Had some excitement last week, working with the Intergalactic Travel Bureau. We set up at the chashama gallery space on West 37th near 8th avenue. I only worked on Friday, but the majority of the group was there Thursday and Saturday as well. Very cool experience, getting people in off the street "guerilla science" style, offering free astronaut food and photos on the moon and Mars. I learned a few things, but mostly let the astrophysicists on hand answer the questions and help book the space vacations!
Definitely from an actor standpoint, it was interesting to just people watch all day, and observe people's body language as they approached this group of wildly dressed people advertising space trips. Lots of enthusiasm, which was really neat to see. Lots of people on their phones, which was a little less optimistic, but hey, it's New York, we're busy. I think the funniest responses were from people who were just straight up DISTRESSED about the whole thing. Overall, awesome experience, and got a mention in the Times. I'm sure pictures will make their way to me in due time to add to my photos page.
On Sunday, I participated in the Open Tent group's 24 Hour Play Festival, the Ourglass festival. Open Tent is a really cool group that I just met, who focus on creating theater community in the top of Manhattan, near Ft. Tryon Park / 181st St. They told me that they have done several events now, including full productions, with this being their second 24 hour play festival. The playwrights had gotten their prompts, physical descriptions of their actors, a sentence that had to be used in the script ("I was saving that for later"), and a required prop.
The playwrights wrote all night, then the actors met at 9am to get started. Our group lost our director before we arrived, so the three of us self directed and rehearsed on a nearby roof top all day long. At 6:30, we walked over to Ft. Tryon Park for our performance and to see the 4 other brand new plays being performed. Definitely saw some interesting and promising work, as well as had a blast with this great group of people. If you're up in that area, you should check them out.
Phew, back on the grind this week, submitting to good things, working on Season THIRTY of TAPNYC (this season I play a Southern wife who may or may not have murdered my mother in law), and of course, preparing ELIZABETHS. The United Solo Theatre Festival opens in exactly one month from today, so be sure to buy tickets to my show and check out and purchase tickets to some of the other shows.
Definitely from an actor standpoint, it was interesting to just people watch all day, and observe people's body language as they approached this group of wildly dressed people advertising space trips. Lots of enthusiasm, which was really neat to see. Lots of people on their phones, which was a little less optimistic, but hey, it's New York, we're busy. I think the funniest responses were from people who were just straight up DISTRESSED about the whole thing. Overall, awesome experience, and got a mention in the Times. I'm sure pictures will make their way to me in due time to add to my photos page.
On Sunday, I participated in the Open Tent group's 24 Hour Play Festival, the Ourglass festival. Open Tent is a really cool group that I just met, who focus on creating theater community in the top of Manhattan, near Ft. Tryon Park / 181st St. They told me that they have done several events now, including full productions, with this being their second 24 hour play festival. The playwrights had gotten their prompts, physical descriptions of their actors, a sentence that had to be used in the script ("I was saving that for later"), and a required prop.
The playwrights wrote all night, then the actors met at 9am to get started. Our group lost our director before we arrived, so the three of us self directed and rehearsed on a nearby roof top all day long. At 6:30, we walked over to Ft. Tryon Park for our performance and to see the 4 other brand new plays being performed. Definitely saw some interesting and promising work, as well as had a blast with this great group of people. If you're up in that area, you should check them out.
Phew, back on the grind this week, submitting to good things, working on Season THIRTY of TAPNYC (this season I play a Southern wife who may or may not have murdered my mother in law), and of course, preparing ELIZABETHS. The United Solo Theatre Festival opens in exactly one month from today, so be sure to buy tickets to my show and check out and purchase tickets to some of the other shows.