Feel the Burns

Last night, I saw Alice Hale, Maria de Vries, and Zach McCoy in my short play Burns Night in the Long Island City One Act Play Festival.

The festival is held at the Secret Theatre in Queens. Ilanna Saltzman directed the production of Burns Night, and if you missed the show last week, you can see it on Saturday at 8:00. We will also have future performances at 5:00 on Sunday, August 4th, and then at 8:00 on the following Sunday, August 11th.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to see those performances, as I'll be out of town. Later this week, I'll be at the British Association for Romantic Studies' conference at the University of Nottingham. On the closing day of the conference, which is this coming Sunday, I'll be delivering a paper on the French premiere of Percy Shelley's play The Cenci and the impact it had on Symbolism.

The following week, I'll be at the International Conference on Romanticism at the University of Manchester. I'm giving a talk on Edmund Kean's influence on Lord Byron, particularly in relationship to his play Manfred. While I'm in Manchester, I'll also get a chance to see There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, a play about the Luddite rebellion, which is playing at the Royal Exchange Theatre there.

Initially, I had thought I would get back in time to see the final scheduled performance of Burns Night on August 11th, but as soon as I get back to the U.S., I'll be heading out to Chicago, where my one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will be playing at The Theatre of Western Springs. That play runs August 8th through 11th, and I'll be there for the talkbacks after each performance.

If Burns Night is invited back for the semifinals of the LIC One Act Play Festival, I'll be there on August 21st, and the finals for the festival are on August 24th. If I don't see you there, perhaps I'll see you in Illinois!

Continuing Next Week...

Yesterday, my short play Burns Night opened at the Long Island City One-Act Festival at the Secret Theatre in Queens.

Maria de Vries did an excellent job reprising her role as Keira, which she originated in a staged reading at Urban Stages. Alice Hale is delightful as Keira's friend Steph, and Zach McCoy is hilarious as Steph's kilt-clad Scottish boyfriend Malcolm.

Unfortunately, our fearless director Ilanna Saltzman couldn't join us for opening night, but she'll be there next week for a 5:00 performance on Saturday, July 20th. I hope you'll join us!

Burns Night is being performed with several other short plays, including Seth Freeman's Tombstone, Victor Vauban Jr.'s The Second Coming, Jeremy Kehoe's Beardy McBeardersen, Ray Vagge's Service not Rendered, and Brianna Singer's Where's Avis?

Burns Night explores themes of friendship and romance as a celebration of Robert Burns and all things Scottish starts to go overboard at a suburban house in New Jersey. If you miss the performance next week, you can catch it the following Saturday at 8:00 on July 27th, or at 5:00 on Sunday, August 4th, or at 8:00 on the following Sunday, August 11th.

Below is a picture of me and the cast. Hope you can make it!

BURNS NIGHT Opens This Week

My short play Burns Night opens this Friday, July 12th, as part of the Long Island City One-Act Festival at the Secret Theatre.

The first show is at 7:30 pm. We're second on a bill of shorts that includes plays by Seth Freeman, Jeremy Kehoe, Brianna Singer, and others. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Performances continue the following week at 5:00 on Saturday, July 20th, the next Saturday at 8:00 on July 27th, then at 5:00 on Sunday, August 4th, and finally at 8:00 on the following Sunday, August 11th.

Burns Night is a comedy that tells the story of two friends hiding out in a kitchen while a celebration of Robert Burns and all things Scottish starts to go overboard. Ilanna Saltzman is directing the play, following her directing a reading of the piece at Urban Stages.

Maria de Vries is reprising her role of Keira from the reading. Her other New York theatre credits include the Abingdon Theatre Company, Red Monkey, ATA, and Oxford Shakespeare. Most recently she appeared in Squirrel Screams and Other Dating Sounds by Lindsay Timmington. Her MFA is from UNC-Greensboro.

The role of Steph is being played by Alice Hale, who I originally met through Urban Stages as well. Alice's New York theatre credits include Golden Vanilla at New York Summerfest and A Hand Across the Bridge at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. She's appeared on television in ID's Hometown Homicide and in the Web series Northbound, The Uncanny Upshurs, and Public History. Her BFA is from NYU Tisch, and she has studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Stonestreet Screen Acting Conservatory.

It's my first time working with Alice, and only my second time working with Maria and Ilanna, But they're all great. Rounding out the cast as Steph's boyfriend Malcom is Zach McCoy, with whom I've worked on multiple occasions. He appeared in my short play The State of Colorado v. Tennessee Williams, as well as readings of The Love Songs of Brooklynites. (Keep a look out for an announcement about that play soon.)

Zach's favorite stage credits include David in Love and Human Remains (Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - NYC), Bernard in Boeing, Boeing (Millbrook Playhouse - Pennsylvania), and Colin in The Birthday Boys (co-producer; Access Theatre - NYC). He is hysterical in Burns Night, so you don't want to miss him!

The Secret Theatre is located at 44-02 23rd Street in Long Island City in Queens. It is set back a bit from the street, so don't miss it when you walk by... and make it live up to its name! This is going to be a good show, so I hope to see you there.

And it begins...

Today, we had our first rehearsal for my short play Burns Night, which will be performed next month at the Long Island City One-Act Festival at the Secret Theatre in Queens.

Burns Night originally had a staged reading as part of the January Plays at Urban Stages. Ilanna Saltzman, who directed the reading, is directing the full production at the Secret Theatre as well. Maria de Vries will be reprising her role as Keira, while Alice Hale will be playing Steph and Zach McCoy will be playing Malcolm.

It's great to work with Ilanna and Maria again, and I'm psyched about getting to work with Zach and Alice as well. Last year, Zach was in a reading of The Love Songs of Brooklynites, and while I've never worked with Alice before, I'm a big fan of her web series Northbound.

Burns Night tells the story of two young women who have been friends for forever. They hide out in a kitchen while a celebration of Robert Burns and all things Scottish starts to go overboard. But as their lives and interests change and as romantic entanglements become more intense, can their friendship still stay what it used to be?

The play will be performed at 7:30 on Friday, July 12th, then the following week at 5:00 on Saturday, July 20th, then the next Saturday at 8:00 on July 27th, at 5:00 on Sunday, August 4th, and then at 8:00 on the following Sunday, August 11th. If we're invited back for the semifinals, they'll be on August 21st, and the finals are on August 24th.

I hope you can make it, and if you come, we promise not to feed you haggis!

Discover a Great New Play

Tomorrow (Monday) my one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will have a staged reading as a part of Emerging Artists Theatre's New Work Series.

Zach McCoy is playing the part of Chuck, a recent transplant to Brooklyn from Wisconsin. Zach's favorite stage credits include David in Love and Human Remains, Bernard in Boeing, Boeing, and Colin in The Birthday Boys. He also appeared in my play The State of Colorado v. Tennessee Williams. He currently does extensive voiceover work, reviews plays for The Drama League, and runs a sustainable seafood restaurant on the Upper West Side. Zach is a proud graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.

The role of Chuck's neighbor Abbie is being played by Jessica L. Vera. Her previous credits include Bullet Catchers, The True History of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World, and A Snowfall in Berlin. She has also appeared on the Hulu series The Path and is in an independent film, Beyond the Night, which will be premiering at Woodstock Film Festival. I've also had the pleasure of working with Jessica as part of the 36th Street Writers Block, where she read the leading roles in Capital and Bones of the Sea as I was developing them.

The reading is directed by Dev Bondarin, who is the Artistic Director of Astoria Performing Arts Center where she has directed Follies, Raisin, ...Spelling Bee, Astoria Stories, Merrily We Roll Along, and In The Bones. As Associate Artistic Director of Prospect Theater Company, she directs a musical theater lab which has produced over 80 new, short musicals. Her other credits include Elevator Heart, King Lear, and A Home Across The Ocean.

Tickets for the reading (which benefits Emerging Artists Theatre) are $10. That includes admission to readings of two other short plays, The Cruelty of Children by Raymond McAnally and Hamlet Investigations, Inc. by Ellen Abrams.

The theatre is located at 15 West 28th Street on the second floor. Hope you can make it!

LOVE SONGS Next Week!

My one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will have a staged reading next week on Monday, October 8th, at 7:00 pm.

The reading is being directed by Dev Bondarin and stars Jessica Vera and Zach McCoy. Kevin Quinn will be reading stage directions.

Some of you might have seen a reading of the same play last year at the Dramatists Guild. This version has been tightened up a bit and is slightly shorter.

We'll be presenting the piece as a benefit for Emerging Artists Theatre. Tickets are $10 each. In addition to seeing my show, the audience will also get to see The Cruelty of Children by Raymond McAnally and Hamlet Investigations, Inc. by Ellen Abrams.

The reading will be held at TADA, 15 West 28th Street (between Broadway and 5th Avenue) on the second floor. Tickets are available here:

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3616610

If you can make it, I'd love to see you there!

Staged Reading Next Month

My one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will be having a staged reading next month as a part of Emerging Artists Theatre's New Work Series.

The script had a reading last year at the Dramatists Guild with Jessica Vera and Zach McCoy. I'm happy to say that both actors are slated to be reprising their roles in this reading, which will be directed by Dev Bondarin.

We will be presenting the script as a benefit for EAT, so tickets are $10 each. In addition to seeing our show, you'll also get to see The Cruelty of Children by Raymond McAnally and Hamlet Investigations, Inc. by Ellen Abrams.

The fundraiser will be held on Columbus Day, Monday, October 8th, at 7:00 pm. EAT is renting out the theatre at TADA, 15 West 28th Street (between Broadway and 5th Avenue) on the second floor. Hope you can come!

The Love Songs of Brooklynites

This Friday (the 13th) my new one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will have a reading at the Dramatists Guild.

Part T.S. Eliot, part Preston Sturges, The Love Songs of Brooklynites takes the audience on a theatrical journey about finding ourselves while finding others.

The reading features Zach McCoy and Jessica Vera. It will be held at 7:00 pm in the Mary Rogers Room at the Dramatists Guild, 1501 Broadway (between 43rd and 44th Street) on the 7th Floor.

See the picture below to take a look at the venue. Hope you can make it!

Reading Next Month at Dramatists Guild

Next month, on the auspicious evening of Friday, October 13th, my new one-act play The Love Songs of Brooklynites will have a reading at the Dramatists Guild as part of their Friday Night Footlights program.

The reading will be held at 7:00 pm in the Mary Rogers Room at the Dramatists Guild, 1501 Broadway (between 43rd and 44th Street) on the 7th Floor. The public is welcome, but make sure you bring a photo ID to get through security.

Zach McCoy is playing Chuck, a new transplant from Wisconsin to Brooklyn, and Jessica Vera is playing Abbie, his upstairs neighbor with a tech job and a habit for stress baking. Zach was previously in my play THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, and Jessica did the role of Jenny Marx in a lot of the early readings of Capital.

If you're interested in coming to the reading, feel free to contact me. Hope to see you there!

Last Chance to See "Grass" Menagerie

This Saturday will be your last chance to see THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS at the Bad Theater Fest.

What happens when a cast of actors in Colorado decides to perform Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie while all stoned on pot? Find out at 5:00 this Saturday at the Treehouse Theater, 154 W. 29th Street in Manhattan.

Director Ken Kaissar has assembled a great cast, including Daniil Krimer, Zach McCoy, Doug Rossi, Sandra Maren Schneider, and Alex Sunderhaus. They gave a great performance last week, and I'm looking forward to seeing the show again on Saturday.

Come on out to see not only this short play, but other examples of "Bad" theater, including The History of DNA Exchange, which chronicles the two-billion-year history of sexual reproduction, Nano jardin, which shows life through the eyes of two garden gnomes, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, and a piece called Awkward Fornication Leading to Immaculate Conception.

So if you're looking for a high-class evening of tasteful theater, go someplace else. But if you want to have a good laugh and a good time, head on over to the Treehouse Theater at five this Saturday. For more information and tickets, go here:

Bad Theater Fest

A Menagerie of Actors

This Saturday, my short play THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS opens at the Treehouse Theater as part of the Bad Theater Fest. Fortunately, we have a brilliant cast of good actors who can make bad acting absolutely hysterical. I'd like to introduce you to them now.

Daniil Krimer is playing the part of Jim. Daniil a recent graduate of the BFA program at Montclair State University. He is happy to have been given the opportunity to work on this wacky play and sends a shout out to his family for always supporting him... and an apology to Mr. Williams!

As Jim, Daniil plays a very serious actor taking on an important role in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. He plays the role with an almost painful earnestness that contrasts with the rest of the cast. Why? Well, our play takes place in a certain state... where a certain substance has recently become legal....

Zach McCoy plays the role of the Stage Manager in the play. Zach was last seen this summer as David in the off-Broadway revival of Love and Human Remains at The Peter J. Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons.  Other favorite New York credits include Jitter (Arclight Theatre) and The Birthday Boys (Access Theatre).  In Pennsylvania, Zach has performed many times at Millbrook Playhouse in roles such as Bernard in Boeing-Boeing, David in The Foreigner, and Stanley in Run for Your Wife.  Zach has been featured on the AMC original series Film Fakers, and his short film Kidnapping Carl recently premiered at the Manhattan Film Festival.

Doug Rossi, who plays Tom in the play, once won an award for playing Tom in a real production of The Glass Menagerie. His major classical roles include Macbeth, Tartuffe, Orlando, Friar Lawrence, Caliban, Orsino, Launce, Brutus, Ford, and Hamlet. He has appeared in more than 75 NYC productions including FringeNYC, Planet Connections (Winner: Best Featured Actor) and MITF (Nominated: Best Supporting Actor). He also has more than 50 on-camera credits including the title role in the indie feature Recruiter. Currently, he is re-teaming with Empire Tales director David Toth to co-write and star in a thriller entitled Blind Spot.

Sandra Maren Schneider is playing Amanda. Other recent credits include a reading of I Hate You: A Love Story directed by Dev Bondarin (Abingdon Theatre), Blue Moon written and directed by Bryan Quick (Shapiro Theater), Faust - A Tragedy (Staged Reading at the Signature Theatre), Andromache (Winner of NYC Ancient Drama Festival), Tango Fever (Teatro LaTea),  Helen Of Troy (La MaMa), Les Blancs directed by Pat Golden (Staged Reading at the New School), Spoon River Anthology directed by Jimmy Maize (Columbia Stages), Happy End directed by Jérôme Savary & Ulrich Waller (St. Pauli Theater, Germany), and Upon A Time (Workshop of a new musical written by Hayley Annette Green and music by Thomas Auger).

Alex Sunderhaus, who plays Laura, is a Brooklyn-based actress originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her BFA  is from Wright State University. Recent stage credits for Alex include: Seminar (Kitchen Theatre Co.), The Lucky Ladies and The Red Cat (The Lark, NYC), and Boeing Boeing (Millbrook Playhouse). Alex has also been a part of several NYC short films and is an improviser at Upright Citizens Brigade.

So there you have it, the amazing cast of THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. Ken Kaissar is directing and doing a wonderful job. If you want to see the show, it is playing Saturday, October 25th at 5:00 and the following Saturday, November 1st, also at 5:00.

Both shows are at the Treehouse Theater. For more information, go here:

Bad Theater Fest

One Week From Today!

One week from today, my 10-minute play THE STATE OF COLORADO v. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS will open as part of the Bad Theater Fest at the Treehouse Theater!

And yes, this is a cringe-inducing satire that hopes to have the distinguished Mr. Williams rolling over in his grave. Fortunately, we have a wonderful cast of good actors who know precisely how brilliant bad acting can be.

Daniil Krimer, Zach McCoy, Doug Rossi, Sandra Maren Schneider, and Alex Sunderhaus star as a troupe of actors desperately trying to put on a production of The Glass Menagerie at a small theater in Colorado in spite of local laws restricting performances. Ken Kaissar directs.

Our opening performance will be at 5:00 on Saturday, October 25th, at the Treehouse Theater, 154 W. 29th Street in Manhattan. There will be a second performance the following week, at 5:00 on Saturday, November 1st.

Go here for tickets:

Bad Theater Fest

Hope to see you there, for a really good bad time!