What We're Seeing: Dog Sees God

This is the last weekend to catch our buddy Ben Dworken in the EPIC Players production of Bert V. Royal's Dog See God. This is the inaugural show for the EPIC Players, whose first season includes a wonderful mix of Shakespeare, musicals, and devised pieces. Check it out!

July 27 - August 6th, 2017
Kraine Theater
85 E 4th St.
New York, NY 10003

A Little About The Show

The neuro-inclusive cast of the EPIC Players, comprised of actors living with and without disabilities, are proud to present their inaugural production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, a dark reimagining of the classic Peanut’s gang during their formative teenage years

Cast:

• Samantha Elisofon
• Ben Dworken
• Christian Patane
• Gideon Pianko
• Bree Klauser
• Jessica Saul
• Travis Burbee
• Isabel Kruse

Creative:

• Written by Bert V. Royal
• Directed by David Bonderoff

#GoSeePlays: The Tempest

Back in June, we brought together a group of friends and theatre-lovers to go see a sold-out performance of Lesser America's in a word . This was so much fun, we thought we should do it all again!

On August 7th, we'll be seeing the Backroom Shakespeare Production of The Tempest, starring our friend and collaborator Ali Rose Dachis (The Wedge Horse). We invite you to join us, have a chat at the bar, and see some Shakespeare!

Here's a quick refresher on what #GoSeePlays is all about.

A Little About The Show

August 7, 2017
Soda Bar
629 Vanerbilt Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Bar opens at 6:30pm
Play starts at 7:30pm

Shakespeare's actors had no director. They rehearsed only the fights and dances. They got their lines and their cues, they grabbed their balls and tried to tell the truth. When they failed, they probably really bit it. 

Hell of a legend, right? 

The Back Room Shakespeare Project takes as much of it as seems useful. We read the play once, we memorize our parts, and we rehearse it once. We have no director, and we perform in bars, for free. For you! An unruly bunch of drunks! 

So. Welcome!

What We're Seeing: Noises Off

Happy opening to our co-founder and co-artistic director Craig Wesley Divino! He will be appearing in Chautauqua Theater Company's production of Noises Off in beautiful upstate New York. If you're in the area, don't miss Craig in this outrageous comedy!

June 30 - July 16, 2017
Bratton Theater at the Chautauqua Institution
1 Ames Ave
Chautauqua, NY 14722

A Little About The Show

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is a roller-coaster, side-splittingly funny look at theatre – both onstage and off – as a hapless troupe of actors attempt to mount a dreadful, ill-fated farce of a play. From the disastrous dress rehearsal as the cast fumbles entrances, exits and bothersome props, to the final performance of missed cues and forgotten lines, Noises Off will have you roaring with laughter as the cast’s collective sanity slowly unravels. New York Times critic Frank Rich called it, “the funniest play written in my lifetime.”

We recommend this production for the whole family, ages 10 and up.

Cast:

• Emily Daly
• Craig Wesley Divino
• Patrick Foley
• Yonatan Gebeyehu
• Carol Halstead
• Will Harrison
• Kelsey Jenison
• Maggie Mason
• John Seidman

Creative:

• Directed by Andrew Borba
• Written by Michael Frayn
• Scenic Design - Tom Buderwitz
• Costume Design - Angela Calin
• Lighting Design - Scott Bolman
• Sound Design - Rob Kaplowitz

What We're Seeing: in a word

You may remember Laura Ramadei from our production of Bekah Brunstetter's The Oregon Trail. You may also know that Laura is a founding member of the theatre company Lesser America. We're massive fans of Lesser America's work and can't wait to catch their latest production of Lauren Yee's in a word. We'll be there on Sunday, June 18th at 8:00pm. We'd love to see you there!

June 16th - July 8th, 2017
Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014

A Little About The Show

Today is the two-year anniversary of Fiona's son's disappearance, and still, nothing makes sense to her. Not her blasé husband, the incompetent detective, or the neighborhood kidnapper who keeps introducing himself in the checkout line. As Fiona delves back into her memories of that fateful day to uncover that crucial missing piece, grief and comedy collide, and ordinary turns of phrase take on dangerous new meanings.

Cast:

• Justin Mark
• José Joaquin Perez
• Laura Ramadei

Crew:

• Written by Lauren Yee
• Directed by Tyne Rafaeli
• Producing Directors - Daniel Abeles & Nate Miller
• Scenic and Lighting Design - Oona Curley
• Costume Design - Andrea Hood
• Sound Design - Stowe Nelson

#GoSeePlays

In the last few months, you may have noticed the tag #GoSeePlays being used a lot on our social media profiles. What’s up with that?

Our favorite part about working in New York City is the massive community of artists constantly working on cool projects. It feels like every street you walk down has a play, an installation, a one-person show, or a musical inviting you to take a seat. This can be at once inspiring and a little overwhelming. With so many choices, where do you begin? And when you leave a theatre with that feeling in your chest that the world must see this show, how do you let everyone know?

We felt the same way. So we started using #GoSeePlays as a way of collecting all the things we see that we want you to know about. We wanted an easy way for friends, colleagues, collaborators, audience members, and theatres alike to spread the word about the shows that excite and inspire them. We encourage you to join in!

Snapped a cool pic of your Playbill in a Broadway theatre?
#GoSeePlays.

Want to let everyone know about your friend’s downtown show that you loved?
#GoSeePlays.

How about that wild, immersive show in that Brooklyn warehouse?
Definitely #GoSeePlays.

Sound good so far, but don’t know where to begin? Well on June 18th at 8:00pm Co-Artistic Director of Fault Line Theatre, Aaron Rossini, has invited a large group of friends and collaborators to join him in attending Lesser America’s production of in a word at the Cherry Lane Theatre in the West Village for his 36th birthday (yeah, he’s that old). We love Lesser America’s work and we think you will too. You can purchase your tickets here. No discount code. No special promotion. No fancy-schmancy panel or talkback with the cast. Simply come see a play with us. Go celebrate Aaron. Go celebrate theatre. Go See Plays.

Love,
Fault Line Theatre

What We're Seeing: An Enemy of the People

Our friends at the Wheelhouse Theater Company are presenting a production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy Of The People. Originally written in Scandinavia in 1882, this play has found a new context and significance in contemporary American society. What's more, all proceeds from the show are going towards the ACLU of Flint, Michigan. Every single dollar you spend, from ticket sales to concessions, goes towards supporting a good cause. Head downtown and don't miss this one!

June 9th - 24th
Gene Frankel Theater
24 Bond Street
New York, NY 10012

A Little About The Show

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE is a meditation on the foundation of a small towns democratic system, the tyranny of the majority, and the poisoning nature of bureaucracy and economic self interest. When Dr. Thomas Stockman makes an alarming discovery that the water supply to the small towns healing spa baths is poisoned with dangerous bacteria, causing significant illness to those that utilize the facility, he is eager to share the news with his brother Peter, the towns mayor and Chairman of the Board of Baths. Relieved at the life-saving discovery, he prepares a manuscript, which to his surprise is met with significant resistance, first by the Mayor, then by the editors of the People's Messenger, and ultimately by the town as a whole. In the end, fueled by a strong moral adherence to facts, Dr. Stockman declares "the strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone."  How difficult is it to stand up for what you know is true?

Cast:

• Michael Schantz
• David Kenner
• Joshua David Robinson
• Ben Graney
• Christina Toth
• Stacey Linnartz

Creative:

• Directed by Jeff Wise
• Written by Henrik Ibsen
• Set Designer: Brittany Vasta
• Costume Designer: Christopher Metzger
• Lighting Designer: Drew Florida

Tristan at the Baryshnikov Arts Center

3 years ago, Fault Line Theatre co-founder and Artistic Associate Tristan Jeffers, along with playwright Jiehae Park, were accepted into the Summer Residency Lab with The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep. Their developmental project Here We Are Here is now spending a week at the Baryshnikov Arts Center to continue the process started in 2014.

We can't wait to see what these two cook up with their time in NYC!

What We're Seeing: Writopia Lab's Worldwide Plays Festival

Next week, we can't wait to catch as much of Writopia Lab's Worldwide Plays Festival as we can! Writopia Lab is a wonderful organization that "fosters joy, literacy, and critical thinking in children and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing." Their annual playwriting festival pairs children aged 6-18 with professional playwrights, directors, and actors to develop, then fully realize their scripts. This year our very own Aaron Rossini had the absolute pleasure to direct one of the pieces (which will be shown Saturday, May 13th at 2 PM). Additionally, Nick Gandiello, writer of our 2016 production of The Wedge Horse, is the Associate Artistic Director of the program. There are too many dates and performances to fully list here, so head on over to their website to view the full program and purchase tickets.

May 8 - 14, 2017
TheaterLab
357 West 36th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018

A Little About The Festival

This year, our theme is Home. Every play will take place within a single room of a house. These plays will be performed as an immersive theatre experience, allowing audience members to move from room to room and play to play.

The select group of playwrights represent New York City, Westchester County, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and the cast of professional actors reflects New York City’s diversity, bringing a full range of backgrounds and experiences to the rehearsal room and the stage.

The Worldwide Plays Festival is a vital way in which we foster joy, literacy, and critical thinking in our writers. We couldn’t be more excited to help them engage with their communities by creating immediate new works for the stage!

What We're Seeing: 3/FIFTHS

Late in 2016, we got together under the watchful direction of Aaron Rossini for a workshop reading of an exciting new play by Kareem Fahmy called A Face in the Clouds. Kareem is also a tremendous director in his own right and, beginning in May, he has an extremely interesting, interactive project going up at 3LD Art & Technology Center. 

May 1 - May 28, 2017
3LD Art & Technology Center
80 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10006

A Little About The Show

3/FIFTHS is a radically interactive Carnival and Cabaret, which takes place in a sprawling 10,000-sq-ft dystopian interactive ethno-theme park known as SupremacyLand. A comprehensive and theatrical exploration of America’s fascination with the virtual weaponization of black skin. 3/FIFTHS creates a truly immersive environment using large scale video, performance, and music to trace the brutality from America’s original sin (Slavery), to the latest unarmed black man killed due to a heavily armed policeman fearing for their lives. Mass incarceration, racist carnage, and political incorrectness have never been more entertaining!

Cast:

• Dean Acree
• Catherine Braxton
• Alyson Brown
• Matthew Brown
• Michael Bryan
• Vienna Carroll
• Natalie Chapman
• Marie Donna Davis
• William Delaney
• Monica Howe
• Dylan Kammerer
• Lionel Mcauley
• Dexter McKinney
• David Roberts
• Dhane Ross
• Meagan Stevenson
• Ken Straus
• Khiry Walker
• Lauren White

Creative:

• Conceived, Written & Produced by James Scruggs
• Direction & Dramaturgy by Tamilla Woodard & Kareem Fahmy
• Choreographer: Andre Zachery
• Sound Designer/Composer/Arranger: Mark Van Hare
• Sound Designer: Melanie West
• Scenic Co-Designers (Cabaret): Christopher Swader & Justin Swader
• Scenic Designer (Carnival): David Ogle
• Video Co-Designers: Cam Vokey & Jon Bremner
• Video Design Programmer & Engineer: Jason Batcheller
• Lighting Designer: Ayumu POE Saegusa
• Costume Designer: Andreea Mincic
• Property Master: Jess Adams
• Production Manager: Halle Morse
• Technical Director: Baxter Engle
• Production Stage Manager: Liz Haroian
• Stage Manager: Clarissa Ligon

What We're Seeing: Cry Havoc!

This is the final week to catch the one-man show Cry Havoc! produced by our friends in Bedlam. Created by Stephan Wolfert, Cry Havoc! collages his own memories and stories as a U.S. Army Veteran with text from Shakespeare to "explore strength and duty, bravery and trauma, examining what it is to be in the military and what it is to carry that experience back into civilian life." (Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times)

March 15 - April 23
New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014

A Little About The Show

Stephan Wolfert recounts his own experiences of military service, weaving his personal narrative with lines from some of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches. Wolfert proposes that the military recruits citizens and trains them to kill, but asks what does the “de-cruit” process look like? How do civilians and Veterans re-learn to live together?

A limited number of $10 tickets for Veterans will be available for each performance by emailing info@bedlam.org.

Cast:

• Stephan Wolfert

Creative:

• Written by Stephan Wolfert
• Directed by Eric Tucker
• Lighting Design - Les Dickert