What We're Seeing: Life Sucks

Our friends (and fellow teammates on The Downtowners) at Wheelhouse Theater are back on stage after last year’s smash off-Broadway success Happy Birthday, Wanda June (starring our very own Craig Wesley Divino). For 4 weeks only, they’ll bring Aaron Posner’s Life Sucks to The Wild Project in the East Village. Wheelhouse Theater is one of our favorite companies in the city and we can’t wait to catch their latest work.

March 22 - April 20, 2019
Wild Project
195 E 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009

A Little About The Show

It’s Chekhov without the birch trees. After taking aim at The Seagull with his “explosive” Stupid F*cking Bird, Aaron Posner is back with an irreverent contemporary remix of Uncle Vanya. Egos clash, hearts hunger, and souls cry out for meaning in this raw and hilarious reimagining of Chekhov’s timeless classic, receiving its New York premiere by the red-hot Wheelhouse Theater, fresh off their 2018 hit revival of Happy Birthday, Wanda June.

Life staggers. Life confounds. Life is beautiful. And LIFE SUCKS.

Cast:

• Jeff Biehl

• Nadia Bowers

• Kimberly Chatterjee

• Barbara Kingsley

• Stacey Linnartz

• Austin Pendleton

• Michael Schantz

Creative:

• Written by Aaron Posner

• Directed by Jeff Wise

• Set Design: Brittany Vasta

• Costume Design: Christopher Metzger

• Lighting Design: Drew Florida

• Sound Design: Mark Van Hare

What We're Seeing: Bathsheba's Psalms

Last April, as a part of our first season of Irons in the Fire, we had the pleasure of developing April Ranger’s new play Bathsheba’s Psalms: Or a Woman of Unusual Beauty Taking a Bath. The workshop was directed by Christina Roussos and presented at West Park Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side. It was a thrill to watch the creative team piece together and refine this beautiful re-imagining of the David and Bathsheba myth. Fast forward to less than a year later, and this show has taken on a life of its own. Led by April and Christina and including many of the artists involved in our 2018 workshop, Bathsheba’s Psalms will be returning for its world premiere production at The Tank this April. We cannot wait to see how this play has continued to grow after its time with Irons in the Fire. We’ll be there on April 5 and hope to see you at the theatre!

April 4 - 20, 2019
The Tank
312 West 36th Street, First Floor
New York, NY 10018

A Little About The Show

Sexy. Irreverant. Holy. Bathshebas voice, celebrated, sung at last. From a biblical rooftop, to a warped John Hughes Biology lab and beyond, this unruly adaptation of the infamous Old Testament "love story" capsizes  tropes on gender and power. A revelry of sensuality & snark! And fruit, obviously! 

Cast:

• Tanyamaria

• Elizabeth Kenny

• TL Thompson

• C. Bain

• Marisela Grajeda Gonzalez

Creative:

• Written by April Ranger

• Directed by Christina Roussos

• Stage Manager: Shannon Stewart

• Lighting & Scenic Design: Itohan Edoloyi

• Costume Design: Karim Rivera Rosado

• Sound Design: Caroline Eng

• Image Design: Susanne Reece

She/Creates

Curated by our friend and frequent collaborator Lizzy Jarrett, SHE Creates is an annual, all-inclusive celebration of womanhood and gender nonconformity featuring the work of dozens of female and genderqueer artists hosted by Make/Shift in association with Akin. These works include writing (film, theatre, narrative, poetry), performance art, visual art, video, movement, music, and comedy.

February 19 - February 24, 2019
New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014

A ticket to She/Creates includes:

• Opening Acts by Venus Celestina (Performance Art),  Carmen Lo Bue (Film),  Julia Maldonado (Film),  Ani & Ale Mesa (Music), JP Moraga (Film), Ariana Raygoza (Music), Jessi Raymundo (Music), Martina San Diego (Music), Ren Dara Santiago (Playwriting/Poetry), and Serendipity Dance Troupe (Dance). ** Performance schedule TBD **

• An Art Gallery featuring the works of Arlen and Alexios with Artcepted, Elonna Bettini, Mia Cain, Patricia Cinco, Carina Clores, Ali Rose Dachis, Peyton Emery, Estelle Jarrett, Anastasia Koumarnetos, Gerrie Lim, Gabriela Llarena, Leann Militar & Ren Dara Santiago.

• The New York Premiere of The Clark Doll, written by Liz Morgan and directed by Tyler Thomas

• a Party every night hosted by This is Akin!

  Use the code ARTIST for $20 tickets to SHE Creates

A Little About The Clark Doll

Three black women find themselves confined to a space; the kind that doesn't allow visitors. It isn't the first time but hopefully, it will be the last. Natasha wants to escape for good; Judi wants to sleep; and Sophia just doesn't want to end up left alone. Meanwhile, this trio of "sistas" will do what they can to survive their circumstances and each other.

Cast:

• Shelley Fort

• Marion Grey

• TanyaMaria

Creative:

• Written by Liz Morgan

• Directed by Tyler Thomas

• Scenic Design: Isabel Le

• Costume Design: Rashidah Nelson

• Lighting & Projection Design: Attilio Rigotti

• Sound Design: Christopher Stevenson

• Production Stage Manager: Madison Burnes

Gala 2018

Thank you so much to all of the friends, family, and collaborators who came out to our Gala last week! It was an incredible evening celebrating the downtown theatre community. We are so grateful for your support and can’t wait to share what we have in store for 2018-2019!

All photos by Lillian Cole

What We're Seeing: Catch As Catch Can

Page 73, one of our favorite companies in the city, is kicking off their season with an incredible new play from Mia Chung called Catch As Catch Can. If you’ve never been to a Page 73 show, now is a great time to start. Page 73 develops and produces work of early career playwrights who have yet to have a professional production in New York City. It’s a great place to see the next generation of great American writers!

October 22 - November 17, 2018
New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014

A Little About The Show

The Phelans and the Lavecchias grew up together in working class New England, weathering good times and bad. But Tim Phelan’s homecoming this winter sets off a spiraling crisis that strains their hold on each other—and themselves. In Mia Chung’s Catch as Catch Can, six characters are brought to life by three actors playing across gender and generation, capturing father/daughter and mother/son in a family drama that doubles as a theatrical tour de force.

Cast:

• Jeff Biehl

• Michael Esper

• Jeanine Serralles

Creative:

• Written by Mia Chung

• Directed by Ken Rus Schmoll

• Set & Costume Design: Arnulfo Maldonado

• Lighting Design: Jiyoun Chang

• Sound Design: Brendan Aanes

• Prop Design: Samantha Shoffner

• Production Stage Manager: Megan Schwarz Dickert

• Assistant Stage Manager: Kara Procell

What We're Seeing: Happy Birthday, Wanda June

Our friends at the Wheelhouse Theater Company are making the move from downtown to 42nd Street! You may remember their hit production of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Happy Birthday, Wanda June played to sold out crowds at the Gene Frankel Theater back in April. Now, they’re returning to take things uptown to The Duke on 42nd Street. Do not miss this incredible production directed by our friend Jeff Wise and featuring our Co-Artistic Director Craig Wesley Divino on stage. We’ll see you there!

October 18 - November 29, 2018
The Duke on 42nd Street
229 W 42nd St.
New York, NY 10036

A Little About The Show

Happy Birthday, Wanda June first premiered off-Broadway at the Theater de Lys (now the Lucille Lortel) on October 7, 1970, was restaged at the Edison Theatre on Broadway, starring Marsha Mason and Kevin McCarthy and opened December 22, 1970.

Happy Birthday, Wanda June takes a searing and darkly comedic look at American culture through the brilliantly perverse lens of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr..   Harold Ryan, a widely respected war veteran and big game hunter, returns home after being missing and presumed dead for 8 years. Harold brings with him an old way of thinking, one that celebrates a chauvinist machismo and American exceptionalism. But Harold soon discovers that the society he returns to has made attempts to progress into a more modern and enlightened cultural narrative. What follows is a dynamic and often hilarious meditation on toxic masculinity and an American capitalist society’s failed attempts at progress cloaked in “honor” and “morality”, and how the two are deeply connected. But simply put, and as the first few lines of the play state, “this is a play about men who enjoy killing, and those who don’t.”

Cast:

• Jason O’Connell

• Kate MacCluggage

• Finn Faulconer

• Craig Wesley Divino

• Kareem M. Lucas

• Matt Harrington

• Charlotte Wise

• Brie Zimmer

Creative:

• Written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

• Directed by Jeffrey Wise

• Scenic Design: Brittany Vasta

• Lighting Design: Drew Florida

• Costume Design: Christopher Metzger

• Sound Design: Mark Van Hare

• Production Stage Manager: Paula R. Clarkson

• Assistant Stage Manager: David Kenner

The Downtowners Place Second

In what was both a tremendously fun and wildly successful first season, The Downtowners, Fault Line Theatre’s softball team in the Broadway Show League, placed second in a thrilling final against Davenport Theatricals. In need of 2 wins to clinch the Championship, The Downtowners held off Davenport in a wild 13 inning affair in Game 1, but fell short 2-1 in the do-or-die final game.

It has been so much fun to gather every Thursday in Central Park with our ragtag crew of downtown theatre folk. Thank you to all the fans who came out to cheer us on. We’ll see you next year!

In the meantime, we’ll be diligently hitting the batting cages in the off-season.

What We're Seeing: The Prostitute Play

Fresh off his run in Pride and Prejudice at the Hangar Theater, our Co-Artistic Director Craig Wesley Divino is again teaming up with playwright Kate Hamill for a staged reading of The Prostitute Play. This reading will be brought to life by Upstart Creatures, a company dedicated to staging readings of new or rarely produced works paired with elaborate multi-course menus inspired by them. Best of all, the whole evening is free. You need only make a reservation online!

September 14 - 15, 2018
Metro Baptist Church
410 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

A Little About The Show

Based loosely on a true story, The Prostitute Play follows the exploits of Harriet Wilson, called the “Queen of Tarts”- England’s most popular courtesan of the 19th century. 

For decades, English society has been ruled by the demi-monde, the world of high-class prostitutes and their noble patrons. But times are changing, and Harriet wants to stay ahead of the pack – even if she has to take on the most powerful man in England to get her due. Full of blackmail, intrigue, dark humor, sexuality, and anti-heroes, The Prostitute Play has been described as “naughty Ibsen”.

Cast:

• John Edgar Barker

• Hiram Delgado

• Mykal Monroe

• Laura Ramadei

• Claire Siebers

Creative:

• Written by Catya McMullen

• Directed by Jenna Worsham

• Set Design: Angelica Barrero

• Lighting Design: Cheyenne Sykes

• Sound Design: Daniel Melnick

• Costume Design: Nicole Slaven

What We're Seeing: Agnes

We're so excited to see what our friends in Lesser America have been cooking up! Do not miss their latest play Agnes uptown at 59E59. You may even recognize Laura Ramadei (Co-Founder and Producing Director of Lesser America) from our production of Bekah Brunstetter's The Oregon Trail last year. Better yet, in partnership with the TDF National Autism Friendly Performances Program, Lesser America and 59E59 will present a Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly performance of AGNES on Saturday, September 15th at 3pm. 

For $20 tickets, use the discount code AGNESALERT
Good for any performance the first three weeks of the run. Offer ends September 9th.

September 8 - 29, 2018
59E59 Theater C
59 E 59th St
New York, NY 10022

A Little About The Show

Charlie's been missing, and his roommates have a lot of questions for him. Trapped by a storm on the night of his mysterious return, they each discover how easy it is to miss the mark when it comes to the people you love. With heart, humor and a touch of the bizarre, AGNES explores vulnerability, our limited understanding of the autism spectrum, and how we strive for human connection, even when it seems impossible. 

Cast:

• John Edgar Barker

• Hiram Delgado

• Mykal Monroe

• Laura Ramadei

• Claire Siebers

Creative:

• Written by Catya McMullen

• Directed by Jenna Worsham

• Set Design: Angelica Barrero

• Lighting Design: Cheyenne Sykes

• Sound Design: Daniel Melnick

• Costume Design: Nicole Slaven

Broadway Show League Championships

This Thursday, August 30 at 11:30am, Fault Line Theatre will be facing off against Davenport Theatricals in the Broadway Show League Softball Championships!

Since 1955, the Broadway Show League has become a summer tradition that brings together the Broadway and Off-Broadway community every Thursday on the Heckscher Fields in Central Park. This year we were proud to sponsor the first ever team comprised entirely of folks from the downtown and independent theatre communities. THE DOWNTOWNERS have gone on to defeat the likes of The Lion King, The Blue Man Group, Book of Mormon, and Dear Evan Hansen en route to the finals.

Here's how to works: the playoff format is called Double Elimination, meaning you have to lose 2 games to be knocked out. We lost our first playoff game, but have gone undefeated since. Davenport Theatricals has yet to lose. This means at 11:30am we will be playing a 9 inning game. If we win this, we have to defeat them one more time in a do-or-die 7 inning game. If we lose that first game though, it's all over. No second game.

SO COME CHEER ON THE DOWNTOWNERS AT 11:30am, THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 30. We will be playing on Heckscher Field 5, just inside the park at Central Park West and 63rd Street.