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play of the month

NYCPlaywrights uses multi-media and Internet technologies in the cause of playwriting and theatre. One of our projects is The Play of the Month.

One 10-minute play or a monologue on a designated theme is selected and a performance is video-recorded. The recording is then uploaded to Youtube and posted to the NYCPlaywrights web site. Since the NYCPlaywrights web site is viewed by 5500+ unique visitors per month, there is the potential for many more people to see a reading-performance of a play than at a typical 10-minute play festival.




Play of the month - January 2014

The theme was "I want something from you." 


US by David Copper





David Copper on his monologue:

US is a monologue that celebrates the sticky, complicated nature of relationships and recognizes that unions between humans are not possible without such stickiness. It also acknowledges the odd tendency we have to wax nostalgic about aspects of past relationships that were not so pleasant at the time. I suppose you could say it is autobiographical. But I imagine we've all been there.
David Copper is a writer of drama, prose and various video projects. Under the pen name Copper Smith he has littered the online world with hard-hitting crime fiction noir. Among his produced plays are Dancing around the Moment and Escape from Pretensia. 

Bryn Packard moved to New York in 2013 to pursue his dreams and chase a girl. A fixture in the Chicago indie film scene he’s now enjoying meeting the talented artists of his new city and finding that New York was the catalyst needed to grow his career across the board- in print, voiceover, television and film. He portrayed field reporter Matt Jennings in “The Onion Weather Center” and also starred in the features “I Don’t Care” (in post-production), “Children Without Parents” and “Red Balls”. Select theatrical projects include Emilio Williams' "Tables and Beds" (Charlie) with Chicago Theater Sweatshop and Teatro Vista's world premiere of Matthew Paul Olmos' "i put the fear of mexico in 'em" (Jonah) and a reading of that same play at La Mama. (In case you were wondering, things are going great with the girl.) More at http://www.brynpackard.com/


THE PORTRAIT COMMISSION by Marlene Fanta Shyer


Marlene Fanta Shyer on her monologue:
To tell the truth this piece is absolutely fictional, except for the '"bad" portrait I once commissioned from a Boston artist, someone who had done me a big favor. Instead of a picture of me, I requested a portrait of Elvis Presley that turned out to look like a quirky Mohammed Ali.
Mustafa is the name of the nice African boy who delivers groceries from Food Emporium, and it was my father who played accordion--and you know what everyone thinks of accordion music!
Marlene Fanta Shyer is a professional writer who recently completed a new play, EVERETT REDUX. Another play was produced at the Emelin in Mamaroneck and she's also written a few TV sitcom segments. Other writing credits are on her website at www.marleneshyer.com


Liz Kimberlin is New York-based actor, and also the playwright V.E. Kimberlin. Her many plays, film shorts and comedy sketches have been produced in NYC's Tri-State metro area and the Hamptons, Los Angeles, Chicago, various other U.S. cities; London and elsewhere in the U.K. She has published general hard news, feature articles and short fiction in many print and online publications and also occasionally reviews for New York-based theater websites. Musical theater devotee and graduate of the National Shakespeare Conservatory, classical acting program, actor Liz Kimberlin has recently returned to stage and screen.  She can be seen featured in several short and independent films, as well as extra for such TV shows as SMASH, Peoples Court, CNBC's Crowd Rules, two upcoming major films and others.





Play of the month - October 2013

The theme was "You put a spell on me."

YOU PUT A SPELL ON ME by Gabrielle Sinclair




Gabrielle Sinclair on her monologue:
This little monologue lives in that crazy place where uncontrollable feelings meet unbearable misunderstanding.
Gabrielle Sinclair is a southern playwright and improviser based in New York City. Her short plays have been produced in Seattle, Omaha and NYC, and she has written and performed with the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago and iOWest in Los Angeles, as well as performed long-form improv in festivals around the country. An associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Gabrielle recently completed her MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School. Keep up with her at gabriellesinclair.com


Renee Cole is a singer, writer, acclaimed Lady Gaga impersonator, leap day baby, and Barbra Streisand super fan. She moved to NYC to pursue acting at eighteen years old, fresh from Maine like a bottle of Poland Spring. After training at LIU and HB Studios she appeared in off-off Broadway productions and many commercials and print ads. reneecole.com




Play of the month - June 2013

These monologues were written in response to four challenges:
  • Monologue #1 - for a female actor under 35. She's been mutually flirting with someone at work but just found out the person is involved in a long-term relationship with someone else. 
  • Monologue #2 - for a male actor under 35. He thinks his partner might be having an affair with a massage therapist. 
  • Monologue #3 - for a female actor over 35. She's a college professor and tried marijuana for the first time. 
  • Monologue #4 - for a male actor over 35. His partner wants to move to the suburbs but he likes the city. 

RACHEL by Jennifer Calhoun, performed by Kitty Hendrix.




We asked Jennifer about the inspiration for this monologue. Her reply:
I dunno what to say without incriminating myself! 
Jennifer Calhoun is an actor and writer living in NYC. She is a founding member of the Secondhand Theatre Company. Favorite playwrights include: Christopher Durang, Sarah Ruhl, and Sam Shepard.

Kitty Hendrix has originated more than 30 roles in theater, film and television: most recently Ronnie Brooks in The Gray List and  Maddy Hogan in The Acting Lesson (Legacy Stage Ensemble), Also television, Karen, 666 Park Ave (ABC) and Sara, Unforgettable (CBS). She is an audio book narrator with two titles coming out this summer through ACX/ Audible.com. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA . www.kittyhendrix.com 



***


RUB ME THE WRONG WAY by L. Zephyr, performed by Doug Rossi.


Viewer advisory: this video contains obscene language



L. Zephyr in the inspiration for this monologue:

My inspiration for this piece was simple. In a past life, I dated a therapist. One of us played a racquet sport. One of us cheated. No one died.
L. Zephyr has dreamed of being a writer ever since she saw West Side Story at the age of twelve,  however, her dream was waylaid. Forty odd years later, somewhat bruised, but nonetheless undaunted, she presses onward in the pursuit of that dream. She lives in Northern California, and is currently working on a musical.

Doug Rossi received his MFA from The Alabama Shakespeare Festival where his major roles included George in All My Sons, Kulygin in Three Sisters, and The Prosecuting Attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird. In NYC he's played major roles in more than forty films/commercials/web series and more than thirty-five plays, with his most recent role being in Duncan Pflaster's Sweeter Dreams for which he won Best Featured Actor of The Planet Connections Fest. He was seen in the World Premiere of Katalina Mustatsea's The Model for St. Mark's Church Incubator Series in August, directed by renowned writer Richard Vetere.


***


SABOTAGE by Brian Cox, performed by Tony White.



Viewer advisory: this video contains obscene language



Brian Cox on the inspiration for this monologue:

Detroit has a long history of racial tension with the surrounding suburbs. The idea of a guy employing stereotypes held by some white suburbanites as a way to sabotage his partner’s plans to move out of the city struck me as a fine satirical setup for highlighting the absurdities.
Brian Cox is a newspaper editor in Detroit, Michigan. He’s received a variety of journalism awards and has published a handful of short stories. His full-length play CLUTTER received a staged reading this year through From Around Here Productions and his one-act play STUCK was selected to be read as part of Ann Arbor Civic Theater’s new play festival “The Play’s the Thing.”

Tony White has enjoyed acting and directing in New York City and regionally. Directing projects have included MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AS YOU LIKE IT, ROMEO & JULIET, UNCOMMON WOMEN, TITUS ANDRONICUS, and LYSISTRATA. Some of his favorite roles include Falstaff in THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, Pompey in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Dumain in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Dogberry in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Duke Senior in AS YOU LIKE IT (twice), and Mercutio in ROMEO & JULIET. He has enjoyed playing Rupert in ROPE, Edward in SPIKE HEELS, Deacon Crow-for-a-day in TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (nominated for best supporting actor 2003 Tiffany Awards), and Reverend Drum in GOD'S TROMBONES (nominated best actor 2004 Tiffany Awards). Represented by Carson Kolker, Innovative, & Avanti Talent.


***


SIOBHAN by Terry Boyle performed by Amanda Lea Mason.



Viewer advisory: this video contains obscene language



Terry Boyle on this monologue:

The era of the mobile phone has moved eavesdropping to a new level.  On the train, the bus, in the park we get little insights into people's lives as they pass with phone in hand.  A simple conversation can reveal so much, and you never know who might be listening in.  

Terry Boyle came from Northern Ireland to live Stateside in 2004. In 2011 his play 'Oh What a Bloody Good Friday' reached the semi-finals of the Eugene O'Neill summer school competition, and was later produced by Loyola University, Chicago.  He's had a number of readings in L.A, Baltimore and Chicago.  Currently, his play on the Underground Railroad, 'Nothing's Going to Stop this Train', is traveling throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.


Amanda Lea Mason graduated from the Boston University School of Theatre in 2011. In 2010, she completed the Classical Acting Semester at the London Academy of Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Last summer she had the pleasure of participating in the Apprentice Program at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. Favorite roles include Cari in WHERE IT FEELS, Bad dates/Jill/Nurse Ortega in JEWTOPIA, and Hertha in SPRING STORM.



    Play of the month - April 2013

    The theme was "Spring Cleaning." Five plays were selected for video-recorded readings.



    Video #1: OUT LIKE A LAMB by Cassie Seinuk



    VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language.



    Cassie M. Seinuk on the play:
    The play was inspired by the idea that Spring is a resurrection. I was really interested in exploring a character that didn't want to be resurrected and how the Spring air, the beauty of Spring, was his sign to take the final plunge into a whole new rebirth. I also wanted to explore the idea that sometimes a person can't "be happy" just because and how hard it is for the people around them, who love them, to understand that.
    About Cassie M. Seinuk



    Cassie M. Seinuk is a Jewish Cuban playwright and AEA stage manager. Most recently her plays Just Like Tetraphobia and Even As I Go were presented in the SWAN Day Boston and Our Voices VII Festivals. Seinuk’s One-Act The Muse, was a semi-finalist at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival in 2011, and returned to New York as a semi-finalist in Manhattan Rep’s One Act Competition in 2012. Additional productions of Seinuk's work include: Robin’s Nest (SWAN Day Boston) and (The Women’s Theatre Project), February First is an Annual Thing (Salem Theatre Company), The Muse (Turtle Lane Playhouse), Pendulum (CoLab Theatre Co.), Goodwill. Salvation Army. War (SLAM!Boston),  Playing Checkers (Heart and Dagger), and Just Like Tetraphobia (Happy Medium Theatre.) Seinuk spent the year as a resident playwright at Nylon Fusion Collective in NYC and premiered six ten-minute plays: Pretty Fucking Perfect, Gotcha Again!, Even As I Go, Kicking It!, Just Like Tetraphobia, and Occupy Hallmark. Additionally, ten-minute plays Pendulum, Paranoiacs Anonymous, and Out Like A Lamb were featured in a showcased titled Short Playwright/Tall Playwright in Boston (Paper Sprout Productions). Her full-length play, Runner: The Novel The Play, had a student production at Brandeis University in 2009 (Free Play Theatre Co-op), a staged reading in Boston 2010 (Holland Productions), and received a workshop in Chicago August 2012 (Second Stage). Her full-length Meet Me In The Bathroom had two staged readings in Boston. Seinuk is the co-founder of Interim Writers, a playwrights’ collective in Cambridge, dedicated to fostering playwrights and producing staged readings. She is also a member of the Accomplice Writers’ Group. Seinuk is proud AEA stage manager, and most recently stage-managed Middletown with Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Seinuk received her BA at Brandeis University with High Honors in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing, and she is currently completing her MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen at Lesley University. For more info visit her website at www.cassiemseinuk.com



    Clement Puleston graduated with a BA in theater from Bishop's University in Quebec, Canada. He has been working as an actor in New York for several years now, appearing in such notable plays as Anna Karenina and a Beatles infused version of Midsummer Nights Dream. Currently he has been transitioning into independent film work, both acting and producing. 



    Amanda Lea Mason graduated from the Boston University School of Theatre in 2011. In 2010, she completed the Classical Acting Semester at the London Academy of Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Last summer she had the pleasure of participating in the Apprentice Program at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. Favorite roles include Cari in WHERE IT FEELS, Bad dates/Jill/Nurse Ortega in JEWTOPIA, and Hertha in SPRING STORM. 

    Video #2: THE CLUTTERED MIND by Robert S. Robbins




    Robert Robbins on the play:
    My play is somewhat autobiographical since my small house is very cluttered. I had the idea that a hoarder's living space would make for an interesting set design since it is the exact opposite of the bare stage that is favored in theater.
    About Robert S. Robbins

    Robert S. Robbins works as a web developer and programmer in Williamsport PA. He writes a blog and has been active in the YouTube community and other online video communities which have provided  most of his exposure to amateur filmmakers, musicians, actors, drama queens and assorted eccentrics. He also likes to travel in Europe and the East Coast.

    Liz Kimberlin is New York-based actor, and also the playwright V.E. Kimberlin. Her many plays, film shorts and comedy sketches have been produced in NYC's Tri-State metro area and the Hamptons, Los Angeles, Chicago, various other U.S. cities; London and elsewhere in the U.K. She has published general hard news, feature articles and short fiction in many print and online publications and also occasionally reviews for New York-based theater websites. Musical theater devotee and graduate of the National Shakespeare Conservatory, classical acting program, actor Liz Kimberlin has recently returned to stage and screen.  She can be seen featured in several short and independent films, as well as extra for such TV shows as SMASH, Peoples Court, CNBC's Crowd Rules, two upcoming major films and others. 

    David Lamberton performed in "SAFE" by Penny Jackson & directed by Joan Kane at the 2012 Planet connections Theatre Festivity. That play and cast will perform in the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.  He also appeared in "The Laramie Project" in the roles of Dennis Shepard, Moises Kaufman, et al. Recently David has worked on: "The Jimmy Fallon Show", "Person of Interest", Royal Pains", "Smash", The Wolf of Wall Street", the "Untitled Columbia Pictures Project", "Zero Hour", "The Tomorrow People", and a commercial for "4 Pines Beer" of Australia. Please see: 

    Video #3: MY NEW YORK SPARE ROOM by Kevin Jones 



    Kevin Jones on the play:

    MY NEW YORK SPARE ROOM explores the life experience of art students, after they have settled down, had kids and moved to suburbia. It’s founded on the belief that creative people can always find a way to express themselves. 
    The New York trip described in the play is autobiographical. I still hope to return one day.



    About Kevin Jones



    Kevin Jones is a twice Bafta-Cymru nominated television drama editor. His 2009 short film The Cornet Player was nominated for best short drama at the Celtic Media Festival. He has also written (Family Picnic) and directed (The Trouble With Gran) for BBC Wales, as part of the It’s My Shout Short Film Scheme. He has directed several factual programmes, including The Llanelli Riots (2011) for BBC Wales. 
    His short play Exploding Maggie, was selected for the BolderLife Festival 2012 in Colorado, where it won the audience award for best drama.   



    Doug Rossi received his MFA from The Alabama Shakespeare Festival where his major roles included George in All My Sons, Kulygin in Three Sisters, and The Prosecuting Attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird. In NYC he's played major roles in more than forty films/commercials/web series and more than thirty-five plays, with his most recent role being in Duncan Pflaster's Sweeter Dreams for which he won Best Featured Actor of The Planet Connections Fest. He was seen in the World Premiere of Katalina Mustatsea's The Model for St. Mark's Church Incubator Series in August, directed by renowned writer Richard Vetere.

    Alice Anne English relocated from Washington, DC recently, where she performed with many companies including the Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, The New Play House, Landless Theatre Company, Venus Theatre, Encore! Richmond Shakespeare on Tour, and in Page-to-Stage events at the Kennedy Center. She now studies with Terry Schreiber at T. Schreiber Studio in New York. Favorite roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery and Gertrude in Hamlet along with roles in new plays.


    Video #5: SPRING CLEANING by Penny Jackson

    VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language



    Penny Jackson on the play:  
    My play was inspired by spending time with people from Bosnia who live in New York City who are still consumed by the memories of the war in their country. I tried to understand how, after all this time, they were still so pained and angered by the politics of a country they had left. "You're in America now," I remember telling one Bosnian man, who shook his head and said, "I'm always in Sarejevo." 
    About Penny Jackson
    Penny Jackson is a playwright and novelist who lives in New York City. Her most recent play, I KNOW WHAT BOYS WANT, produced by Ego Actus and directed by Joan Kane  was at the Workshop Theater through April 13th. Her prize-winning play SAFE will be produced at 59E59 at The East to Edinburgh Festival and then will be presented at The Edinburgh Fringe for the month of August at the North Bridge Theater at SpaceUK. Both plays are available to buy at indietheaternow.com. Website: www.pennybrandtjackson.com.

    Alice Anne English relocated from Washington, DC recently, where she performed with many companies including the Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, The New Play House, Landless Theatre Company, Venus Theatre, Encore! Richmond Shakespeare on Tour, and in Page-to-Stage events at the Kennedy Center. She now studies with Terry Schreiber at T. Schreiber Studio in New York. Favorite roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery and Gertrude in Hamlet along with roles in new plays.



    Danielle Bourgeois is an NYC-based actor who has performed at Abingdon Theatre, Definitions Theatre Company, Artistic New Directions, and New Georges since arriving, "fresh off the bus" a year and a half ago. Currently she's working on two short films; playing a young mom-to-be in one, and a loner turned mime in another. This month she's performing on the Drama Book Shop stage. She is also busy co-founding the 149th St. Film Coop. She received a B.A. in English/Writing and Theatre Arts from the University of Massachusetts. For more information visit: www.daniellebourgeois.com       



    Thanks to Alice Anne English, Celia Bressack, David Lamberton, Doug Rossi, Mike Giorgio and Renee Cole for their good work in the selection process.





    Play of the month - February 2013



    The theme was "Two-hander in Love"



    The selected play is TUMMY BUBBLES by Jenny Lane.






    Jennifer Lane on the origins of her play:
    TUMMY BUBBLES was originally written for the terraNOVA Collective's Groundbreakers Playwriting Group as part of their FIZZ Plays event in 2012. All of the members of the writing group were given the word "fizz" as inspiration, and my first thought when I heard that word was "pop rocks and soda!" and my play developed around that initial impulse. It was so much fun to see TUMMY BUBBLES presented alongside five other plays which began with the same piece of inspiration, but which developed into such dramatically different pieces, in terms of theme and style.



    About Jennifer Lane

    Jennifer is an Astoria-based writer from Troy, Michigan. Her work includes HARLOWE (developed under the mentorship of Sarah Ruhl, recipient of the Alec Baldwin Fellowship at Singers Forum, and a finalist for the TS Eliot US/UK Exchange); PSYCHOMACHIA (recipient of the Gatsby Grant); THE SEER AND THE WITCH (developed in the Groundbreakers Playwriting Group at terraNOVA); THE WOULD-BE ROOM (performed in New York City, Chicago and Washington D.C.); CONVERGENCE (performed as part of the soloNOVA Festival); THE BURNING BRAND; and DOES ANYONE KNOW SARAH PAISNER? Her ten minute pieces A FEVER IN THE FEAST and URIEL'S GARDEN were both workshopped with Anne Bogart. FEVER..., as well as another short play, PIN, was workshopped at Ensemble Studio Theatre in early 2011.



    She is a graduate of Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College. Currently, Jenny is the Administrative Director for the League of Professional Theatre Women and the Literary Manager for the Astoria Performing Arts Center.



     Amanda Lea Mason graduated from the Boston University School of Theatre in 2011. In 2010, she completed the Classical Acting Semester at the London Academy of Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Last summer she had the pleasure of participating in the Apprentice Program at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. Favorite roles include Cari in WHERE IT FEELS, Bad dates/Jill/Nurse Ortega in JEWTOPIA, and Hertha in SPRING STORM. 



    Jessica Moss graduated from Boston University with a BFA in Acting in 2011 she has also studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Favorite roles include but are not limited to: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Maggie), JULIUS CAESAR (Portia), COWBOY MOUTH (Cavale), IN THE SUMMER HOUSE (Gertrude), MISS JULIE (Christine), and BE CAREFUL OF WORDS (Anne Sexton). Jess is a dancer and has recently choreographed Royal Family Productions educational production of ANNIE and has recently assistant directed One Year Lease's SKIN TIGHT. Jess is currently co-producing and starring in Royal Family Productions WALKING THE VOLCANO at Symphony Space and is the co-creator and star of the short film The Moss Paradox. 





    Play of the month - October 2012



    The theme was "Amendments to the Constitution"



    The selected play is AMMO by Jeremy Kehoe.



    VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language.




    Jeremy Kehoe on AMMO:

    Why "Ammo"? Americans cherish liberty. And, they adore guns. Yet, while most Americans recognize that every Constitutional liberty requires limitation (freedom of speech, the right to protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to face our accusers in court, etc.), a majority deem placing restrictions on the right to bear arms as a treasonous offense. The argument? "There it is, right there in the Constitution. Boom, bam, that's it. Next topic." The Second Amendment is somehow judged by a different standard, and our culture has slowly transformed into one where acquiring a gun is easier than buying a beer, and where problems more frequently get resolved with the squeeze of a trigger than with a fist or, god forbid, a reasoned thought. Something is amiss. I wrote "Ammo" as a dialogue between a father and son hunting deer in the woods not as a diatribe against proponents of gun rights -- if you want to shoot a deer, knock yourself out (but if you wanted to prove your manhood, impress me by wrestling a bear) -- but as an attempt to ask questions. And, who better to ask grown-up questions than a 12-year-old boy? I am working to expand on this theme and create a full-length play with multiple vignettes where guns play a peripheral, but not central, role between characters, but force them to make critical decisions.
    About Jeremy Kehoe



    Jeremy is a playwright whose staged work includes “Car Play: She & Him”, “Killing Russell Crowe”, “Ready, Aim, You’re Fired”, “A Few Good PB&Js” and “Banana Intervention”. Jeremy has had multiple stage readings and workshop productions of plays in Los Angeles and New York. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and a former newspaper editor and reporter, where he earned awards from the NAACP and the New England Press Association.



    Roberts Publishing named him a Silver Quill Award winner for his poem, “I Suck At Yahztee”. He has also published byline articles for national newspapers and magazines and written speeches, press materials, and award-winning print materials.



    As a freelance writer, he has published articles in numerous national newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post- Gazette and Sacramento News & Review. As a public relations executive Jeremy led media, marketing, advertising, employee, analyst, investor, shareholder, corporate restructuring and crisis communications campaigns for Internet start-ups to Fortune 500 firms.
    In his previous life Jeremy led the launch of multiple consumer and investor relations Web sites, managed investor, analyst, employee and media outreach campaigns, wrote and created online and offline marketing and advertising materials, edited online editorial copy and served as lead media spokesman. As a vice president at a top-five public relations firm, he provided strategic counsel and directed media, brand identity, crisis and community relations campaigns for such clients as FedEx, IBM, Visa, and Nextel.



    Jeremy received a BA/Journalism from Boston University’s College of Communication. 



    Bruce Barton is a member of NYCPlaywrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company. Bruce holds the distinction of acting in more Plays of the Month than anybody else - this is his fifth.



    Nancy McClernan is a founder of NYCPlaywrights, and is a writer/director/producer, not an actor - but thanks to Hurricane Sandy had to fill in for the real actor at the last minute on this video. Thanks to Jeremy for understanding!





    Play of the month - September 2012
    The theme was "classical music."



    The selected play is THE LOST MELODY by Bridgette Portman.




    Bridgette writes:
    This play was partially inspired by a true story -- I had an old cassette tape containing a beautiful piece of classical music I couldn't identify. The frustration involved in trying to track down the title and composer of that piece was something I tried to magnify and channel into the character of Anthony.  Then, as his backstory emerged, the music became symbolic of something else. I originally wrote the play as part of the "31 Plays in 31 Days" challenge (http://31plays31days.com/), but also had this competition in mind. I'm thrilled to have been selected as the play of the month!
    About Bridgette Portman



    Bridgette hails from San Jose, California, and has been involved in playwriting in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past couple of years. She currently serves on the board of the Playwrights' Center of San Francisco. Her short plays have been produced in San Francisco as well as Omaha, NE, Portland, OR, and Washington, D.C. Her most recent full-length play, "Friar Lazaro, or the King of Terrors," is set to receive a staged reading in San Francisco through Wily West Productions in October.



    Tim Lueke is a graduate of Ball State University. He is most proud of his work with Illinois Shakespeare Festival, The Studio Theatre, and workshop readings of SUNDOGS by Howard Emanuel. Tim loves the opportunity to attack new material and is always on the look out for new opportunities. His thanks to NYCPlaywrights for all the creative possibilities they provide.



    David Lamberton recently performed in  The #6 to Vermeer in The NYC Icon Plays. This past summer: produced & directed Summer Reading series for Foothills PAC in Oneonta, NY. Manhattan Theatre Source: ‘Bertie’ in a spoof by John McLaughlin (Oscar nominee "Black Swan") of
    "The King's Speech". Several indie films have done well in festivals: “Autopilot” Silver Medal;
    "Lay Me Down" Honorable Mention; "Counterintelligence" Official Selection, Paris; "Singularity" Best Sci-Fi. Please see: http://www.davidlamberton.com/.


    Play of the month - June 2012
    The theme for June is "summer monologues."



    The third of the three monologues is THE LAST FIREFLY by Trace Crawford, performed by Eric Percival.




    Trace says of the inspiraction for this piece:

    Not surprisingly, an encounter one night in my backyard with a firefly.  But then as I was writing, I loved the parallels that developed between the firefly in the story and the way the character began to personify the firefly in reality.  It just became a lot of fun!




    About Trace Crawford

    Recent: NYC: Playhouse Creatures, Sundog Theatre, Turtle Shell, Rapscallion Theatre, BrooklynONE, Truffle Theatre, Love Creek, Between Us, GI:60. CHICAGO: Point of Contention, n.u.f.a.n. ensemble. REGIONAL: Arts Center, Askew Theatre, Black Box, Bloomington Playwrights, Carte Blanche, Chameleon Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Fusion Theatre, Future Tenant, MadLab, Majestic, Mildred’s Umbrella, Shelterbelt, INT'L: Insignificant Theatre, New World Theatre, Pint-Sized Plays, Seoul Players. UNIVERSITY: Roxbury Rep, Flathead Valley.  A Dramatist’s Guild member, Trace was interviewed by David Ives for the July/August 2012 issue of The Dramatist.  A theatre educator for the past 15 years, he has also organized a quarterly state-wide (OH) improvisational comedy competition for high school students since 1999.  Three of Trace’s plays will be published in the coming year.  www.tracecrawford.com.




    About Eric Percival



    Eric Percival has performed on stages throughout the US and Europe.  He was awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor in the 2010 Planet Connections Awards for The Picture of Dorian Grey, and Outstanding Lead Actor in the 2008 MITF Awards for his performance in Bubby's Shadow (Midtown International Theatre Festival).  Other recent NYC performances include leading roles in Hamlet Bound and Unbound (MITF), The Empress of Sex (Planet Connections), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (T. Schreiber Studio), Another Horatio Alger Story (Metropolitan Playhouse), Parts of Parts and Stitches (MTWorks), and The Changing Room (T. Schreiber Studio).  Training: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (London), T. Schreiber Studio (NY). Website: www.ericpercival.com.

    --------------



    The second of the three selected monologues is PARK THE CAR IN HARVARD YARD by Bara Swain, performed by Kitty Hendrix.





    Bara writes:
    A lot of my writing is informed by my experiences with illness and loss. I wrote this monologue to honor my uncle's second wife. The audience/viewers serve as witnesses to her life, and the monologue illustrates how the lives of two unrelated people can be so enriching. The "witness," especially strangers, is an ongoing theme in my work. I also believe that my life is enriched by my family, friends, colleagues and strangers - from young to old, healthy to infirmed.
    About Bara Swain



    Bara Swain serves as Abingdon’s Playwriting Outreach Coordinator and co-producer of Abingdon’s Benefit Challenge Series.  Her plays and monologues, anthologized by publishers Smith & Kraus, Meriwether and JAC Publications, have been performed in venues across the country in thirteen states, including City Theatre (FL), Potluck Productions (MO), Salem Theatre Company (MA), Theater Works (TN), Flint City Theater Festival (MI), Dubuque Fine Arts Festival (MO), Stage Door Productions (VA), and Jewish Women Theatre Workshop (CA).  NYC venues include the Barrow Group, Abingdon Theatre, Sam French OOB Festival, Artistic New Directions, Ego Actus Productions, Stage Left, 15 Minute Play Festival, The Network, Kaufmann Theatre , T.A.R.T.E., Aching Dogs, and the Turnip Theater Featured Writer Series.  Recent: 48 and Rachel Holds Court, FAB Unframed at Barrow Group; Aboard the Guy V. Molinari, 2011 Heideman Award finalist; Prized Begonias, Lyric Theatre, directed by Burt Reynolds; Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Best 10-Minute Plays 2012; and by special invitation from Burt Reynolds, An Evening With Bara Swain, The Burt Reynolds Institute, Jupiter, Florida, directed by Burt Reynolds.



     Kitty Hendrix  has been acting and singing since childhood on both East and West coasts. She especially enjoys developing  new characters  with playwrights and has originated more than thirty roles on stage and in TV and film; favorites being  Maddy in The Acting Lesson by Wesley St. John, (which she will be performing again this fall at American Theatre of Actors), Ismene in Jocasta by Sandra Perlman and Ronnie in The Gray List by Allan Provost.  Film and TV roles include Lilly Rose in Lilly's Bounce by Rod Caccavale; Joan in Shark Bite by Daniel Hendricks Simon and Patrick Davin and Judith in Crafty Girls, by Dwight Istanbulian  and Amber Sandoval. Please see more on Kitty at kittyhendrix.com and kittyhendrix.blogspot.com.
      ..................................



      The first of the three selected monologues is  APPLE PIE by Callan Stout, performed by Larissa Adamczyk.





      Callan says about the monologue:
      I was writing a series of monologues about baking and knew I had to include APPLE PIE. With each monologue I tried to connect some of the ingredients to an emotional moment in the character's life. In the house I grew up in my parents had five or six apple trees so every summer we'd have tons of apples in the yard. We'd to get rid of them in any way possible, which including foisting them off on friends, making apple pie and mostly apple sauce. So I spent a lot of hours sitting at the kitchen table peeling apples and I knew I had to get that memory into the monologue.



      About Callan Stout



      Callan Stout's plays have received readings in New York, London and Los Angeles at the Cherry Lane Theatre (Crap, Crap, Crap; Or Everything I Don’t Want to be at 40), the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain (The Pastry Queen), Truffle Theatre Company (A Song for A Surfer) and eyeBLINK (More than Breakfast). Callan is one of the playwrights for 7 Sins in 60 Minutes to be presented at The League of Professional Theatre Women for 30 Plays celebrate 30th years. Her first children’s play, an adaptation of Aesop’s Fables, was produced in Los Angeles by The Rainbow Factory. Her other children’s plays, Brownies, Bicycles and Bigfoot, and an adaptation of The Jungle Book were both produced by the Youth Education Entertainment Series at the Santa Monica Theatre Guild. The Jungle Book has been published by YouthPLAYS.com. She has also worked for the last ten years in many small theaters in Los Angeles and New York, including The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Public Theater and Thirteen Playwrights. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts with a BFA in Dramatic Writing and from University of Aberdeen with a Masters in Folklore. www.callanstout.com



      Larissa Adamczyk was last seen as Alex in the NYCPlaywrights May Play of the Month, OCCUPY DISNEY. Some of her other favorite roles include: Ulla in THE PRODUCERS, The Narrator in JOSEPH, Shelly in NEVER NORMAN ROCKWELL, and the second half of a snarky duo in DON'T MENTION THE "B" WORD. She graduated with a B.A. in Dance & English from Rutgers University, and when not joyously performing, can be found teaching musical theatre to kids at Broadway Performing Arts, or eating cupcakes. Larissa's web site.


      Play of the month - May 2012
      The theme for May is "in the park."



      The winning play was OCCUPY DISNEY by R. W. Johnson



      VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language.




      R. W. Johnson on the play:
      I was reading things about Walt Disney and I was interested in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and then I saw Mary Poppins online and the "Step in Time" part made me think of a union rally, which is funny because Disney hated unions. But he wasn't cryogenically frozen. You can read more about that at The Straight Dope.



      About R. W. Johnson



      Riddy Johnson is a recent graduate with no job, few prospects and a pile of debt - like everybody else. He just started writing plays over the past year, and also started a blog "Too Much Johnson" but he's not a very good blogger. Thanks to NYCPlaywrights for making this play happen for real.



      About the Cast



      Larissa Adamczyk was last seen as Mistress Trixie in MISTRESS ILSA. Some of her other favorite roles include: Ulla in THE PRODUCERS, The Narrator in JOSEPH, Shelly in NEVER NORMAN ROCKWELL, and the second half of a snarky duo in DON'T MENTION THE "B" WORD. She graduated with a B.A. in Dance & English from Rutgers University, and when not joyously performing, can be found teaching musical theatre to kids at Broadway Performing Arts, or eating cupcakes. Larissa's web site.



      Tim Lueke is a graduate of Ball State University. He is most proud of his work with Illinois Shakespeare Festival, The Studio Theatre, and workshop readings of SUNDOGS by Howard Emanuel. Tim loves the opportunity to attack new material and is always on the look out for new opportunities. His thanks to NYCPlaywrights for all the creative possibilities they provide.



      Tony White has enjoyed acting and directing in New York City and regionally. Directing projects have included MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AS YOU LIKE IT, ROMEO & JULIET, UNCOMMON WOMEN, TITUS ANDRONICUS, and LYSISTRATA. Some of his favorite roles include Falstaff in THE MERRY WIVESOF WINDSOR, Pompey in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Dumain in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Dogberry in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Duke Senior in AS YOU LIKE IT (twice), and Mercutio in ROMEO & JULIET. He has enjoyed playing Rupert in ROPE, Edward in SPIKE HEELS, Deacon Crow-for-a-day in TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (nominated for best supporting actor 2003 Tiffany Awards), and Reverend Drum in GOD'S TROMBONES (nominated best actor 2004 Tiffany Awards). Represented by Carson Kolker, Innovative, & Avanti Talent.



      V. E. Kimberlin is primarily a writer/performer based in New York City.  Her many plays, film shorts and comedy sketches have been produced in NYC's Tri-State metro area and the Hamptons, Los Angeles, Chicago, many other U.S. cities; London and elsewhere in the U.K.  Kimberlin has published general hard news, feature articles and short fiction in many print and online publications.  Musical theater devotee, classically trained actor from the National Shakespeare Conservatory and Dramatists Guild member, V. E. Kimberlin also occasionally reviews for New York-based theatre websites.


      Play of the month - April 2012
      The theme for April is anything - but it must pass the Bechdel test.



      The winning play was BAREFOOT by Madeline Hester.



      VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language




      Madeline on this play:
      My inspiration for this play hit me around the time I graduated college. I was burnt out on spending a year working on my thesis and I wanted to write a fun ten minute as a progressive distraction.  I always loved the absurd idea of trying to buy only one shoe.  I like writing about absurd and quirky elements and using those as catalysts to explain real and true emotions.



      About Madeline Hester



      In 2011, Madeline graduated NYU Tisch with a BFA in Dramatic Writing.  In 2008, her ten minute play Checkmate Soulmate  was in the Freshman Ten Minute Play Festival and then in 2011 featured at the Durango Ten Minute Play Festival.  In 2009, her one act Children are the Best Liars was in the prestigious NYU New Works Festival.  She has a blog madhester.tumblr.com where she keep shorter works such as animations, drawings, and monologs.



      About the Cast



      Carolyn Paine received her BA in Drama from the University of Hartford, where she performed in such plays as The Philadelphia Story, Noises Off and Measure for Measure. She performed in Maria Irene Fornes' The Conduct of Life as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival among many others. She is also a professional dancer and choreographer. carolynpaine.com.



      Vibe Normann has performed in Box Step as Larissa, MacBeth as Hecate and Our Town as Mrs. Webb. Her theatre training includes the William Esper Studio, Actor's Movement Studio and The Atantic Theatre, and she is a classically trained soprano. 



      Alice Anne English relocated from Washington, DC recently, where she performed with many companies including the Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, The New Play House, Landless Theatre Company, Venus Theatre, Encore! Richmond Shakespeare on Tour, and in Page-to-Stage events at the Kennedy Center. She now studies with Terry Schreiber at T. Schreiber Studio in New York. Favorite roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery and Gertrude in Hamlet along with roles in new plays.



      Abe Lebovic began his acting career on the NY improv scene, where he was in an ensemble for some time. He soon realized he also wanted to perform in more serious and dramatic roles, especially after the very first film (Goyta) he acted in was screened at Cannes. Some of his favorite roles in the theatre were Lucky in Waiting for Godot and Jonathan Harker in Dracula. Abe's reel.


      Play of the month - March 2012
      The theme for March was "year of the Dragon." The winning play was YEAR OF THE DRAG-ON by Michael Narkunksi.



      VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene language, drag queens and drug usage. Viewers are advised to use discretion.




      Michael on this play:
      This came primarily from seeing two drag queens performing on the 7 train. Nothing about their performance was particularly inspirational, I was just struck by the mere fact that I'd seen tons of drag queens in my life, but never any working a subway before. Besides being really odd for the morning, it seemed pretty brave to me. But also desperate considering the danger and derision that must be involved. So I thought about the kind of person that might do that, and how I definitely wouldn't do that, and built my story around those people while also thinking about what is desperate and what is brave when it comes to this kind of thing? Is there time to be weak? Or is it impossible in this... the year of the dragon?



      About Michael Narkunski
      Michael Narkunski is a young writer from Staten Island and current resident of Queens. He is a graduate of the NYU Tisch School and has had a couple of ten-minute plays around NYC, as well as one scintillating monologue in a burlesque show. He is always on the lookout for opportunities and mentors.



      About the Cast



      Michael Rehse is a graduate of Pace University with a BA in Computer Science, is a native of Redmond, Washington. Favorite credits include TWELFTH NIGHT: WALL STREET (Sir Toby) and TROJAN WOMEN: REDUX (Talthibius) with Co-Op Theatre East, PROOF (Hal), EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION! THE MUSICAL (Benny) at the Theater for the New City, WE LOVE YOU, JOHNNY HERO (Hipster Terrorist) in the New York Fringe Festival, and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Algernon) in the Byron D. Seaver Theater in Pomona, California.



      Tony White has enjoyed acting and directing in New York City and regionally. Directing projects have included MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AS YOU LIKE IT, ROMEO & JULIET, UNCOMMON WOMEN, TITUS ANDRONICUS, and LYSISTRATA. Some of his favorite roles include Falstaff in THE MERRY WIVESOF WINDSOR, Pompey in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Dumain in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Dogberry in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Duke Senior in AS YOU LIKE IT (twice), and Mercutio in ROMEO & JULIET. He has enjoyed playing Rupert in ROPE, Edward in SPIKE HEELS, Deacon Crow-for-a-day in TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (nominated for best supporting actor 2003 Tiffany Awards), and Reverend Drum in GOD'S TROMBONES (nominated best actor 2004 Tiffany Awards). Represented by Carson Kolker, Innovative, & Avanti Talent.



      Bruce Barton is a member of NYC Playwrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company.





      Play of the month - February 2012
      The theme for February was subway plays - any subject as long as it took place on the subway.



      The winner was BEAUTIFUL BOY by Joseph Jude Zito.




      Joseph writes:

      This play was produced in 2007 as part of Sundog's Staten Island Ferry series. NEVER PUBLISHED. The play setting has changed from in a park, on a ferry, on a subway..., etc., but the setting isn't important. The necessary set-up is that the mother gets ten minutes to be with her boy, that's it.

      It is a companion piece to This Side of Babylon, which is my updated adaptation of Fitzgerald's short story, "Babylon revisited."
      I think because I come from a family of divorce (parents split up when I was ten), the idea of an estranged parent trying to reunite with his/her child resonated with me - especially since, I was not allowed to see my father until I was an adult, so there was an 11-year gap there. Both plays explore the possibility or hope of "happy reunion" with potential for reconnecting permanently, followed by the reality of, "it's not gonna happen." Hmmm. Ok, writing is therapy! :-)
      About Joseph Jude Zito



      Joseph Jude Zito has worked in the regional theatres of the northeast under the direction of Marshall Mason, Gordon Edelstein, and Mark Lamos to name a few. He has written several plays, two of which, T AND J MARKET and DECCA31382 were produced in NYC. A native of Connecticut, Mr. Zito taught English and Theater in public high schools there and at Albertus Magnus College before moving to New Jersey. He has worked as a playwriting mentor for Passage Theater’s “State Street” projects in Trenton and has twice written for Sundog Theatre’s Staten Island Ferry series. Actor (AEA-SAG) / playwright (DG), musician. www.josephjudezito.com.



      About the Cast



      Valerie David graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her credits include the Off-Broadway musical, A STOOP ON ORCHARD STREET,  Denise in REVEAL, Melissa in NATIONAL TREASURE, Cookie in RUMORS, Julie in PERFECT WEDDING and Dorothy in THREE WOMEN. Films: "How I Became that Jewish Guy" (in post production) and "Bridges and Tunnels." TV: Acura commercial and Comedy Central promo. Valerie is currently in rehearsal for the new play MAMA'S BOYS playing the role of Aunt Tessy that will be part of the Roy Arias Studios & Theatres' Spring Festival in mid-April. She also is a member of the improv group Red Tie Mafia that performs weekly at the Triple Crown in midtown. Valerie wishes to thank Nancy for this opportunity to be in BEAUTIFUL BOY, and loved the characters in this special piece written by Joseph Jude Zito. I so enjoyed working with Nancy and Mike, my film son! Visit www.ValerieDavid.com.



      Michael Indeglio is an actor, musician and all around artsy guy living and working in NYC.  Select Credits: FOREVER PLAID (Canadian Tour), TITANIC (International Tour), MAME (National Tour), THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Jaime), tick, tick...BOOM! (Jon), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Seymour).  He's also been edited out of some quality commercials.  For Dad.


      Play of the month - January 2012
      The theme for January was civil rights.



      The winner was BOUND BY BLOOD by Clinnesha D. Sibley.



      Disclaimer: This play was inspired by real people and events, but is not meant to be taken as a factual account. This is a work of fiction.




      Clinnesha on the inspiration for this play:

      The most riveting part of my experience when visiting the National Civil Rights Museum (formerly known as the Lorraine Motel) in Memphis, TN, was my encounter with Jacqueline Smith, a Black woman who occupies an outdoor table and talks to visitors about why she boycotts the museum and why we should, too. It turns out this woman was the last holdout tenant and employee at the Lorraine and was evicted in 1988 so that the sacred ground could become the National Civil Rights Museum.

      In 2009, Life magazine released these photos taken by Henry Groskinsky. These images captured the gruesome aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s murder. Among the photos were two images of a man named Theatrice Bailey sweeping up King’s blood from the motel balcony and even more eerie, scraping his blood into a jar.
      Although the piece would not exist without the MLK “event”, I was drawn to how everyday people were possibly affected that intense night of April 4, 1968. I wanted to create an imaginary and foreshadowing discourse between these two real-life individuals: Jackie and Theatrice. To me, they are great representations of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.



      About Clinnesha D. Sibley
      Clinnesha D. Sibley is a native of Mississippi. She is a published poet and award-winning playwright. Her plays have been selected for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s Voices at the River Playwriting Residency, the Great Plains Theatre Conference Play Labs, Theatre Squared’s Arkansas New Play Festival, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and Penumbra Theatre’s highly acclaimed Word(s)PLAY! Program. Her most popular play, Tell Martha Not to Moan, received the Holland New Voices Award as part of Mainstage selection to the Great Plains Theatre Conference in 2011 and has been identified a semifinalist for the 2012 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. She has mentored young playwrights through Theatre Squared’s Young Playwrights Festival and Arts Live Theatre’s Summer Youth Conservatory. In 2009, she received the Key Woman Educator in Drama Award from the Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society. Clinnesha’s on-going research and dramaturgy focuses on the African American Civil Rights Movement of the sixties and the contemporary manifestation of the principles and ideologies from that time period.



      About the Cast



      Keona Welch's New York credits include: We in Silence Hear A Whisper (The Red Fern Theatre Company); Colored People's Time, Savanna Black & Blue (NEC); The Cold Chill of Winter (Strawberry Theatre Festival). Regional: Recently starred as Sophie, in Ruined (The Philadelphia Theatre Company). Commercial: Current Plan B Print & 2 year National Commercial. Film: Leads in both 'Candy'; and 'The Riot'. TV: Law & Order; Law & Order SVU. Training: Duke Ellington School; Rutgers University B.F.A.; Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (London, England). **Upcoming: Has joined the strong acting ensemble as Gertrude in Court Martial At Fort Devens (Castillo Theatre).



      Lorenzo Scott is a Brooklyn native who can be seen in various commercials from Cablevision ( he appeared in the Optimimum Online commercial as Senator Stevens which received the 2005 MARK Award) to the very popular American Express,which was accompanied by a print campaign. Everyone is familiar with his voice for the station identification voice-over for PBS-Channel 13. Lorenzo's voice can also be heard as the voice of Cole in the scf-fi short film TRAUM. Recently, he was featured in the new PBS promo for their SundayArts show. His theatre work includes his performance as Papa Shakespeare in The Theatre Project's production of The African Company Presents Richard lll, and Off Broadway as Felix in The Odd Couple. He has also appeared in Huck Finn, where he portrayed Jim and provided some of the off-stage voices and The Exonerated, where he portrayed Delbert Tibbs. He portrayed Leonato in Oberon Theatre Ensemble's production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Beckett Theatre in New York. Lorenzo is a familiar face in print ads as a model. He has been featured in ads for Verizon Network, Absolut Vodka,and most recently in the new campaign for Viagra, just to name a few. Lorenzo will soon be seen in the upcoming feature comedy/drama "Sneakers & Soul" and can currently be seen in the national/network Chase/freedom commercial.





      Play of the month - December 2011
      The theme for December was winter holidays.



      The winner was Christopher Wilson's HENRY V AND JESUS WERE BLACK (SHAKESPEARE WAS A FREAKIN' PUERTO RICAN)



      VIEWER ADVISORY: these video clips contain obscene language. Viewers are advised to use discretion.



      Part 1




      Part 2



      Christopher talks about the play:

      Much of my work is inspired by the offbeat (I am playing nice) people I grew up with and my actual experiences on the NYC streets primarily between 1992 and 2002. No doubt, a cold NYC street corner during the holiday season is the perfect setting for a display of holiday hypocrisy, which made my job easier.

      I write through stream of consciousness and go back to fine tune, but try to keep all of my original intent, that initial spark. Luckily, this play took as much time to write as it did to type, with very little re-writing, mostly the cutting of long grandiose speeches. The ending is very much O. Henry. I am sure it is due to the fact that his New York is my New York and I am always re-reading his stories! 



      About Christopher Wilson



      Christopher Wilson is a Bronx, NY resident, playwright and owner of Best And Company Moving Inc.  He studied theater at Suffolk University’s C. Walsh Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. He had the opportunity to play such roles as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macheath in The Three Penny Opera, and Andrei in Three Sisters and had the chance to direct David Crane’s Cantrell.  Christopher also wrote and performed in an original play titled Black Cats and White Lies at the C. Walsh Theater and played Lloyd Dallas in Noises Off at the North Quincy Alumni Theatre.   More recently he has participated in a playwrights’ lab at Pulse Ensemble Theatre, wrote, co-directed and performed in a short film titled “The Kernel,” recorded a 10 song compact disc of original music, played Aldolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone and Harold Hill in The Music Man for the Riverdale Repertory Theatre Company at The Riverdale Y.



      About the Cast



      David Lamberton recently performed in  The #6 to Vermeer in The NYC Icon Plays. This past summer: produced & directed Summer Reading series for Foothills PAC in Oneonta, NY. Manhattan Theatre Source: ‘Bertie’ in a spoof by John McLaughlin (Oscar nominee "Black Swan") of
      "The King's Speech". Several indie films have done well in festivals: “Autopilot” Silver Medal;
      "Lay Me Down" Honorable Mention; "Counterintelligence" Official Selection, Paris; "Singularity" Best Sci-Fi. Please see: http://www.davidlamberton.com/.



      Lorenzo Scott is a Brooklyn native who can be seen in various commercials from Cablevision ( he appeared in the Optimimum Online commercial as Senator Stevens which received the 2005 MARK Award) to the very popular American Express,which was accompanied by a print campaign. Everyone is familiar with his voice for the station identification voice-over for PBS-Channel 13. Lorenzo's voice can also be heard as the voice of Cole in the scf-fi short film TRAUM. Recently, he was featured in the new PBS promo for their SundayArts show. His theatre work includes his performance as Papa Shakespeare in The Theatre Project's production of The African Company Presents Richard lll, and Off Broadway as Felix in The Odd Couple. He has also appeared in Huck Finn, where he portrayed Jim and provided some of the off-stage voices and The Exonerated, where he portrayed Delbert Tibbs. He portrayed Leonato in Oberon Theatre Ensemble's production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Beckett Theatre in New York. Lorenzo is a familiar face in print ads as a model. He has been featured in ads for Verizon Network, Absolut Vodka,and most recently in the new campaign for Viagra, just to name a few. Lorenzo will soon be seen in the upcoming feature comedy/drama "Sneakers & Soul" and can currently be seen in the national/network Chase/freedom commercial.



      Bruce Barton is a member of NYCPlaywrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company.








      Play of the month - November 2011
      The theme for November was native Americans.



      The winner was Nancy Brewka-Clark's HIGH ON EMMA SAFFORD.




      Nancy writes:
       I attended the dedication of Emma Safford's new gravestone a few years ago with various members of the Cape Cod Wampanoags who held a powwow first. Then we all marched through downtown Ipswich carrying a street-wide banner honoring Emma and smoked the peace pipe at her grave, except I had to turn the pipe down because I'd quit smoking. All the people mentioned in the dialogue actually existed historically. 



      About Nancy Brewka-Clark



      Nancy Brewka-Clark's plays have been produced in the U.S. and in England. Many of her comic monologues appear in the Audition Arsenal series by Smith and Kraus. YouthPLAYS in Los Angeles represents her plays for kids.



      About the Cast



      Carolyn Paine received her BA in Drama from the University of Hartford, where she performed in such plays as The Philadelphia Story, Noises Off and Measure for Measure. She performed in Maria Irene Fornes' The Conduct of Life as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival among many others. She is also a professional dancer and choreographer. carolynpaine.com.



      Abe Lebovic began his acting career on the NY improv scene, where he was in an ensemble for some time. He soon realized he also wanted to perform in more serious and dramatic roles, especially after the very first film (Goyta) he acted in was screened at Cannes. Some of his favorite roles in the theatre were Lucky in Waiting for Godot and Jonathan Harker in Dracula. Abe's reel.





      Play of the month - October 2011
      The theme for October was the supernatural.



      The winner was James McLindon's KNUCKLEHEADS.




      James writes:
      Genesis for Knuckleheads: I had long wanted to write a contemporary play involving an Irish fairy -- not the Disney variety, but the deeply frightening ones that country people deeply believed in, in some cases until well into the last century. Simultaneously, I read a number of stories about the strains that our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were putting on single-parent households, and specfically about the psychic damage done to a child whose only parent was in harm's way. From these two strands, Knuckleheads was born. I have since expanded it into a full-length play entitled, Comes a Faery, which was developed at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.



      About James McLindon



      James McLindon’s play, Comes a Faery, was developed at the 2010 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sean Daniels directing. It is presently a finalist for the 2012 Humana Festival. Salvation was produced last fall by the Hudson Stage Company, Giovanna Sardelli directing, to critical acclaim in the New York Times and elsewhere. Dead and Buried, a semifinalist for the 2011 O’Neill, will be produced March-May, 2012 at the Detroit Rep. Distant Music has enjoyed six productions, most recently at the Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre in Omaha. Dusk and A Brief History of Penguins and Promiscuity premiered at the Grove Theatre Center in Los Angeles.



      In the last two years, he has had 23 plays produced in theaters across America and the United Kingdom. His plays have been developed and/or produced at theaters such as the Abingdon, hotINK Festival, Irish Repertory, Lark Play Development Center, Samuel French Ten-Minute Play Festival, CAP21, Emerging Artists Theatre, Love Creek Productions, PlayPenn, Victory Gardens, Prop Thtr, Lyric Stage, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Colony Theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, Circus Theatricals, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference Telluride Playwrights Festival, and Arkansas Rep. His plays have been published by Dramatic Publishing, Smith and Krause and Level 4 Press.
      James is a playwriting Fellow at the New Repertory Theatre in Boston.




      About the Cast



      Diane Quinn has performed at regional theatres across the country and on a cruise ship. Also, as the lead singer in a bi-lingual cabaret show, she toured Japan for two years. Diane is a virtual web host for several corporate companies and some of her favorite film and TV roles include Phyllis in Sex and the City, Miss Julie in Redfish, Martha in Ahava, and Mr. Abbot’s Assistant in Law and Order.



      Doug Rossi received his MFA from The Alabama Shakespeare Festival where his major roles included George in All My Sons, Kulygin in Three Sisters, and The Prosecuting Attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird. In NYC he's played major roles in more than forty films/commercials/web series and more than thirty-five plays, with his most recent role being in Duncan Pflaster's Sweeter Dreams for which he won Best Featured Actor of The Planet Connections Fest. He was seen in the World Premiere of Katalina Mustatsea's The Model for St. Mark's Church Incubator Series in August, directed by renowned writer Richard Vetere and can currently be seen in Aliens with Extraordinary Skills at Theatre 54.





      Play of the month - September 2011
      The theme for September was 9-11.



      The winner was Adrienne Dawes' TOWER TATTS.



      VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene, raunchy language. Viewers are advised to use discretion.




      Adrienne writes:
      I wrote Tower Tatts first as a 5 minute sketch pitched to SC Faculty member and director Andrew Ritter as part of his sketch revue "Too Soon? A 9-11 Sketch Revue" (currently running in the de Maat Studio Theater in Second City's Training Center thru 10/14). Writing about September 11th seemed such an arduous, emotional task but I was immediately drawn to the project as an opportunity to explore as a comedy writer an extremely tragic event. I was inspired by the idea of exploring "the comedy of grief," a human emotion so raw, organic and universal. How would two grungy, tattooed men talk to each other about their grief related to the September 11th attacks? Though the sketch didn't survive to be included in the sketch revue at Second City, I continued to develop the piece as a 10 minute play and am really excited to share it with NYC Playwrights.
      About Adrienne Dawes



      Adrienne Dawes is a playwright from Austin, Texas. Her plays have been produced by the Sarah Lawrence College Theatre Department; Revolving Stages; REJOTI Productions; American Repertory Theatre of London; Live Girls Theatre!; Little Fish Theatre Company; Stormy Weather Players; New England Academy of Theater; New Jersey Repertory Company; Hyde Park Theater; LSU’s Outworks Festival; Mir Productions, St Idiot Collective and American Theatre Company (Chicago, IL). Her plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., Smith & Kraus, Heuer Publishing and Vintage Books.



      Ms. Dawes’ first full-length play, Jesus Loves Good Christians, premiered in Downstage’s spring 2003 season at Sarah Lawrence College and was named a semifinalist for the Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award 2003. Upon her graduation, Ms. Dawes was awarded the 2004 Stanley and Evelyn Lipkin Prize for Playwriting. Austin Scriptworks awarded a 2006 Fringe Festival Commission Award to support Ms. Dawes’ play Like Meat Love Salt as well as the development and production of You Are Pretty The site-specific premiere of You Are Pretty featured in American Theatre Magazine’s October 2007 issue, was nominated for three Austin Critics Table Awards and one B. Iden Payne Award in 2008.



      Ms. Dawes currently resides in Chicago, IL where she completed the Core Writing Program at Second City. She collaborated with American Theater Company for two educational outreach projects, wrote sketches for The Playground Theater’s first Sketch Lab as well as FIGHTING NEVERLAND, a sketch revue produced for Second City’s Donny’s Skybox Theater. Her first musical NEVER HAVE I EVER premiered in Second City’s de Maat Studio Theatre in October 2010, her improvised web series "Completely Normal Activity" debuted June 2011 and her second short film "Wiccan Tease" will premiere in DC Shorts Film Festival this fall. Web site: http://adriennebcdawes.wordpress.com%20/



      About the Cast



      Bruce Barton is a member of NYC Playwrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company.



      Mike Durell began acting in 1997 in a production of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House and hasn't looked back. He is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Look for Mike onstage, onscreen, blaring from the radio, or just hanging around the neighborhood. mikedurell.com.



      Allan Brown has been a singer and performer but switched to producing and promoting Off-Broadway shows such as THE GRAFFITI REVUE and APE OVER BROADWAY as well as serving as Managing Director for non-profit groups The Classic Stage Company and The American Stanislavsky Theater in New York City. He was Director Of Audience Development in the re-opening of the Historic Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, Pa.



      Special thanks to Diane Quinn for operating the iPhone camera.





      Play of the month - June 2011
      The theme for June was down the shore.



      The winner was Ralph Greco's DARK RIDE.




      Ralph writes:
      I was actually inspired to write the piece from a New York Times Sunday NJ section article about a dark ride closing in Atlantic City... very much like Brian says in the play.



      About Ralph Greco



      Ralph Greco is a NJ-based writer, having had plays produced in NJ, NYC, New York State and Portland, OR



      About the Cast



      Diane Quinn has performed at regional theatres across the country and on a cruise ship. Also, as the lead singer in a bi-lingual cabaret show, she toured Japan for two years. Diane is a virtual web host for several corporate companies and some of her favorite film and TV roles include Phyllis in Sex and the City, Miss Julie in Redfish, Martha in Ahava, and Mr. Abbot’s Assistant in Law and Order.



      Bruce Barton is a member of NYC Playwrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company.






      Play of the month - May 2011
      The theme for May was pilgrims.



      The winner was Richard Manley's THANK EMILY.





      We asked Richard what inspired the play:
       I completed Thank Emily just a few days before I sent it to you. It was inspired by two overlapping events. The first was the reading in a literary magazine of an article about the ongoing battle between the academic poets and the natural poets. The work of the academics is often complex in form and dense with literary/historical allusion – and as such, inaccessible to most readers. It tends to be a circle of readership – academic poets read and critique other academic poets. Not always, but often. The natural poets, however, while more popular to the general public, are often dismissed by academia as undisciplined and amateurish. Although there are some wonderful academic poets (e.g., T.S. Eliot), and I have no problem with precision of form and rich language, I tend to side with the latter group. The first poets were shepherds. This unique use of language came from the heart, and was meant to capture life’s passions. Whitman is a prime example.
      The second event was a lengthy letter from one of my dearest friends, a woman who came to her love of books relatively late in life. Consequently, she is all curiosity and wonder. There are no assumptions; there is no pretense. She’s just hungry for lovely sentences. The letter’s timing was coincident with reading the article. In the course of describing her experience with a particular book, it was clear she had the work of a shepherd in her hands, and was wringing from it all the emotional satisfaction she could manage and it could provide. 
      The two women on the train were meant to capture the dichotomy explained in the first paragraph. As an added tweak, Emily Dickinson would probably side with me. 



      About Richard Manley



      I began life as a writer in college and loved it, and from the praise and prizes won, I'd say I was good at it. But then I took a long hiatus to develop what is commonly called "something to fall back on." About five years ago, while in Paris enjoying a yearlong sabbatical from the fall-back-on stuff, I began to write creatively again. Pulling from many years' worth of personal journals, I rediscovered my passion for the sound of the language and its potential to entertain and provoke and inspire. When I returned to the States four years ago, I sold my business and structured a lifestyle that would allow me to write stage plays full time. Below, you’ll find my progress to date - the plays I’ve completed and the awards and recognition my work has received, as of May 2011.



      About the Cast



      Alice Anne English relocated from Washington, DC recently, where she performed with many companies including the Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, The New Play House, Landless Theatre Company, Venus Theatre, Encore! Richmond Shakespeare on Tour, and in Page-to-Stage events at the Kennedy Center. She now studies with Terry Schreiber at T. Schreiber Studio in New York. Favorite roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery and Gertrude in Hamlet along with roles in new plays.



      Claire Warden has performed on many productions including - Off Broadway: Engaging Shaw - Abingdon Theatre (Charlotte Payne-Townsend), The Libertine - Playhouse Creatures (Molly Luscombe/Mrs Will). New York and Regional: Humble Boy - Boston Publick (Rosie Pye), Seventies Porn - Manhattan Rep (Anna), The Homecoming - Harold Pinter Celebration - Shakespeare and Company (Ruth). Favourite UK Productions: Midsummer Night’s Dream - Priory Players (Helena), Merchant of Venice (National Theatre, Student Co. (Portia), The Trojan Women - MAC Theatre (Hecuba), Women of the Sidhe - Associated Gate Theatre (Narrator). Television: "Pan Am" (ABC Pilot), "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO), "Something For The Weekend" (Channel Four, UK). Film: Jack the Ripper, Arbitrage, My Own Hands.



      Bruce Barton is a member of NYC Playwrights, The Blue Coyote Theater Group and the Pelham-based Supporting Characters, and has also performed in NYC with The Secret Theatre, Mergatroyd Productions, Jean Cocteau Rep, Gorilla Rep, The Verse Theater Company and The Mettawee River Company.





      Play of the month - April 2011
      April is the birthday month of William Shakespeare, so the theme for April was "Shakespeare" - a 10-minute play that references the life and/or works of William Shakespeare in some way.



      The winner was Elaine Romero's TRANS-FORMATION.




      We asked Elaine what inspired the play:
       I wrote the play for a couple of reasons. I'd been thinking about the representation of women in the theatre. I'd been thinking about opportunities for women playwrights. I'd been thinking about all the women who dedicate their lives to the acting craft and wait for the roles that we may never write for them, or manage to get produced for them. I kept thinking about all this waiting, and in the play, declared: WE SHALL WAIT NO LONGER.
      And, perhaps the biggest thing, is a close friend underwent gender reassignment surgery during the same time. As Alison shared her life story with me, I realized my character could have another layer of her quest. I think plays can mean many things at once and perhaps this one does. And not to overload the why question, but I'd been working on a play about a transgendered historical character, CATALINA DE ERAUSO, and I often write a sister play in conjunction with my longer pieces. 



      About Elaine Romero



      Elaine Romero has won over $125,000 for her plays, which have been presented at the Goodman Theatre, Alley Theatre, Newtown Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville, among others.



      Elaine’s recent commissions include the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, InterAct Theatre Company, Kitchen Dog Theater Company, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and the Magic Theatre. Her publishers include Samuel French, Playscripts, Vintage Books, and Simon and Schuster.



      Rain of Ruin was produced by Short+Sweet (Sydney) and was featured on Australian television. Revolutions, which premiered in New York City at Manhattan Theatre Source, will premiere in Spanish at the Panama National Theatre in Panama City this April, and be presented in English in Sydney, Australia as part of Short+Sweet. A Simple Snow, winner of the InspiraTO Festival, premiered in Toronto. Ponzi (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award 2010) will receive its World Premiere at Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas and be presented at Florida Studio Theatre. The play received a previous reading at the Goodman Theatre. It will be presented at Florida Studio Theatre. The Spanish-language Barrio Hollywood will receive its World Premiere at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Wetback was developed at Voice and Vision’s ENVISION Retreat and Arkansas Repertory’s Voices at the River. It has received readings at the Invisible Theatre and Urban Stages in New York City. Her play, Walking Home will be published in Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of series on contemporary world drama.



      Elaine serves on the board of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. Elaine teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and television writing at Northwestern University. She recently completed a residency at the Hermitage Artists Retreat on the Manasota Key.



      About the Cast



      Alice Anne English relocated from Washington, DC recently, where she performed with many companies including the Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, The New Play House, Landless Theatre Company, Venus Theatre, Encore! Richmond Shakespeare on Tour, and in Page-to-Stage events at the Kennedy Center. She now studies with Terry Schreiber at T. Schreiber Studio in New York. Favorite roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery and Gertrude in Hamlet along with roles in new plays.



      Mike Durell began acting in 1997 in a production of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House and hasn't looked back. He is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Look for Mike onstage, onscreen, blaring from the radio, or just hanging around the neighborhood. mikedurell.com.



      Allan Brown has been a singer and performer but switched to producing and promoting Off-Broadway shows such as THE GRAFFITI REVUE and APE OVER BROADWAY as well as serving as Managing Director for non-profit groups The Classic Stage Company and The American Stanislavsky Theater in New York City. He was Director Of Audience Development in the re-opening of the Historic Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, Pa.

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