Remembering Doug Rossi

New York City has lost one of the best friends to new play development the theatre had. After a difficult battle with cancer, actor Doug Rossi has passed away in his childhood home in Cleveland, Ohio.

I got to know Doug working on new plays at the Abingdon Theatre Company, but he actually trained as a classical actor, getting his MFA in acting working with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Over the years, he played the title role in Hamlet, Caliban in The Tempest, Orlando in As You Like It, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing, and a host of other Shakespearean roles.

As an actor, Doug was always game for anything, which is what made him such an important figure in the development of new work. The number of new plays he worked on, in readings, workshops, and world premiere productions, helping authors to hone characters and originating new roles, is too numerous to name. Just a few of the plays Doug helped bring to light include Aliens with Extraordinary Skills by Saviana Stanescu, Carlett's Just Carlett by Kat Mustatea, Nell Dash by Doug DeVita, A Brandy Before Dying by Jim Farmer, and Evensong by Christina Quintana.

I had the pleasure of working with Doug in numerous incarnations of I Hate You! A Love Story, in which he acted in a two-hander opposite Sandra Maren Schneider. He also played numerous characters in the early readings of my adaptation of Moby-Dick. He played Tom in THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, my send up of The Glass Menagerie, which was fitting, since he had also played that role back in Ohio, winning a Best Actor Chanticleer Award for his performance. More recently, he appeared in a reading of Burns Night at Urban Stages, hilariously appearing on stage in a kilt.

For years, Doug came to monthly meetings of playwrights, first at the Abingdon, and then later with the 36th Street Writers Block. He volunteered his time doing cold reads of new work, and always gave valuable feedback. He took part in the very first table read that Joshua H. Cohen and I did of our musical Burned, and he was a familiar face to anyone who regularly attended readings of new plays. He also gave generously of his time to writers trying to produce their work at small festivals, including the Midtown International Theatre Festival, the Samuel French One-Act Festival, and the NYC Fringe. In 2011, he was named Best Featured Actor for his role in Duncan Pflaster's Sweeter Dreams at Planet Connections.

Doug also appeared on screen, most memorably with Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Deuce on HBO. It is for his stage work that I remember him, though, and as the loving husband of fellow actor Dianne Diep. It seems almost unbelievable that he isn't with us anymore. New York theatre has lost one of its most giving, hardest working, most insightful, brightest stars.

The Barn is BURNED Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, New York Theatre Barn will be presenting songs and scenes from my new musical Burned at Improv Asylum Theatre.

Composer and lyricist Joshua H. Cohen and I have been working on Burned for a while now. The play is inspired by A.A. Milne's drama The Lucky One, but is reset during the 2007-2008 financial collapse.

We had a great rehearsal today. Brian Charles Rooney is playing Bob Farringdon in the reading, and Danny Harris Kornfeld is playing his brother Gerald. The amazing Taylor Iman Jones is portraying Gerald's fiancée Pamela. All three of them have wonderful voices.

In addition, we've got a fabulous supporting cast, including Loni Ackerman as Aunt Harriet, Amy Griffin as Cecilia, Miguel Jarquin-Moreland as Marcus, and Alex Getlin and Daniel Plimpton as the adorable couple Letty and Tommy. Jace Reinhard is also helping us out by reading stage directions.

Aaron Simon Gross is directing the reading, and Paul Rigano has done a wonderful job with music direction. The show goes up at 7pm, so get your tickets now!

Cast of BURNED Announced

My new musical Burned, with songs by Joshua H. Cohen, will have a presentation next month at New York Theatre Barn, and we can now announce the cast.

New York Theatre Barn will be presenting an abridged version of the first act of Burned on Monday, February 3rd, at 7:00. It will be accompanied by selections from J. Douglas Waterbury-Tieman's new musical Johnny and the Devil's Box.

The cast of Burned will include Taylor Iman Jones (who was murderously good in Scotland, PA), Brian Charles Rooney (who memorably played Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera), and a number of other brilliant performers, including Loni Ackerman, Alex Getlin, Miguel Jarquin-Moreland, Danny Harris Kornfeld, Audrey Heffernan Meyer, and Daniel Plimpton.

Aaron Simon Gross is directing the reading. Previously, we've presented songs from the show at The Duplex and as part of Golden Fleece's Square One Series. The musical tells the story of two brothers whose long-standing rivalries come to a head when they find themselves ensnared in the financial crisis of 2007-8. Burned asks what we owe each other, and what we are owed.

The show has a rock score, and you can hear Owen Beans performing the title song here. February 3rd's reading will be held at Improv Asylum Theatre, 307 West 26th Street. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Hope you can make it!

Act One of BURNED Next Month

Next month, New York Theatre Barn will be kicking off the 13th season of their New Works Series with a reading of an abridged version of the first act of Burned, a new musical with a book by myself and music and lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen.

The reading will be held at 7:00 on Monday, February 3rd. It's being directed by Aaron Simon Gross. Josh and I are very excited to work with him, and while we can't announce our cast just yet, it's going to include some really talented people.

Burned was inspired by the play The Lucky One by A.A. Milne. It tells the story of two brothers whose relationship comes apart when one of them is arrested for financial fraud. Set against the 2007-08 financial crisis, the musical asks what we owe each other, and what we are owed.

Songs from Burned have been presented by the In the Works series at The Duplex, and by Golden Fleece's Square One. Josh and I have worked on two other musicals together, Ordinary Island (previously titled Maggie the Pirate) and (together with Lavell Blackwell) Keep on Walkin'.

Burned will be presented together with a selection from Johnny & the Devil's Box by J. Douglas Waterbury-Tieman, who is a member of The Lobbyists and was co-writer of the Drama Desk Award nominated musical SeaWife. It tells the story of a young man who believes he's the best fiddler that ever was, and aims to prove it, in spite of a diabolical challenge.

The full evening will be about 70 minutes and will be held at Improv Asylum, 307 West 26th Street in New York City. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. You can purchase advance tickets here.

Protagonists in Paper

My article "Protagonists in Paper: Toy Theatres and the Cultivation of Celebrity" is out now in Theatre Notebook.

I was able to write the article with help from a research award from the Society for Theatre Research, which publishes Theatre Notebook. They helped subsidize a trip I took to London to examine the toy theatre collection in the British Museum.

The new issue of Theatre Notebook also has Julian Crowe's follow-up article on the actress Mary Ann Canning and an article by Gerald Baker on performance in the late 17th century. The journal always has interesting articles, which have provided fodder for some past blog entries.

I have some other good news to announce as well. PlayMakers Repertory Company has chosen my play Worth as a semifinalist for the International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition. I should find out in February if the play makes it to the finals.

Also in February, New York Theatre Barn will be presenting selections from my new musical Burned, with songs by Joshua H. Cohen. More information on that will come next month, but in the meantime, mark your calendars for February 3rd.

Hopefully, I'll be able to make some other exciting announcements here soon!

Get BURNED this Sunday!

If you're free on Sunday, you might want to come out to The Duplex Cabaret Theatre to hear songs from Burned, a new musical I’m writing with Joshua H. Cohen.

Burned is based loosely on A.A. Milne's play The Lucky One, but is reset during the 2007-08 financial crash. It has a rock-influenced score that is a pure joy to listen to.

We're presenting four songs from the musical as part of The Duplex's new composers series, In the Works. The songs will be performed by four great singers, Joan Barber, Owen Beans, Andrew Mayer, and Erin Leigh Peck.

You'll also get to hear some songs by Patricia Noonan and Sean Mahoney, as well as the duo Pretty Sad White Girls. Andrew David Sotomayor is hosting the evening, which was put together by Honeck-Moss Productions.

The event is this upcoming Sunday, January 28, at 9:30 p.m. in the cabaret theatre of the Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village.

There is a $10 cover plus a 2-drink minimum, but you can use the code "Cohen" for $5 off the cover.

For more information, go here:

http://www.theduplex.com/site/in-the-works-4/1313

Hope you can make it!

BURNED at The Duplex

The composer Joshua H. Cohen and I will be premiering four songs from our new musical Burned at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre on Sunday, January 28th.

We'll be presenting the songs as a part of "In The Works," an evening put together by Honeck-Moss Productions. It will also include songs by Sean Mahoney, Patricia Noonan, and Pretty Sad White Girls. The evening is being hosted by Andrew David Sotomayor.

Singing for us will be Owen Beans, Erin Leigh Peck, Joan Barber, and Andrew Mayer. Owen will be reprising his role as Bob, which he sang when we debuted four different songs from the show last May as a part of Golden Fleece's Square One Series.

The show begins at 9:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. There is also a two-drink minimum, and you must be 21 or over to enter.

The Duplex is located at 61 Christopher Street, at the corner of 7th Avenue in Greenwich Village. Hope to see you there!

Our First Read of BURNED

Tonight, composer Joshua H. Cohen and I had our first table read of our new musical Burned.

We debuted some songs from Burned earlier this year as a part of Golden Fleece's Square One Series. Hana Slevin and Owen Beans sang the parts of Pamela and Gerald, and they helped us out again tonight, reading those same roles.

Burned is inspired by A.A. Milne's play The Lucky One about two brothers and their shifting fortunes. We’ve reset the piece during the 2008 financial crisis. We also gender swapped the character of the family lawyer, which worked quite well when read this evening by Erin Leigh Peck.

Other actors who read for us included Doug Rossi, Mat Hostetler, Gordon Stanley, Nick Luckenbaugh, Ali Gordon, and Joan Barber. Thanks to all involved!

BURNED Songs Debut Tomorrow

Come out tomorrow to Studios 353 where songs and scenes from my new musical Burned will be presented as a part of Golden Fleece's Square One Series.

Songwriter Joshua H. Cohen has written some wonderful lyrics and provided a great rock score for the piece. The musical is loosely based on A.A. Milne's play The Lucky One, but is reset during the 2008 financial crisis.

I've had fun working on the book, a few pieces of which you'll hear, along with Josh's songs "Go," "Carry the Light," "Burned," and "Shelter in the Rain." Hana Slevin, Richard Binder, and Owen Beans are performing.

The reading will be at 8:00 Sunday night on the second floor of 353 W. 48th Street. It will be accompanied by other works by Ben Boecker, Laurel Haines, and others. Admission is $10.

For reservations and more information, call Golden Fleece at 212-691-6105.

Songs from BURNED

A week from Sunday, songwriter Joshua H. Cohen and I will be presenting songs and scenes from our new musical Burned as a part of Golden Fleece's Square One Series at Studios 353.

Josh and I have been working on this piece for a while. Inspired by A.A. Milne's play The Lucky One but reset during the 2008 financial crisis, the musical follows the course of two brothers and their shifting fortunes.

We have a great cast of singers, including Owen Beans, Richard Binder, and Hana Sleven, who will present four songs and a couple of scenes. The performance will be at 8:00 on May 7th, on the second floor of 353 W. 48th Street. Come if you can!