Crazytown

#FRINGENYC LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO 'THE DEVIL'

 

FringeNYC is about to be upon us again! Let me introduce you to "The Devil."

By Maya Contreras (Playwright/Performer)

This year I have another play in FringeNYC. I love Fringe because it produces affordable independent theatre - which is incredibly important in a town where the average Broadway ticket is well over $250. FringeNYC is $18 and you have over 200 shows to choose from.

FringeNYC gives a stage (well, 16 of them) to tell our stories that might not quite fit in the mainstream of Broadway, but are still compelling and necessary. 

My offering this year is Let The Devil Take The Hindmost. Set in 1969 Washington DC, Vera, an African American math teacher and her husband Pablo, a Latino Art History Professor, attempt to make sense of a violent decade, their rocky marriage, and what the future holds for their politically active daughter. 

I started outlining the play Nov. 22, 2014 and began the second act June 13, 2015. Why do I remember those two dates? Tamir Rice's murder and the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina took place retrospectively on those two dates. Like many in this country I was overwhelmed with grief that a child playing on a swing set with a toy gun, and nine unarmed church goers were all murdered in cold blood. All victims of systemic and institutionalized racism in a culture that has stoked the flames of division and hate for far too long. 

LISTENING IS LOVE

Taking a step back in this busy world is beyond important.
by Alex Syiek (Writer/Performer/Listener)

Benjamin Mathes was the first acting coach I ever had. One normal day during my Junior year of high school, he came to my house, and we explored space, broke down walls, and generally got along as fast friends. He helped me out as an actor and as a human being until I left California to the east coast for college. I would keep up with Ben on a "Facebook surface " level, and was always glad to see when success came his way.

The other day I was reminded of a project Ben started. It is called Urban Confessional. It's a group of artists who go out into the city and volunteer their time to just "listen" to people. People who need someone to lend them an ear. It's a great, noble pursuit, and one that many find strange in today's digital world. But I suppose that's why I love it so much. Here's a lil' video to explain it further:

 
"If there is no listener, there's no power in the speaking."

It reminds me to step back sometimes. Stop talking so much, Alex. Listen. I urge y'all to listen as well. And also, check out Ben's books too. They're full of daily inspiration for artists of any kind.

Tell your story; listen to someone else's.

P.S.

If you want to be a "listener," Urban Confessional is looking for volunteers in Cleveland and Philadelphia. Check out their site and get on that!

LET'S SHIP IT!

Ship, Noun: Short for romantic relationship, popularized in fanfiction circles. Verb: To endorse a romantic relationship.

By Alisha Giampola (writer/performer)

 

image via.

 

My friend Helen Highfield is in a brand new show and I got to interview her about it! Because she's my friend! It went something like this: She was in NYC for a few days and while grabbing lunch together I said, "I'm so excited about your new show!" and she was like, "Thanks! I love your blog!" and I was like, "Wait, let's write about your show on my blog because that just makes sense." And that's how the magic happens, kids.

 

The first 7 episodes of I Ship It are up on CWSeed.com RIGHT NOW. Read on to find out more about the show, its creator, Helen's experience working on it, and how we both feel about Game of Thrones. Oh yeah, mild GOT spoilers ahead, I guess. You've been warned.  

 

Helen (as Ella) at the Battle of the Bands.
Photo credit: Mickie Copeland - Copeland Photography

Alisha: Helen, hi! So we're friends in real life, and you're also in a show right now, which was really fun for me to watch, I have to say. I loved I Ship It, and I know I'm biased, but I thought your character was very adorable.

Helen Highfield: Aw, thank you!

A: Did you know much about the show or the creator before you auditioned?

HH: I did and I didn't. I actually got this audition through a friend who got the appt. but isn't a big singer. She recommended me to the casting director (they happened to know each other from college) who told her to just send me in instead - which is kind of unheard of and really generous of her. I didn't have much info other than the sides which vaguely reminded me of a cool short I'd stumbled upon online a while back, but couldn't quite place. Anywho, when I met Yulin (the show creator/director) at the callback it hit me. I was like "oh duh! it reminds me of your short film which I loved!" I even went to internet stalk her after and realized I'd been following her Twitter for a year. I had watched a bunch of her work on YouTube and thought she had a really beautiful aesthetic and cared about creating smart and strong female characters. So, while I was auditioning, I was mostly excited that this weird twist of fate had brought us together.

A: That's amazing! Yeah I was so excited when I realized how much I was going to get to hear you sing. Did you enjoy the recording process? Also, did I not know that you play guitar?!

HH: Yes! I LOVED recording. It was SO much fun. It was also a pretty crazy schedule. Yulin and I moved into Brian Grider's house for 4 days of "music camp" and I was recording into the wee hours. I'm pretty sure the karaoke song was recorded at 5am. Also, Brian and Kirstyn Hippe (who was sending material from NYC), were writing some of the songs as we went. That was cool to see that process and be a part of it. As for the guitar... ummmmmm.... I wish. No, I got a lot of help with how to fake it. Also, there were a lot of artfully placed extras heads in those performance scenes.

A: Well, that was some pretty stellar guitar acting.

HH: Haha, thanks!

A: So this is very much a show about starting a band, and a group of people getting closer because they're working together on something creative. Did the four of you get to know each other at all before you were cast?

HH: Well, Riley (who plays Tim) and I met in the audition room. Not the waiting room. In. The. Audition. And it was a kissing scene. I was like "Uh, hi. Nice to meet you. Mind if I kiss you in a couple seconds? Cool? Cool." So that was pretty funny. Also the band got to rehearse a bunch of choreo together and that was a really fun day. Oh! And I almost forgot - Yulin took Riley and I on a pseudo date. She basically got us drunk and asked us personal questions. It was great. I told her about my first kiss with *name redacted because person is actually a mutual friend*, haha!

A: Bahaha. That sounds like if you hadn't gotten drunk it could have been the most awkward thing ever.

HH: Haha! Yeah, I guess it could've. We definitely got to know each other fast and are still good friends. Also, Riley and I both did programs at Shakespeare & Co. so we were both like "I get you. You're my people.” Some of the pics of Tim and Ella in their apt are actually from that drunken pseudo date night.

image via.

A: The show is kind of all about getting with "your people"... I really liked that it was just sort of unabashedly about being nerdy and writing fan fiction and stuff. I personally wrote some insanely embarrassing fan fiction as a teenager.

HH: Ohmygod I'd love to read your fanfic.

A: Nope.

HH: Hahaha!

REWRITING OUR MOTHER'S MYTHS

When myth meets reality, and neither one offers protection, it is time for a rewrite. 

By Alexis Haynie (Writer, Actor, Scholar)

My mother has mainly existed as a myth in my memory. Immortal and without flaw. A life too big to be confined by death. Strong. Driven. Living with sickle cell disease but never suffering from it, of course. She married my father. She separated from my father. She bought her own house and her own car. But even more important than being independent and battling a chronic illness—she birthed two daughters. Because every great myth needs a miraculous birth. The doctors, not to be mistaken for the daytime talk show hosts, warned her against childbirth. She didn’t listen.

She grew two humans in a body that was self-destructing because she knew her mission was to deliver the tiny humans into the world—even if it meant dying in the process. She knew she would never live to witness the trajectory of their lives and the fulfillment of their personal missions. Her death would come before her existence could concretize in their memories. But that would be enough.
The myth would be enough.

A CUP OF TEA

Do re mi fa so la...
By Alisha Giampola (Writer/Performer)

I spend most of my workday singing silly songs with children who have only recently grasped the concept of object permanence. A little bit like Maria Von Trapp, but without the long-term responsibility or the Nazis. These kids are toddlers, and as such, are at their absolute height of self-centeredness. If they are holding something, it is theirs, as surely as if it was growing out of their body. It might surprise you to know that if you were to ask me, "Alisha, can a child who is still learning how to talk in complete sentences understand and exercise consent?" I would think for a moment, and then say, "Yeah, totally!" 

Children at the age I'm describing are at the perfect moment in their life to begin learning that other people's bodies belong to them, and them alone. Just yesterday, I was playing maracas with a small group of these little humans, and one boy started banging his maraca on the leg of a little girl next to him. I watched, not interrupting my rendition of the song You Are My Sunshine. The little girl seemed to not be bothered, and then to be bothered, and finally began to actively push the little boy's maracas away from her leg. He kept reaching to tap her on the leg and she kept pushing him away until I finally said, "Hm, Ignatius (NOT HIS REAL NAME), it doesn't seem as if Pandora (NOT HER REAL NAME EITHER) wants you to play your maracas on her body." Ignatius stopped and looked at Pandora, and then at me. "See? She's pushing your hand away, which makes me feel like she doesn't like what you're doing." Ignatius picked his maracas back up and started tapping the ground with them instead, and we all moved on with the second verse of You Are My Sunshine. 

From my experience, adults often seem skeptical that lessons like this will actually sink in and influence their child's behavior long term. But let me tell you, they really actually do. Not all the time, of course. Like anything you tell a two year old, you have to repeat it quite a lot. And you have to respect the rule yourself. One thing I see adults do with children all the time that stresses me out is that they make them hug or kiss people even when it's pretty clear that the child does not want to do this. Grownups, please don't make your kids hug and kiss people, even if you yourself like those people. Even if you have the best of intentions. It's okay to suggest it, or even encourage a child to give a hug or a kiss to a friend or an aunt or a grandpa, but if they don't want to, you shouldn't make them. It's so hard to tell children, especially girls, that they should seek consent from their adult relationships if we haven't respected their bodily autonomy up until that point. It's a weird message.  

THE ITALIAN WOMEN OF LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Some of the composer's greatest works were inspired by his love of Italian women.
By Tom Rizzuto

I was raised in a 100% Italian American family, and if you've ever known Italians, you know that we're a proud people. Our pride in our heritage comes out in a lot of different ways, such as the food we eat, the music we listen to, and the traditions we work so hard to keep alive. Another thing you may have noticed about Italians is that we love to let you know about the many contributions Italians have made to Western Civilization.

Look, I'm sure you would have figured out the Renaissance eventually. I'm just saying we gave you a head start.

That's why it is nothing short of shocking that my people have taken so long to claim at least partial responsibility for the works of Ludwig van Beethoven.

But Yours Is Always Greenest

We are all so much more than where we live. 
by Andrew Nielson, Writer/Actor

I literally sparkled in the sun: a pale vampiric sapling amongst tan, statuesque models. No one was impressed by my friendly demeanor which usually helps me get my way in New York City, home of hustle, bustle, and ferocity. 

Los Angeles was the most amazing place that I had ever seen. I was certain that every day was a never ending party.

There I was on a Thursday at a coffee shop in an alleyway where 20 people had gathered after a cycling class. The sun was shining and music was shaking the cement beneath me. The tiny alley was overflowing, giving it the air of a lucrative, exclusive social event or a crazy club on a Saturday night. But it was not Saturday night. It was a sunny alley on a Thursday. 

In my head, I began spinning tales and future memoirs of my Bohemian life in L.A. At least, Bohemian was what I would call a group of people that apparently had no place better to be on a Thursday morning at 11am. And yet, this lifestyle was not entirely new to me. After all, I had been unemployed for months and spent my days alternating between coffee shops, cafes, and the occasional nap in my own sunny bedroom. 

Still, to me, these people were living the ultimate life. Vacation after vacation after vacation. Day after day after day. 

But then, I thought, this can't be so. I had to remind myself—these people had jobs and responsibilities too. They had rent to pay, bills piling up, children to feed, and a spat with a co-worker who was just plain obnoxious.

Some days they wake up sick.

Some days they are hungover.

Some days their boyfriends cheat.

Some days they cheat. 

They have the same experiences that I do, but on a sunny morning in Los Angeles, for one moment, they were completely, incandescently happy. They seek the comfort of the sun to forget their worries; I run into the breakneck streets of New York to lose myself.

The grass is always greener. But yours is always greenest. 

Happiness has no zip code. 

We are all so much more than where we live.

ANDREW NIELSON is a 20-something silver fox living and working in New York City. Actor, writer, self-producing maniac. His biggest claim to fame is Liza Minelli suggesting that he should "really lose some weight." He lives with his companion of 20 years: a stuffed cockerspaniel named Spanky. www.andrewnielson.com
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THE NIGHT I MET ANGELA LANSBURY (AND THE TONYS HAPPENED TOO!)

A man meets the actress he's always loved and the moment is beautiful. Tale as old as time.
By Owen Panettieri (Playwright, Lyricist)

I'm working on very little sleep today after having a fantastic time at the Tony Awards Sunday night. Through the generosity of my boss, I got to experience the Tony Awards from a seat in the front center right section of the orchestra seating. I was surrounded by artists I deeply respect - Laurie Metcalf, Common, Claire Danes, Jessica Lange and Oprah to name just a few. But the biggest name of them all in my mind, the one who was most important to me, was none other than Angela Lansbury.

For as long as I can remember I have loved Angela Lansbury. It started with Bedknobs and Broomsticks - a movie I loved to watch on VHS when I was little and made me believe Angela Lansbury was magic. Then of course came Murder, She Wrote a show I watched for years with my mother and grandmother both of whom adored her as an actress. And obviously she is the voice of Mrs. Potts in Beauty & The Beast. As I got older, I came to discover the depth of her stage and film work. Her turns in Gaslight and Manchurian Candidate. Her undeniably iconic performances in Sweeney Todd, Mame and Gypsy. This woman is a worldwide treasure!

So for the past few days since I knew I'd be sitting in the front orchestra section, I actually started to wonder: would I see Angela Lansbury there that night? It wasn't inconceivable. She's a Broadway Legend. She's got her eye on a return to Broadway. I'd seen her on a Broadway stage twice in recent years in Blythe Spirit and A Little Night Music - and as a former host and 5 time Tony winner, her ties to the cermony are strong. What if she was there? What if she was sitting near me? I don't usually get star stuck around famous people, but this would be ANGELA LANSBURY.  What would I do? 

So it's Sunday night. I'm sitting in the third row from the stage on the right side. Little by little, people are taking their seats. I'm already noticing that the temperature in the theater is warm (by the time the show actually starts, the Beacon was noticeably hot and the situation never improved until after the show was over and we got to pour our of the theater into the cool fresh air outside.) I know the people to my right - they are my friend's parents. I say hello to them as they make their way past some nice older people in our row to get to their seats. When my friend's mom sits down next to me, the first thing she asks me is if I remember who she is (I do! We've met several times! That's why i said hello!) and then immeadiately she asks, "Did you see Angela Lansbury over there? Do you know who that is?" She points and I look to the corner seat two rows ahead of me... and it's ANGELA LANSBURY! I audibly gasp. She's right there! What do I DO? My friend's mom says that she wanted to say hello as they sat down, but her husband didn't think it was a good idea and that they should leave Angela alone. "What do you think?" She asks me. I stare at the back of Angela's head and with no hesitation, I say, "Get up. We're going to say hello to Angela Lansbury." 

INFINITE JOY

On My Wedding
By Sam Perwin

I write this from Montauk, NY where my newly minted husband and I escaped to for a two-day "mini-moon" following our wedding weekend. We're planning on taking a longer honeymoon next year - probably for our first anniversary - but for now, two days by the beach is all we get. He's napping, and I desperately needed to put my thoughts down. I'll keep this brief, as I want to get back to the afterglow and there's a spa here that's calling my name (again - we already visited it this morning).

In short, my big, fat, gay wedding (thanks to my uncle Jimmy for that moniker) was indescribably wonderful. I have no desire to go through every detail of just how wonderful it was (or this will be the longest post of my life) but it was utterly perfect. Unsurprisingly, I'm filled with a litany of emotions: relief that all of the planning and stress led to an amazing evening; sadness that my mother wasn't there to see it; excitement about the beginning of this new stage of my relationship; anxiety about living up to vows I made and my own ability to be the husband I want to be; wonder at all the free time I'm going to have now that the planning is done. 

But mostly, I'm feeling joy and gratitude. As everyone told me, the undisputed best part about getting married is that you are surrounded by all the people you love, all at once, in the same place. And they're all there to celebrate you and this person that you've chosen to spend the rest of your life with. And then everyone eats, and drinks, and dances. It's a giant, ecstatic party, and everyone you've ever wanted to be there is there. There is so much joy. Also, at the risk of sounding #grateful instead of actually grateful. I need to thank my wonderful family - particularly my father, for making this extraordinary day a reality. My family rolls pretty deep. Every one of them showed up to celebrate this occasion, and every one of them did nothing but enhance the experience from start to finish. As we all know, families can be complicated, emotionally-laden beasts. I'm so so lucky to have been born into mine, and so grateful to be related to all of them.

Finally, of course, there's the newest member of my family: my beautiful, wonderful husband, Mattie. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for choosing me. And thank you for wanting to create a life with me. I can't wait to start this next chapter with you. 

There were many many photos taken during the wedding, and many have already been shared on social media. This one was sent to me and I'd like to share it here. It's a bit blurry, but it was taken as we walked up the aisle after we broke the glass. I think it captures a lot of our feelings at that particular moment.

 

SAM PERWIN Actor. Singer. Writer. Tall. www.samperwin.com
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EATING MY VEGETABLES

A Mother's Day Special. 
By Alisha Giampola (Writer/Performer) 

I was listening to 99% Invisible the other day (which, if you're into podcasts and have somehow missed it, uh, get on that), and it was an episode called Unseen City; all about the nature we frequently overlook in our increasingly urban landscapes. It's a great episode, and I recommend it, but I'm mentioning it because part of the episode got me thinking. Roman Mars and the author he is interviewing are discussing how, surprisingly, many plants and weeds in our everyday lives are edible and sometimes it's nice to be reminded that our food comes from the earth and not a store. I know this was meant to be a lovely sentiment, something to shake a realization from my modern psyche: of course! food from the earth! not a box! how silly! But as I pondered this thought, I realized that someone very close to me had always given me the gift of knowing where food comes from, and just how delicious something picked from a tree hanging over the sidewalk can be. My mom.

Swinging with mom, circa 1988.

When I was very small, we would take walks in the woods by my house. Mom knew what blackberry bushes looked like, and she taught me to find the ripe ones and eat them, warm and unwashed and out of our hands. In Florida, where I grew up, loquat trees inhabit many a front yard, and the heavy yellow fruits would hang tantalizingly within arms reach- or sometimes you'd have to climb the first rung of a fence, or walk through some bushes...either way, my mom or the squirrels were going to get it, and Lita Giampola is a lot smarter than a squirrel. I remember being vaguely scandalized by my mother's brazen and fearless thievery. My mom is a quiet person, much more so than me, and uses this to her advantage. As a kid, I would be deeply engrossed on our walks with telling mom the entire plot, in exhaustive detail, of the Boxcar Children mystery I had just read, and wouldn't even notice until she handed me a loquat, or a tangerine, or a raspberry, that she'd even paused to pick it. We would smell something good, and mom would say: "These leaves look like mint," a moment later we were nibbling on the small green leaves we'd just walked by.