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The Castle Extends Off-Broadway Run Through Aug. 30

The Castle – the true-life account of incarceration and life beyond – has extended its run at Off-Broadway's New World Stages through Aug. 30.

Conceived and directed by David Rothenberg, The Castle features Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrington, Angel Ramos and Casimiro Torres, who all tell their real-life experiences.

The production began previews March 30 and officially opened April 27. In addition to its Saturday and Sunday performances Off-Broadway, The Castle has toured to Rikers Island and performed for New York State legislators in Albany.

The Off-Broadway production was inspired by the resident home run by the Fortune Society in upper Manhattan. The dramatic work features personal accounts of formerly incarcerated individuals and their re-entry into society.

Since its launch 40 years ago, the Fortune Society has been developing model programs that help former prisoners successfully re-enter their communities. The Castle serves as the Fortune Society's resident program for 60 men and women.

Inspired by the 1967 Off-Broadway prison drama, Fortune in Men's Eyes, the Fortune Society was founded by former theatre publicist David Rothenberg. Among the services offered are supportive housing, career development, job retention, substance abuse treatment, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS services, education, family services and drop-in services as well as ongoing access to aftercare.

Tickets, priced $30-$45, are available by phoning (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com.

New World Stages is located in Manhattan at 340 West 50th Street.

For more information visit www.fortunesociety.org.

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Latina Queer Voices Heard In "Pandora's" Off-Broadway Show

                                                   A off-Broadway multi-media show that opens next Wednesday focuses on the experience of being gay and Latina.

Organizers of "Pandora's" commissioned monologues from ten Latino writers from across the country.

The stories range from a Puerto Rican man who undergoes a sex change to a teenager whose parents force her into therapy for being gay.

"This is not just about the queer experience but it's about the queer Latina experience which is also very experimental, progressive work,” said assistant company manager Fernanda Coppel.

“Our hope is that we're going to create this amazing film show, theater show and people are going to be inspired to make change,” said creative director Elisha Miranda.

“To realize that gays and lesbians are people that are your brothers, your sisters, your mothers, your cousins, your next door neighbors and hopefully feel moved to become an ally," continued Miranda, "And also to create a visibility to people who aren't out in the Latino community so hopefully they'll have a voice."

"Pandora's" runs from July 2 to July 6 on Theater Row.

For more information, visit www.pandorashow.com.

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Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty to Move to Broadway

MCC Theater's world premiere production of Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty, now at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, will move to Broadway, beginning February 13, at a theater to be announced.

The show, to be produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, and Steve Traxler in association with MCC, will once again be directed by Terry Kinney, and star Piper Perabo, Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, and Pablo Schreiber -- all of whom are part of the MCC production.

The four-character work concerns Greg, whose life is thrown into turmoil when he makes an offhand remark about his girlfriend's face. LaBute's other plays include Wrecks, Fat Pig, The Shape of Things, and Some Girl(s), all of which have been seen Off-Broadway.

Perabo is known for her work in such films as Coyote Ugly and Because I Said So. Pill appeared in the Broadway production of Mauritius; she received a Tony Award nomination for her work in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and a Drama Desk Award for LaBute's The Distance from Here. Sadoski's many New York stage credits include Reckless, Stay and Where We're Born. Schreiber received a Tony nomination for Awake and Sing! and has appeared Off-Broadway in such shows as Dying City and Manuscript.

'Wonderettes' set for Off Broadway

A jukebox musical featuring hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” has scheduled an open-ended Off Broadway engagement at the Westside Theater, beginning previews Aug. 26.

Written and directed by Roger Bean and produced by David Elzer and former Disney exec Peter Schneider, the show centers on an aspiring girl group performing at their 1958 Springfield High School prom. It features pop standards such as “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Dream Lover,” “Lollipop” and “It’s My Party.”

The production previously played a 19-month run at El Portal Theater in North Hollywood and will open an eight-week engagement at the Laguna Playhouse July 8, prior to New York. Official Off Broadway opening is Sept. 14.

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Adriane Lenox to Star in Lynn Nottage's Ruined at MTC

Adriane Lenox has signed on to star in the world premiere production of Lynn Nottage's Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage I at New York City Center. The play will begin previews on January 21, 2009, and open on February 10, directed by Kate Whoriskey. A co-production with the Goodman Theatre, Ruined will open in Chicago on November 17 before its off-Broadway run.

Set in a small mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ruined follows Mama Nadi (Lenox), a shrewd businesswoman in a land torn apart by civil war. But is she protecting or profiting by the women she shelters? How far will she go to survive? Can a price be placed on a human life? Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

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Braly's Life in a Marital Institution Returns Off-Broadway June 26

ames Braly is sentenced to Life in a Marital Institution (20 Years of Monogamy in One Terrifying Hour) at the Soho Playhouse, beginning June 26.

Penned by NPR contributor Braly, Life in a Marital Institution, returns Off-Broadway having played 59E59 Theaters last winter. The solo work officially opens July 9 and will play a limited engagement through Aug. 31.

No Child… director Hal Brooks again stages Braly's monologue, which explores the idiosyncrasies of married life with candor and doses of absurd comedy.

Life in a Marital Institution has been seen at the Insights & Revelations Performance series and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Deep End Productions produces the Off-Broadway engagement.

Tickets, priced $50-$55, can be purchased by phoning (212) 691-1555 or by visiting www.sohoplayhouse.com. The Soho Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street in Manhattan.

For further information visit www.jamesbraly.com.

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The Journey Of An Off Broadway Theater Company: Drew DeCorleto Talks About 'Broken Watch'

On June 30th, 2008 the Michael Weller Theater, home to many Off Broadway theater companies will close its doors for the last time as management "looks to offer more office space".  The last show to play in the Michael Weller Theatre was presented by Broken Watch Theatre Company, The Framer by Edward Allan Baker.

Broken Watch Theatre Company has produced critically acclaimed Off-Broadway shows since 2001. Beginning as a producer of Off-Broadway revivals, Broken Watch found quick success with Howard Korder’s Boys’ Life and soon followed with Michael Weller’s Split, produced at Theatre Row. Having two productions under the belt, Broken Watch now enjoyed an increasing presence in the New York theatre community but was finding it difficult to curate material that was appropriate for its emerging style. Based upon an inherent belief in the value of total collaboration, a decision was made to focus on new work. Broken Watch commissioned its first new play from Edward Allan Baker.  After a successful trial run, Broken Watch took over the Sande Shurin in 2005 and renamed it the Michael Weller Theatre. Using its new home to its artistic benefit, Broken Watch created a series of new play workshops that often developed into subsequent productions and three plays have been published. Now, with the closing of the theater Broken Watch along with other companies that found refuge in the Weller must now find new means to fund and mount their productions. Here, Artistic Director Drew DeCorleto talks about the journey of Broken Watch and the trials they now face in the New York theater scene.

Faetra Petillo: I was wondering if you could talk briefly about how you came to start the Broken Watch Theater Company and what you had to do to get it off the ground and running.

Drew DeCorleto: Broken Watch Theatre Company was founded by Andy Hoff, Jeremy Koch and myself.  We had always informally talked about starting a theatre company, when we were students at the Boston Conservatory but had gone our separate ways after graduation but stayed in touch.  I had stayed in Boston, where I met my future wife, Teresa Goding. And in late 2000, we decided to move to Los Angeles.  We had gotten rid of everything we owned and planned on moving in early 2001. When I told Andy and Jeremy of my plans, Andy convinced me to come to New York to direct one more show for old time sake before taking off.  After talking it over with Teresa, I agreed, and we decided to mount Boys’ Life by Howard Korder under the AEA Basic Showcase code in March 2001.

With minimal advertising (fliers and postcards) and word-of-mouth, BWTC was close to 80% in box office sales for the 99-seat theatre.  In addition, the run brought in so much enthusiasm from audience members that we decided to revive the production in a one month AEA Off-Broadway Mini-contract with the possibility of extension.  Via the Internet we incorporated the company on June 12, 2001 and prepared for a September 10, 2001 Opening. 

In order to make the Off-Broadway show happen, we knew we would need lots of money but that most people wouldn’t just give us money without any kind of benefit in return; so, we sought fiscal sponsorship through Blue Spheres East so that our donors could make tax deductible donations to our company. We also knew we wouldn’t raise enough money to really market the show beyond the poor man’s marketing of postcards, letters, fliers and e-mails; so, we found a terrific press rep (Joe Trentacosta of Springer Associates) to help us entice the press to check out our production, which we hoped in turn would encourage audience members outside of our immediate circle of family and friends to check it out. Joe was thankfully able to get in the New York Times and New York Post, and our New York Times review was slated to come out Tuesday, September 11, 2001.   

Early that morning of September 11, 2001, after a night of partying, my cell phone kept ringing, and I just assumed it was congratulatory calls, since we had waited up all night outside the Times building for the New York Times review to come out –and when it did, it was a rave.  I finally answered one of the calls.  It was my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Donald Goding, telling me to turn on the television –just turn on the television!  That’s when we saw that the first tower had been hit.  Shortly thereafter, we saw the second tower get hit and all the chaos of that morning is firmly ingrained in my mind.   

The impact of September’s events on our box office sales was devastating. The following two performances after 9/11 were cancelled due to no audience.  The weekly audience attendance steeply declined from the 39% just before opening to 5.6% for the entire opening week, but we refused to close our doors. We believed then, as we do now, in the importance of continuing through difficult times.

Prior to 9/11, we had already offered discounts and promotions through student rush tickets, two-for-one promotion, TKTS 25% discount tickets and a limited number of special vouchers for senior groups.  After the events of 9/11, we were at the Time Square TKTS booth everyday handing out half-sheet fliers filled with our positive review quotes and kept encouraging the use of our other existing discounts and promotions.  We decided to remain on the TKTS board for the remainder of the run, increasing the discount to 50% during the last week. 

In the meantime we received successive good reviews, including a glowing review from the New York Post; and we mailed letters to all New York agents encouraging them to “support small professional theatre.”  No review, amount of advertising or promotions could rouse the public interest in our small Off-Broadway play. Even though we were offered to move the show to another theatre with a rental discount, and a royalty free month agreement from the publisher, the financial hardships we endured proved to be insurmountable. The week after the attacks, our weekly box office sales were at 18% and ended in the final week at 25%.   Even though we were starting to gain a little momentum, our total box office sales for the run ended as it had begun, 16% –a 64% decline from the March 2001 run.  The show had to close on its advertised date with no hope of extension. We were left with a whopping debt that we are still paying to this day.

That was the start of Broken Watch Theatre Company.

After Boys’ Life, we reorganized the company and formed a board to help establish a more formal business structure. We added three more board members to the company: Leo Lauer, Stephen Brumble and Teresa Goding to help us. Weekly meetings kept the company focused on the tasks at hand and became a way to maintain unity and support. By making sure the daily business was taken care of, we were confident in our ability, once sufficient funding had been secured, to emerge from that devastating state into a prosperous future.   

After receiving a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Arts Relief Fund and a SBA loan based on our New York Times review, we decided to use that money to propel us forward rather than extinguish the company.  After reading many plays, we decided to re-establish ourselves with Michael Weller’s Split. It was through this production, we forged our relationship with Michael Weller, and it was him and the last line of Elyse Sommer’s review of Split in Curtain Up that made us think about leaving the chorus of theatre companies already reviving plays.  Almost overnight, Broken Watch went from a company that just showcased performing talent through reviving existing works to a company that showcased the playwright with the help of the hottest emerging talent, designers and production teams we could find.

In 2003, we premiered our first original piece: Edward Allan Baker’s American Storage.  Still being so new to the New York Off-Broadway theatre community and having the New York Times pan Split, we were finding it difficult to draw in outsiders even though critics were praising it.  The New York Times wouldn’t even come.  We continued to lose money, but we knew we were on the right artistic track.  We needed to find a way to curb our production expenses without compromising on the quality.   

Through the Broadway Bowling League, we learned of a perfect opportunity. The Sande Shurin Theatre, in the heart of the theatre district, was seeking a resident company to manage their daily operations. It was an opportunity that not only would cut production expenses by thousands per show but offered additional income as well. After a successful trial run, Broken Watch took over the Sande Shurin Theatre, rehearsal space and offices in 2005. Soon after, the theater was re-christened the Michael Weller Theatre, in honor of the playwright’s contributions to the world of dramatic literature, the theatre community as a whole and for his continued support of Broken Watch. 

Using our new home to our artistic benefit, we created a series of new play workshops that often developed into subsequent productions, which include The Kidney by Hunt Holman; The Safety Net by Christopher Kyle; A Broken Christmas Carol by Jim Christy, J.Holtham and Kendra Levin; Never Tell By James Christy; Two Thirds Home by Padraic Lillis and now The Framer by Edward Allan Baker.  We are very proud that the world premieres of The Safety Net, Never Tell and Two Thirds Home have been published by Samuel French, Playscripts and Dramatist Play Service respectfully. Hopefully, The Framer will follow suit.

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'East 14th' Begins June 26th Off-Broadway

EAST 14th, (www.East14th.com) a new comedy starring, written and directed by Don Reed will play New World Stages, off Broadway (340 W. 50th Street) beginning June 26th with an official opening scheduled for July 10th, it was announced today.

EAST 14th chronicles a young man's coming-of-age in 1970s Oakland as he struggles to find out who he is in a world of religious fanatics, pimps, players, hustlers, and streetwalkers. In this autobiographical tale, Reed chronicles escaping an ultra strict upbringing, going out of his way to be something that he wasn't, and eventually, learning to keep it real.

EAST 14th has a production design by Matthew Aller (Shakespeare's R and J, All My Sons, Dancing at Lughnasa).

Tickets for EAST 14th range from $45-$55 with premium seating available for $75. East 14th plays Thursdays at 8:00pm, Fridays at 9:00pm, and Saturdays at 9:00pm. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Telecharge at www.telecharge.com or calling (212) 239-6200. For more information, please visit: www.East14th.com.

Don Reed (writer/performer/director) – A multi-talented artist, Don Reed has worked in theater, film and television to great acclaim.  Don's performance on a Robert Townsend HBO special of up-and-coming comedians years ago caught the attention of Bill Cosby and led to the creation of a guest-starring role for him on "The Cosby Show."  Don went on to play the recurring role of Chip St. Charles in "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World" and was recently in "Bee Movie Shorts" starring Jerry Seinfeld. Don also wrote and directed several short films for HBO/Russell Simmons/Stan Lathan. Don has performed for the National Association of Campus Activities tour, appearing at over 300 colleges, and opening for Tony Award Winner Tommy Tune. Mr. Reed is a Best Actor and Best Playwright Nominee for the 2008 NAACP Theatre Awards for East 14th. Don has lent his voice to: "Spiderman", "The Flintstones", "Johnny Quest" "ER", "Frasier", "Friends", "Scrubs", "Will & Grace", "Law & Order", "SNL", and The Golden Globes; He has appeared in the films "Hollywood Shuffle" and "Fear of a Black Hat,". He appeared on stage in The Key at Princeton's McCarter Theatre in a three person cast including Hector Elizondo and Jo Beth Williams.

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Bash'd: A Gay Rap Opera

White Canadians Nathan Cuckow, left, and Chris Craddock offer a two-man hip-hop meditation on gay rights in 'Bash'd: A Gay Rap Opera.'

A Stephen Kocis, Carl D. White, Paul Boskin, Michael Filerman presentation, in association with David J. Gersten, of a musical in one act with lyrics by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, music by Aaron Macri. Directed by Ron Jenkins.

With: Chris Craddock, Nathan Cuckow.

Canada is not an obvious breeding ground for great white rappers -- remember Snow? -- but the Caucasian Canucks behind "Bash'd!: A Gay Rap Opera" have skills. Their 65-minute concert-cum-musical, transferring to Off Broadway's Zipper after berths in Canada and the New York Fringe Festival, not only puts a smart spin on gay rights but also delivers some radio-worthy hip-hop.

Musically and dramaturgically, the rapped-through show is a study in aggression. Telling the story of a gay Canadian couple whose marriage is marred by violence, narrators T-Bag (Chris Craddock) and Feminem (Nathan Cuckow) argue whether the young lovers should fight back or simply move on.

Duo also play every other character in the story, voicing perspectives from radical activism to staunch homophobia.

That's a potent approach. The gay community has long been divided over its relationship to straight culture, and the increasing acceptance of gay marriage only propels both sides: From one vantage point, marriage equality grants everyone the same human dignity, but from another, it assimilates gay people into hostile hetero traditions.

T-Bag and Feminem debate this issue in blunt political terms, but Craddock and Cuckow, also the show's lyricists, shrewdly leave the rhetoric to their narrators. The rest of the characters embody the human side of gay rights, as when naive country boy Dillon (Cuckow) falls for street-smart city kid Jack (Craddock). Both men have archetypal qualities, but they also have specific, relatable traits.

Thesps' sweet-natured chemistry makes it easy to accept love is blooming, and sharp acting choices turn secondary characters like a timid support group leader and Dillon's conservative father into more than political signposts. Each facet of the gay rights debate is taken seriously, and no one -- not even Jack and Dillon -- is portrayed as perfect. When consequences erupt in the final scene, the script insists everyone share the blame.

A mawkish coda tacks on an unnecessary moral, but otherwise, the show leaves the audience with a refreshing opportunity to make up its own mind.

But "Bash'd" is more than just social issues. Craddock and Cuckow include plenty of comedy, and director Ron Jenkins adds his own funny touches. A song about the various stereotypes in a gay club becomes a satirical tour de force, with the narrators embodying everything from brainless twinks to militant lesbians (and finding examples of each in the audience).

And while it's easy for hip-hop shows to devolve into rappers standing still, Jenkins crafts a string of expressive moments. Sometimes, for instance, one thesp silently lip-syncs with the other, suggesting that a particular verse has universal weight. In one moment, Jack leaps onto Dillon's back to rap about how much he loves him, physicalizing the couple's supportiveness.

As rappers, both thesps have an impressive, hypnotic flow, and they manage to maintain it even as they act their words. (Rapping with emotional emphasis is difficult, since pauses and inflections can sabotage the rhythm of a verse.)

The duo's lyrics are as smooth as their delivery, with only an occasional awkward slip.

Aaron Macri's music matches every twist of the story, cheekily referencing Eminem or launching a throbbing, club-ready assault. His grace note comes when the boys get married: As they rap about their commitment, Macri swirls a sample from Pachelbel's "Canon in D" into a sunny dance beat. The music is so joyful and engaging that it seems like the perfect soundtrack for falling in love. It's another way the show turns a cultural movement into satisfying entertainment.

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Judith Thompson's Palace of the End Off-Broadway

             

Teri Lamm as Lynndie England
photo by Carol Rosegg

The New York City premiere of Judith Thompson's Palace of the End opens June 23, commissioned, developed and produced by Epic Theatre Ensemble. Performances play the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on West 42nd Street.

The play is billed as an "incendiary and haunting triptych of monologues that intimately explores the experiences of three key figures of the Middle East crisis: Lynndie England (Teri Lamm), the U.S. soldier who was convicted of abusing detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison; David Kelly (Rocco Sisto), the British weapons inspector who allegedly committed suicide after being involved in a government scandal and Nehrjas Al Saffarh (Heather Raffo), a member of the Communist Party of Iraq who suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime and died when the Americans bombed her home during the initial Gulf War."

The play's 2007-08 staging by the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto, garnered a 2008 Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding New Play. The play won this year's Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

The New York staging is directed by Daniella Topol.

Tickets, priced $50, are available by calling (212) 279-4200 or by visiting www.ticketcentral.com. The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre is in the Playwrights Horizons complex located in Manhattan at 416 W. 42nd Street.

For more information visit www.epictheatreensemble.org.

Here is a look at the production:

Heather Raffo as an Iraqi woman		Rocco Sisto as David Kelly

Teri Lamm (front left) as Lynndie England, Rocco Sisto (center) as David Kelly and Heather Raffo (rear right) as an Iraqi woman

From left: Teri Lamm as Lynndie England, Rocco Sisto as David Kelly and Heather Raffo as an Iraqi woman

From left: Teri Lamm as Lynndie England, Rocco Sisto as David Kelly and Heather Raffo as an Iraqi woman

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