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2011 New York IT Award Winners Announced
By Angela Mitchell, About.com Guide September 20, 2011 On Monday, September 19, the 2011 New York Innovative Theatre (IT) Award winners were announced in a ceremony hosted by Harrison Greenbaum at Cooper Union's Great Hall, located at 51 Astor Place in New York. Award recipients included a wealth of theatrical talents, including honors for Robert Patrick (Artistic Achievement Award), Horse Trade Theater Group (the Ellen Stewart Award), Flux Theatre Ensemble (the Caffe Cino Fellowship Award), and Laura Schlachtmeyer, who was recognized with the award for Outstanding Stage Manager. The 2011 New York IT Awards also included a wealth of honors for additional ensembles, shows, performers and technicians. Among the many deserving nominees and winners, the one that intrigues me most is Manhattan Theatre Source'sThings at the Doorstep (the winner for Outstanding Solo Performance, for Nat Cassidy), with a theatrical adaptation of Lovecraft that I'd absolutely love to see onstage simply because I'd want to see how they brought the world of such an expansive horror writer into the relatively intimate confines of the stage -- it makes for a wonderful creative challenge. (And yeah, then I would be afraid. A lot.) To learn more about the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, visit their website athttp://www.nyitawards.com. Meanwhile, you'll find my complete list of nominees and winners here. Congrats to all the nominees and winners alike! Photo: Courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Source
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“And the winner is…” If you were a nominee for the 2011 New York Innovative Theatre Awards those words can send chills and quivers as you await that all important NAME. And if that name is yours — !!! For the 4th year, nytheatre.com polled the winners to find out how they took the news. We asked three questions: (1)What was the absolute first thought you had when you heard them call your name? (2)Who was the first person you called/emailed to tell that you won? (3)What does this award signify or mean to you personally? Here are the answers in the order we received them.
JONATHAN BLITSTEIN - Outstanding Original Full-Length Script Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times) First Thought: At first I really thought it was someone else’s name. It was hard to hear in the auditorium, and then everyone sitting next to me was screaming and cheering, and I looked to the producer of the play, Brian Miskell, and he had this grin on his face that was like: “Dude, it was totally, totally worth every tough day of putting on that show”. And I was still pretty much convinced it wasn’t real, even when I was walking to the stage. First Called: I had my cellphone on me at the show, and I sent a text right away to my family, and then I texted my co-founding members of Lesser America, Nate Miller and Laura Ramadei, who were in Keep Your Baggage. Daniel Abeles, our other co-founder was also nominated for best featured actor, and was there with me. Award Means: I think the NYIT community/foundation, and the indie theater audience are the power-plant lighting up theater in New York City. To be recognized by them is a tremendous honor. I’m just humbled and delighted. On a personal career level, I hope this means that someday somehow I’ll get my play published, so more people can check it out. I’m hopeful. I’m also thrilled to follow in the footsteps of writers like Bekah Brunstetter and Crystal Skillman! NICK PAGLINO - Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role An Impending Rupture of the Belly First Thought: My first reaction was quite literally, “I’m pretty sure John Glover just said my name, and if he didn’t and I’m just imagining it, I’m going to look really horrible walking up to that stage right now.” My immediate next thought was, “Okay, he did say my name, and I can’t believe John Glover just said my name.” First Called: I texted my brother who lives in Michigan and is a huge sports fan. His response to my text was “Congratulations man! Are you seeing this Giants game right now?” Award Means: The work that the Off-Off Broadway community does truly is a “labor of love,” and often times slips under the general radar of the public. To have an organization like The NYIT Awards recognize the work that we do is such a refreshing affirmation that our efforts are noticed and appreciated. So to me, the award (and the entire awards ceremony) really symbolizes the strength of the Off-Off Broadway community. DEANNA MCGOVERN – Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role An Impending Rupture of the Belly First Thought: There was definitely a little bit of a delay in my head-for it to register that Jay O’Sanders had just called my name. My cast mates and friends that were sitting with me all jumped up and starting cheering and hugging me, so that made it sink in. My very close 2nd thought was- “Crap! I didn’t prepare anything to say”. It was truly a surprise. First Called: It was definitely my parents. They were watching the live stream at home in Dayton, OH and they immediately sent me a really beautiful message. And like an idiot, I didn’t thank them during my acceptance, so… Thank you Mom and Dad for everything, literally! I love you. Award Means: It means so much to be recognized by your community and peers, in whatever field you are in. But after living and working as an artist in NYC for almost 6 years, I think it’s safe to say, being recognized by your theatre community, in this city, is an incredible honor. It makes the great parts of it even greater and the tough parts of it totally worth the struggle. KRISTEN VAUGHAN – Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role Benefactors First Thought: My very first thought was “Okay, that’s me.” I was in the unusual position of being nominated alongside one of my very best friends – Heather Cunningham. Heather is a wonderful actor and also the Artistic Director and Producer of Retro Productions, a company to which I belong and because of which I received the nom and award. Heather and I were nominated for the same show! And I’m not saying I’m unhappy (please… my award sits on the bookshelf, and I’m not sure when I’ll stop smiling at it), but honestly, in that first moment, I think I wanted, and was most prepared to hear Heather’s name. First Called: I got a picture of me and the award and emailed it to Ursula, my MOM. Award Means: Over the years, Retro has had a lot of nominations. This is our first WIN! I’m thrilled to have been responsible for my part in that. Personally, the award makes me want to work all the harder, to continue to be the best actor I can be. When I smile at it in the morning it says (in a very distinguished voice) “Keep going.” CHRISTINE O’GRADY – Outstanding Choreography/Movement The Drowsy Chaperone First Thought: Susan Lucci no more!! I was excited! First Call: My fiance. He’s on tour so wasn’t with me. Award Means: It’s so nice to be recognized for my work Off-Off Broadway, where I’ve met some amazing collaborators who I continue to LOVE working with. For each of the times I’ve been nominated, it’s been a project in which my work has been clarified, deepened, and brought to life by the great people in the room–directors, actors, and designers. The group effort is so important to me, and The Drowsy Chaperone was just that! BARB KIELHOFER – Outstanding Production of a Play Balm in Gilead First Thought: I thought I had heard wrong. We had been nominated for quite a few awards throughout the night and each time they said a name other thanBalm in Gilead, so when it finally was us I was so stunned I thought that I had misheard. It wasn’t until I saw my cast leap to their feet and start cheering that I realized we had won. It was a total out of body experience. I know our director Peter Jensen had the same experience because we shared this sort of blank, stunned look before we made our way to the podium. First Call: My mom. She had been watching the entire show online from her home in New Mexico. The first thing she said to me was “you looked beautiful, and I saw John Patrick Shanley kiss you.” It was so sweet because she isn’t computer savvy so I know it was a big deal for her to watch online. She even live chatted with Aaron and Doug! Award Means: For me it represents all the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in Balm. The Outstanding Production Award is a crowning achievement at the end of a rewarding and magical experience. LESLIE KINCAID BURBY – Outstanding Director The Navigator First Thought: My first thought was, “No Way!!”. I was so in awe of the many talents nominated that I had completely convinced myself that there was no way I would win the award. I was thrilled! First Called: I called my sons Henry (15) and Adam (12) as soon as the event was over. They were super excited and apparently Adam started rolling around on the floor and cheering. They promised me they would stay up until I got home and we would have a “big party”. However, I did gently tell them they had to go to bed and we’d celebrate the next night, which we did. Award Means: This award meets a tremendous amount to me. It’s the first time I’ve received a major acknowledgement of my work in the many years I’ve been in the business of theatre. I know we all need to believe in ourselves, but it can feel pretty lonely sometimes. Being a director sometimes means you have to be the “bad guy”, and shoulder a lot of responsibility whatever problems the production runs into. This can be exhausting and overwhelming. It is a really lovely vote of confidence to receive this kind of tangible support from one’s colleagues. It is helping me recharge my creative batteries already! DAVID DARROW – Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role The Revival First Thought: Woohoo!…oh God, I have to go up there and talk… First Called: My girlfriend who was sitting next to me tweeted it before I even got back to my seat…so I didn’t have to call anyone! Award Means: It’s the perfect ending to an incredible process. I learned so much working on The Revival. I’m thrilled the show had such an impact on our audiences. NAT CASSIDY – Outstanding Solo Performance Things At The Doorstep: An Evening of Horror Based on the Works of H.P. Lovecraft First Thought: “Dammit. I have no idea what I’m going to s– … wait, are they playing ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ for Solo Performance? That is awesome.” First Call: Given the speed our damned social media move, I don’t think I actually told ANYBODY. By the time I got back to my seat, I had text messages and Facebook posts galore. Perhaps I’ll open a phonebook at random (they still make those, right?) and call the first number I point to, just so I can have the pleasure of actually telling somebody. Award Means: It’s a huge, huge honor – and, frankly, I was happy just to be nominated. This was the first solo show I’d ever done and it was a really, really, really weird, challenging, personal show that actually pissed a fair amount of people off (cf., our Village Voice review). But the fact that so manyother people came along for the ride and enjoyed it was so incredibly gratifying and amazing, and now to somehow have an award for such a crazy experience is close to absurd (and on my birthday week, no less). So it signifies to me that, no matter how insane they might seem, taking risks is always worth it, and every now and then you might get a 5-pound aluminum something to show for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all who came and voted. (And thanks to all that came and walked out, too – you were actually more of an important element than you could ever have known.)  With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 less than a month away, some survivors are turning to the theater to remember those lost in the tragedy. NY1's Frank DiLella filed the following report.
September 11th was a Tuesday that changed the country and the world forever. Now, almost 10 years later, a group of New Yorkers directly affected by 9/11 are using the power of theater to educate and heal. The piece is called "Performing Tribute" and it weaves the stories of five New Yorkers together as the early morning hours of 9/11 unfold. Theater artist Donna Kaz is at the helm of the docu-style drama. She says that she was inspired to create the piece after volunteering as a tour guide for the WTC Tribute Center back in 2005. "As I was doing these tours I started to meet others who were doing the tours and sharing their stories and all these stories inspired me. I thought so many people should be hearing these stories," Kaz said. The play had its world premiere in 2007 at the TriBeca Arts Center. Since its inception the piece has been performed all around the tri-state area. Widow Ann Van Hine is in the current company of "Performing Tribute." Her husband Bruce was one of the 343 firefighters who died in the line of duty on September 11th. Ann says she finds that bringing her family's story into the spotlight is a form of therapy for her and her fatherless daughters. "He was doing his job that day, a job that he loved," Van Hine said. "And so my daughters and I, though we had a personal loss during the midst of a national tragedy, he died in the line of duty. And with that as a firefighter, that's always a possibility. But you can't imagine being thrown into what 9/11 is. But that's how we get through it." The play, last performed at Harlem Stage uptown, proved to be very emotional for both the players and the audience. Sister Fran Gorsuch took in the recent presentation of "Performing Tribute" and says that it's an eye opening experience. "I've had some very mixed feelings about the 9/11 memorial and the costs and all of that. And something about tonight put it in place for me. Nothing we can do as a country is enough or too much for the people who lost loved ones during 9/11," Gorsuch said. "Performing Tribute" is set to play four more performances in and around New York City through September 17th. For more information on the 9/11 work, visit www.performingtribute.com.  Revisit the Sound of Frank Sinatra with My Sinatra's Cary Hoffman
By Broadway.com Staff August 15, 2011 - 5:28PM Frank Sinatra has one of the most distinguishable voices in music history, and now audiences are getting to hear it off-Broadway... sort of. Audiences are learning that performer Cary Hoffman has a magnificent talent for channeling the legendary singer. In his solo show My Sinatra, Hoffman tells theatergoers about his lifelong obsession with Ol' Blue Eyes as he performs many of Sinatra's classic hits. Broadway.com met up with Hoffman to talk about his special connection with the Chairman of the Board, and why Sinatra impersonators can't compare to his performance. Take a look below! View more videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com.  Friday, July 15, 2011 People You Should Know . . . Nancy Manocherian Nancy Manocherian: Founding Artistic director of the cell. Nancy is a lyricist, playwright and producer. Writing credit include: Sin!; Rio, a Brazilian musical novella (Theatre for the New City); and Dinner and Delusion, an opera co-written with composer Michael Sahl (The Center for Contemporary Opera/New York city Opera’s VOX Festival). Her passion is for the arts and her dream is the cell, a 21st century salon. How did you get involved with theatre? When did you start writing? I was writing poems as a means of dealing with my demons and suddenly realized they were songs with a theme, so I decided to write a musical. Eventually I freed myself from rhymes and rhythm to explore story and dialogue. Tell me about the cell. The cell evolved from my involvement with theater coupled with a long-standing fantasy I had about running a salon. I pretty much always had the Midnight in Parisfantasy depicted by Woody Allen, but I believe I had it first! Tell me about Bad Evidence and Midsummer. How do you feel the season is going? What have you loved most about the process? Kira and I have known (and loved) Terry Quinn for a while. When he brought us Bad Evidence, it felt like the right fit. We did a reading, incubation, and now have a showcase. We hope it keeps growing. Midsummer was proposed as an idea from The Hive when the cell announced “Shakespeare in the Rear” as a project for our new backyard space. We have had many discussions about how to grow our projects in a flooded theater market. We felt running two shows in tandem may help us grow an audience. It’s complicated. I think what I've loved most about the process is witnessing the myriad ingredients that are part of collaboration. It is amazing and gratifying to see so much activity, so many personalities, so much talent under one roof working towards a common goal. What kind of writing inspires you? What writing doesn’t inspire me might be easier to answer. I hate predictability. I love variety. Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as an artist? My earliest idols were Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. Then Philip Roth, Dostoyevsky, James Joyce, and Woody Allen. In that order. What else are you working on right now? I have been writing some poetry, my memoir, a play, a newer play, and making an urn modeled on some ancient sarcophagi I saw in Israel. Posted by Zack at 2:34 PM Labels: Nancy Manocherian, People You Should Know This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
 JULY 2011
The Hive and the cell A Theasy Interview with The Hive's Artistic Director and co-founder, Matthew A.J. Gregory, the cell's Artistic Director, Kira Simring, and the cell's Founding Artistic Director, Nancy Manocherianby Molly Marinik This summer, The Hive and the cell join forces to present “The Summer of Lust,” which includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Bad Evidence playing in rep through July. The bill might encompass one old play and one new play, but both fit under the subhead “smoldering portraits of contemporary relationships.” Insert sexy cat noise here. We sent some questions to The Hive’s Artistic Director and co-founder, Matthew A.J. Gregory (who is also directing Midsummer), to the cell’s Artistic Director, Kira Simring (who is also directing Bad Evidence), and to the cell’s Founding Artistic Director, Nancy Manocherian, to learn more about the joint endeavor. Here’s what they had to say. THEASY: What are your missions? What are your companies all about? NANCY: the cell’s mission is to incubate and present new works of art. We are an artist run arts organization dedicated to creating opportunities for artists in all disciplines by providing a nurturing space for individual and collaborative work among the many diverse artists who work in our space. MATT: The Hive’s mission is about breaking down the traditional theatre hierarchy and empowering all of the artists involved to collaborate on a level playing field. We aren’t at all top down as a company. It’s truly a collective, where actors feel free to make suggestions and to work with set designers on scenery, and a lighting designer can feel comfortable in making a suggestion to an actor about a moment they are playing on stage. While many of our members fall into traditional disciplines, there aren’t the kind of rigid boundaries between roles as there often is in other theatrical endeavors. The Hive firmly believes that if we get the right artists in a room together, someone involved will have the creative solution to any problem that comes along. It is the second half of our mission, “building and serving the community through play,” that I think makes the Hive unique however. We believe in play in every sense of the word, and we are all about our community. We don’t just produce plays, we also host bar nights of drinking and merriment, themed one-night events, and a variety of other programming that falls outside of traditional theatre. Play is the unifying factor in all that we do, for audiences and for ourselves. We want audiences and artists alike to use plays and play as a way to grow into an ever enlarging community. **Read the rest of the article here**  What do you do after you've become the Executive Producer of "Men of a Certain Age," starring Ray Romano? Oh, and along the way, you've discovered Luther Vandross, managed Zach Galifinakis, and written hit songs. What do you do after you've done all that? Why you put on a one-man show about Frank Sinatra, of course.
That is just what Cary Hoffman has done. This accomplished writer, producer, songwriter and manager has mounted a tribute to Frank Sinatra, now playing at the Midtown Theater in New York City, that includes not only Hoffman's remarkable Sinatra-esque vocal stylings, but a running dialogue about his obsession with Sinatra since Hoffman was a boy. Hoffman talks the audience through his childhood and adolescence, when he spent most of his time longing to be Frank Sinatra. He practiced incessantly in his room, took some beginning gigs in the Catskills, and ran headlong into rock n' roll music. Much like the real Frank Sinatra, Hoffman just didn't get it. As he recalls his ambitions and frustrations, he punctuates the monologue with Sinatra songs, which he sings with near-perfect Sinatra phrasing and vocal tones. He is not a Sinatra impersonator; he's a Sinatra interpreter. The show does not so much recreate his idol. It's a tribute. His tribute led to a PBS special, and draws audiences in New York, as well as art centers around the world. There are times during the show when Hoffman convinces the audience he was more than a little off-center as a child, and his Sinatra obsession begins to seem like a disorder that developed as Hoffman tried to escape the pain of a screaming mother and the deaths of his father and step father. But slowly Hoffman redeems himself with his account of how he became his own man (leaving out all of his remarkable accomplishments), and his ambitions to be a star seem to come to fruition right there on the stage. By the end of the show, Hoffman has become fully himself, and he fills the stage not with Sinatra, but with Hoffman. And the trip through Sinatra's great songs is the icing on the cake. Continue reading on Examiner.com Ray Romano Producer Offers One-man Show - New York Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-new-york/ray-romano-producer-offers-one-man-show#ixzz1RFglGzrh  June 26, 2011, 10:34pm
The Yenta in Question Is Charles Busch By Benjamin Ivry COURTESY OF TWO LIONS PRODUCTIONS In anticipation of his eagerly-awaited new play, “Olive and the Bitter Herbs” which opens at Primary Stages on July 26, veteran playwright and actor Charles Busch continues to rake in the tributes. On June 27, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation will present Busch with its 2011 Innovative Theatre Luminary Award at a benefit performance at Therapy/The Upstairs Lounge hosted by Harrison Greenbaum, a Harvard-educated stand-up comic. Starring Marcia Jean Kurtz, the off-Broadway diva who also appeared in such noteworthy 1970s films as Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park and Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon, “Olive and the Bitter Herbs” recounts the fate of Olive Fisher, a failed old actress whose career peak was landing a sausage commercial in the 1980s, in which her catchphrase is “Give me the sausage.” TV viewers of a certain age will doubtless recall the actress Clara Peller, who since 1987 reposes in Cook County’s Waldheim Jewish Cemetery, but who achieved sudden fame in the 1980s after working for decades as a manicurist, after she was cast in a series of “Where’s The Beef?” commercials for Wendy’s fast food. In Busch’s dramatic version, Olive is unexpectedly asked by neighbors to host a Passover Seder, which alters her view of those around her and life in general. Busch’s works, sometimes unfairly reduced to a mere edulcorated version of Charles Ludlam’s more radically brilliant Ridiculous Theatrical Company, have long contained a good degree of Yiddishkeit. Busch discusses his Judaism in the 2006 documentary “The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch” and such pricelessly grumpy characters as Sol Sussman in the 2003 screen comedy “Die Mommie Die!” or the stage characters Marjorie and Ira Taub in 2000’s Broadway success The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife are mainstream, middle-of-the-road, yet piquantly amusing sketches of urban Jewish life today. Although most celebrated for drag incarnations of filmstars whom he idolizes, such as Susan Hayward, Busch has also contributed dramatic performances, as when he played the role of a murderous prisoner Nat Ginzburg in the wrenchingly brutal HBO television drama “Oz”. More in the gently amusing vein of “Allergist’s Wife,” “Olive and the Bitter Herbs” was written as a vehicle for Kurtz, whom Busch admires to the point of even stalking her, accompanied by a friend, as he confessed to a recent interviewer: “[Kurtz] thought we were goofing on her. I said, ‘No, no, we really think you’re the Jewish Duse!’” Watch Charles Busch chatting with Israeli-born Amir Blumenfeld an actor from www.collegehumor.com, during the run of Busch’s 2010 play “The Divine Sister.”  Award winning actor/playwright Charles Busch is getting another honor to accessorize his mantel with on Monday.
His frequent costar Julie Halston will present him with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards' 2011 Luminary award at Therapy (348 W. 52 Street), from 6 to PM. On the eve of his barrage of ritualized lovin', I phoned Charles for a chat. Me: Congrats on all your awards, darlin'. You're approaching Marian Seldes status. Busch: It is rather aging, isn't it? (laughs) At the Rochester Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, I was given a humanitarian award. Julie Halston said, "What have you ever done for anyone?" I said, "I've done plenty. Look at your career." Me: And you've given the world play after play. Tell me about your new one. Bush: We start rehearsals Tuesday. It's called Olive and the Bitter Herbs at Primary Stages. It's in the vein of Tale of the Allergist's Wife. I'm not in this one, but Julie is once again--this is the 10th role I've written for her. I don't know if that puts us in the Guinness Book of World Records. When we did The Divine Sister, she had a bad rehearsal day and said, "The headline could be 'Muse Canned!' " Me: Is Julie paying Olive? Bush: No, Olive is played by a wonderful actress named Marcia Jean Kurtz. Julie and I have become cultists for her. We stalked her at one point. She thought we were goofing on her. I said, "No, no, we really think you're the Jewish Duse!" Olive is a cantankerous actress whose biggest claim to fame is she starred in the "Give me the sausage" commercial in the '80s. She has two mirrors, and in the mirror within the mirror she thinks she sees a young man. It's a little bit of a mystical play--and very funny. Me: My mirror says you've worked with Joan Rivers, who loves you. Busch: We became close friends. She doesn't suck the air out of the room. She's really interested in other people and has a real conversation. Me: I know! She deserves all the legend awards too. Speaking of awards, let's have a real conversation about the Tonys. I liked it. Busch: I'm really not a cunt. I'm a glass half full kind of person. I thought it was emotional and the entertainment was entertaining. Me: Wait--you're not a cunt? That's my lead! Busch: That's why I'm getting these legends awards. (laughs) |
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