kids while parents take a much needed seat. We hit them all, but one that stood out for everyone was Finding Nemo.

Working on PST shows over the years, I’ve experienced my share of turning small black boxes into different worlds, from a vast desert (Moonbirds), to Dickens’-era London (A Christmas Carol) to post-modern cyberspace (BecauseHeCan). I couldn’t help but notice similar challenges at Disney. Nemo journeys from the deep ocean, complete with schools of fish and sunken ships, to a small aquarium in a dentist’s office. With the use of black lights, puppetry, and flying set pieces, the talented actors and crew made the transitions seamless. I especially liked the giant face mask on the ocean floor that helped establish how small Nemo was. At times, I forgot I was even watching puppets. The characters really looked like they were swimming, right down to the big stingray that came out attached to a man riding a bicycle. And when bubbles starting floating down from the ceiling, I was completely submerged—just like Nemo and his friends.

Any non-theatre person would enjoy this show because the songs are fun and the story familiar, but even the most critical eye will appreciate the technical aspects. No matter how tired your feet, you’ll stand, sway, and try to catch bubbles right along with the kids.

ROGERANDTOM PURSUES FUNDING

pst — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:49:00 +0000

The Araca Group, otherwise known as the folks that helped bring Urinetown, Wicked, and Rock of Ages to Broadway, help young Producers with big ideas in a new annual initiative called The Araca Project. Mel and Nick worked for weeks on the application, sending Araca a full production proposal, including reviews, photos, and a history of the show

The Araca Group was established in 1997 by Matthew Rego, Michael Rego, and Hank Unger. It established its reputation as a leading theatrical production company with its inaugural Broadway undertaking—Urinetown: The Musical—which received dozens of major awards, including three Tonys. After that, Araca produced the Broadway premiere of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune starring Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci. Other Broadway credits include the worldwide blockbuster Wicked, Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge starring Liev Schrieber and Scarlett Johansson, and Lend Me a Tenor starring Anthony LaPaglia and Tony Shalhoub.

PST also applied for a Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Grant for nonprofit New York City arts and cultural organizations. The application, consisting of 20 online forms and 50 pages of supplemental material, was due on February 13th, and we got it in just in time! We’ll hear back in June, so keep your fingers crossed!

SALVAGED SPACE READING SERIES KICKS INTO GEAR

pst — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:44:46 +0000

“It was truly a tremendous experience. Thank you for the chance to work on this play and help it grow in such a supportive, relaxed environment.”~Carla Ching Playwright Big Blind/Little Blind

The Salvaged Space Series, run by PST staffer Matthew Paul Olmos, will host salon-style evenings with a small number of artists and friends. Actors read through a script (perhaps even stopping in the middle, if the playwright or director feels it’s necessary), and then everyone is invited to stay afterward to mingle and discuss the work. We do not have a formal Q&A, but rather engage in relaxed conversation about the piece.

On March 27th, we will read and discuss Carla Ching’s Big Blind/Little Blind, directed by Mia Rivegno. The event will be held at Shetler Studios.

In Big Blind/Little Blind, contestants literally play for their lives in high stakes casino games during a nationally televised show. In order to win a liver transplant at a time when the plague has left many scrambling to survive, ex-proposition player Will, career temp Linus, siblings Tim and Shelley, and line cook Johnny all vie for the audience vote that will give them a chance at a new life. This is a play with multiple endings where audiences actually determine who lives and who dies.

Carla Ching is a playwright and teaching artist. She was a longtime writer and performer with the pan-Asian performance group Peeling, which she still considers her first theater training. Her work has been workshopped and/or produced by the Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2g (where she is the Artistic Director), The Women’s Project, The Lark Play Development Center, Partial Comfort, Vampire Cowboys, Desipina, Red Fern, IRT, and The Hegira, among others. She was a 2008 Urban Artists Initiative fellow, a 2009-2010 Teachers and Writers Collaborative fellow, and a 2010-11 Lark Play Development Center and Playwrights Workshop fellow. She is an alum of the Women’s Project Lab and current member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab and the Lark’s Meeting of the Minds. Her play TBA was published in Out of Time and Place. She holds a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.F.A. from the New School for Drama.

Mia Rovegno is a Brooklyn-based director, playwright, and puppeteer who devises, adapts and collaborates with living playwrights. Founding artistic director of HummingbirdWORKS, she has also performed with Redmoon Theater, foolsFURY, Shadowlight, Bread and Puppet Theater, and Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. Her plays have been developed by P73, New Georges, Culture Project, The Civilians, Perishable Theater, and foolsFURY. Mia has directed new work for Soho Rep, New York Theater Workshop, The O’Neill, Ars Nova, The Civilians, Clubbed Thumb, Partial Comfort, New Georges, Culture Project, New Dramatists, Rising Phoenix, Woodshed Collective, The Flea, The Lark, Dixon Place, EST, A.R.T., Brown University/A.R.T. Institute Bakeoff, Harvard Playwrights Festival, Hangar Theatre, and Summer Playwrights Rep. Mia is a recipient of the P73 Yale Summer Residency, SDC Observership, and MTC’s Jonathan Alper Fellowship; Nominee for the 2010 Ockrent Directing Fellowship; Alum of The Drama League, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab; Member of The Jam/New Georges Affiliated Artist, Women’s Project Directors Lab and The Civilians R and D Group (writer). She received her BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern and MFA in Directing from Brown University/Trinity Rep Consortium. Former teaching fellow and guest lecturer at Brown University, she is currently an Assistant Professor in Hunter College’s Department of Theatre.

Matthew Paul Olmos was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to New York in August 2001 to pursue playwriting. He is the inaugural recipient of La MaMa ETC’s Emerging Artist Award, as selected by Sam Shepard, a Sundance Institute Time Warner Storytelling Fellow, a two-time Resident Artist at Mabou Mines/Suite, an Ensemble Studio Theater lifetime member, a Brooklyn Arts Exchange Resident Artist, and was recently awarded the “Top prize for the Americas” by the BBC 2011 International Playwriting Competition for his play The Nature of Captivity. He was a co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Woken’ Glacier Theatre (two-time New York Innovative Theatre Award nominee), and a core staff member at the Lark Play Development Center. He holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from The Actor’s Studio Drama School, a B.A. in Playwriting from UC Santa Barbara, and was given UCLA’s GOP Award for Graduate Playwriting.

From the Desk of …. The Four Block Rule

pst — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:31:40 +0000

The four block rule. I’ve lived by its creed for years.

After attending a show, I wait (and make my very chatty wife wait) until I’m four blocks from the theater before sharing my opinion. That puts enough space between me and the crowd, which might include the lighting designer’s mother, the lead’s college roommate, or perhaps the playwright himself. Even when my praises are high, I’d rather keep my pontificating out of earshot. Every audience member deserves to ruminate in their own good time, and with their own unencumbered thoughts.

While my self-imposed censor is good manners for a show that is up and running, prolonged audience conversation is exactly what’s needed when a play is just finding its feet. However, traditional play readings and workshop productions are often bogged down by Q&A’s filled with self-aggrandizing intellectuals eager to prove their wits.

When Matthew Paul Olmos* and I decided to launch a PST reading series, we wanted to fill a hole in the development process—that of honest and casual feedback. Thus the Salvaged Space Series was born. The Salvaged Space Series will host salon-style evenings with a small number of artists and friends. We will read through a script (perhaps even stopping in the middle, if the playwright or director feels it’s necessary), and then stay afterwards to mingle and discuss. We will not have a Q&A, and we will not put the writer on the spot by demanding they qualify our comments. What we will do is have a drink and engage in conversation about the piece of art we just witnessed. We will discuss what we liked and what left us cold. We will not wait four blocks.

* Matthew Paul Olmos was selected by Sam Shepard as the inaugural recipient of the La MaMa ETC’s Ellen Stewart Emerging Playwright Award, and will receive a production at La MaMa in their 2012-13 season. His play, The Nature of Captivity, was awarded the “Top prize for the Americas” by the BBC’s 2011 International Playwriting Competition. He is the curator for the 2012 Salvaged Space Series at PST.

Friends of PST – Erika Sheffer

pst — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:16:21 +0000

PST would like to congratulate ERIKA SHEFFER on the upcoming run of her show RUSSIAN TRANSPORT. Erika starred in PST’s 2008 production of THE SAFARI PARTY and 2004 production of NICOTINE. She also wrote THE DROWNING SIDE, which PST workshopped at The Actors Studio.

RUSSIAN TRANSPORT, directed by Scott Elliot and starring Janeane Garofalo, opens at the New Group on January 30th. In the meantime, check out Erika on Wendesday, January 11th at 7 PM at the 92YTribeca, where she and Garafalo will appear in conversation with Julian Sheppard. Click HERE for more information.

Join 92YTribeca for a special conversation about The New Group’s production of Russian Transport, as playwright Erika Sheffer, actress Janeane Garofalo and moderator Julian Sheppard discuss the play’s backstory and its journey to the stage.

Phases of a Gingerbread House

pst — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:02:06 +0000

2011 Holiday Party Photos

pst — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:25:56 +0000

Nick’s Top Plays of 2011

pst — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:26:56 +0000

Audience – Ontroerend Goed, Vooruit, St. George’s West
-By far one of the most cathartic and spectacular audience experiences I’ve ever had. At one point the actors attempted to turn the entire audience against one young girl by chanting, “Spread your legs!” On my way home I was so nauseous I started laughing just to release my still pent up emotions from the night.

Anything Goes, Cole Porter, Roundabout
-A guilty pleasure. Sutton Foster, Joel Grey, and some of Cole Porter’s most famous show-stopping song-and-dance numbers. And it ends on a triple wedding – the cliché is sublime.

Book of Mormon, Lopez, Parker & Stone, Eugene O’Neill Theatre
-Where Anything Goes gets you on nostalgia, Mormon reaffirms your faith in the theater. Who knew that Aids, baby-fucking, and assault rifles were going to be Broadway gold? If you almost peed yourself during Avenue Q… bring a catheter for Mormon.

Civilization (all you can eat), Jason Grote, HERE Arts Center
-Grote is one of the best playwrights out there. Hands down. And it won’t be long until everyone knows his name. Till then I plan on relishing in $20 tickets to some of the best plays you’ll ever see. His insight and humor are unparalleled. Find him now, because pretty soon he’ll be out of your price-range. Did I mention he’s a PST alumni?

Diary of a Madman, Nicolai Gogol (adapted by David Holman), BAM Harvey Theater
-Geoffrey Rush delivered a performance for the ages. The very simple story of one lonely clerk slowly losing his mind was performed with delicate subtlety. There was one moment, when in a state of hallucination, Rush’s Poprischin imagined himself to be a grasshopper… and for about 5 seconds, I actually believed he was one. A true bit of magic.

Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth, Music Box Theatre
-Long? Yes. Lacking a bit of action and conflict? Sure. But one cannot deny that Mark Rylance gave one of the marquee performances of the season as Johnny Byron. And the final 10 minutes will never be forgotten by anyone who saw the show. Plus, how awesome was his Tony acceptance speech??!!

Mojo, Jez Butterworth, Zoo
-Two Butterworth plays in a row?? Well, this one was a student production I saw at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A fast paced gangster drama complete with pill popping psychopaths, a scimitar, and tons of blood. Reservoir Dogs meets Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I loved every second of it.

Nature of Captivity, Matthew Paul Olmos, Mabou Mines
-Olmos is a very special talent, and I’m not just saying that because he has teamed up with PST for the 2012 season. I saw this play in three different stages of development, which is always great when watching a masterpiece grow. The story of three beings whose land has been invaded by others, it tells the story of fear, love and family in the midst of a genocide. That is, until the second act when the p.o.v. turns to the Occupiers themselves. I won’t ruin the twists, suffice to say that Olmos has a big year ahead of him.

Radio Play, Reggie Watts & Tommy Smith, PS122
-Known for his stand-up comedy and musical ingenuity, Watts decided to take his talents to the stage in 2011. He created a multi-media sound-scape production that resembled the turning of a radio dial… except the radio stations found only exist in this Avante Garde’s head.

2401 Objects, Hannah Barker, Lewis Hetherington & Liam Jarvis, Pleasance Courtyard
-Probably the best thing I saw at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 2401 told the true story of a man who, because of an experimental surgery, lost all short-term memory; never being able to retain more than 30 seconds worth of memories. Using only 3 actors to play all the roles, one rotating full stage scrim, and some amazing and innovative video techniques; every person who saw the show said the same thing: “I could have easily watched another hour”. How often do you hear that about theater?