 New York Classical Theatre in association with Voza Rivers/New Heritage Theatre Group and David Heron's Sure Thing Productions will present a staged reading production of David Stallings' new play Leonora at the Williams Institutional CME Church in Harlem on Monday June 3 at 7pm.
Leonora is inspired by Henrik Ibsen's 1879 classic drama A Doll's House and is based on a concept by Antonio Miniño, who also directs the reading. Full casting for the production will be announced shortly. Leonora is set in the Caribbean island of Jamaica in late 1951. Four months after catastrophic Hurricane Charlie all but destroys the island, Leonora Hartell, a Jamaican woman of color is heedlessly celebrating Christmas with her aristocratic British husband Tristan and their children. Groomed from a young age to marry into a white family, she has become accustomed to living a sheltered life. However, the unexpected arrival of several figures from her past, including her childhood friend Kalisa, sets in motion a series of events that will force her to confront her present and her future. The staged reading of Leonora is another program in New York Classical Theatre's 'Diversifying The Classics' series, which aims to focus attention on little known classic plays or plays with classical roots that expand the canon from a cultural immigrant perspective. The last reading in the series was The Widow of Valencia by Lope de Vega in December 2018. According to Artistic Director Stephen Burdman, "Our 'Diversifying the Classics' series has become central to our mission at New York Classical. The plays we explore in this series are an essential part of expanding the theatrical experience for existing patrons and creating new and diverse audiences for the classics as well. We are very happy to be working with Voza Rivers and The New Heritage Theatre Group and our guest Producer David Heron of Sure Thing Productions to bring Leonora to Harlem." The staged reading production of Leonora is sponsored by New York City Council Member Bill Perkins and the NYC Council Cultural Immigrant Initiative. The Williams Institutional CME Church is located at 2239 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard at 132nd Street, New York, NY, 10027. Admission to the reading is free. Reservations can be made at nyclassical.org/Leonora  After the honor of participating at the 2019 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, and receiving great feedback from audiences and press, it was invigorating to find out our production of The Baby Monitor was nominated in 4 categories at the IDGTF Gala Awards.
It's a wonderful appreciation of the hard work of everyone involved and of the themes and activism we set out to share with an Irish audience. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees. The Baby Monitor was nominated in the following: Doric Wilson Award for Intercultural Dialogue. Micheal Mac Liammoir Award for Outstanding performance by a male: Leo Goodman Eva Gore Booth Award for Outstanding performance by a female: Amanda Jones Oscar Wile Award for Best Writing: David Stallings  I've been working with Yochai Greenfeld in helping him develop a presentation of his new solo-show Abbi Gezunt: It Gets Bitter as part of LABAlive. LABAlive is an evening of art, performance and text inspired by Jewish texts. On Saturday, February 2nd at 7:30pm, LABAlive returns to the Theater at the 14th Street Y. Get ready for three groundbreaking, genre-breaking, and heartbreaking performances and an absorbing exhibition of visual art.
LABA is the premier incubator for Jewish art and culture. Each year our fellows create new works inspired by Jewish texts. This year’s theme: LIFE and DEATH. Yochai Greenfeld in Abbi Gezunt: It Gets Bitter Greenfeld appears as Abbi Gezunt, an Orthodox Jewish mother, telling the story of when her son came out. In this bittersweet and very funny monologue, Abbi throws serious shade at the observant Jews who sit shiva for their living family members who stray from the path. To learn more visit 14streety.org  I'm honored to be dramaturging for Canada's Eclipse Theater Company's immersive production at Toronto's Don Jail.
The David & Stacey Cynamon Family Foundation present THE KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN March 6-10, 2019 Book by TERRENCE MCNALLY Music by JOHN KANDER Lyrics by FRED EBB Based on the novel by MANUEL PUIG KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN at the Don Jail is an immersive piece of musical theatre uniting space and story. By letting the narrative unfold in this historic building, the artistic producers are able to highlight a piece of Toronto’s history, while presenting a musical theatre classic in a thrilling new way. Set against the gritty world of Argentina’s Dirty War, the musical spins a harrowing tale of persecution, while straddling the two worlds of dark reality and colourful fantasy. Fuelled by his need to escape the harshness of prison life, Molina shares stories of the glamorous actress named Aurora. Through their unlikely union, these two characters change one another in unexpected and illuminating ways, as they grapple with politics, masculinity and the power of love over death. STARRING TRACY MICHAILIDIS as AURORA KAWA ADA as MOLINA JONATHAN WINSBY as VALENTIN JAYNE LEWIS as MOLINA'S MOM EVA TAVARES as MARTA ALEJANDRO AMPUDIA as THE WARDEN ENSEMBLE HUNTER AGNEW, JOSHUA ALCANTARA, ALEXANDER BATYCKI, NOAH BEEMER, EMMA BURKE-KLEINMAN, MICHAEL DERWORIZ, JESSE DRWIEGA, JILL GORANSON, ALEXANDRE IANNUZZI, KELSI JAMES, TARAN KIM, ALTEN WILMOT, & ELISE WILSON. CREATIVE TEAM Director: EVAN TSITSIAS Assistant Director: JOSEPH RECINOS Musical Director: CHRIS BARILLARO Choreographer: SARA-JEANNE HOSIE Assistant Choreographer: DARREN BURKETT Sound Designer: JEREMY MITCHELL Production Designer: NICK BLAIS Production Manager: DANIEL BENNETT Stage Manager: LAURIE MERREDEW Dramaturg: ANTONIO MINIÑO Fight Director: KEVIN KRUCHKYWICH In conjunction with: SHERIDAN COLLEGE To learn more visit eclipsetheatre.ca/pages/kiss   Take a listen to the The Parsnip Ship's podcast reading of DEVIL LAND by Desi Moreno-Penson, directed by Antonio Miniño with musical guests Jennifer Cintron and Micah Burgess.
A Latinx couple in the Bronx kidnaps a twelve-year old girl in a misguided attempt at creating a family. The girl claims to be clairvoyant and can communicate with the dead, including the couple’s own dead baby. She is also protected by a not-so-imaginary friend, whom she calls “The Grinch” (Yes, THAT Grinch, only more ghoulish!). Ultimately, a battle of wills ensues pitting faith, family, and politic against each other. The cast includes: Raiane Cantisano (ms. estrada), Tanya Perez (Jessica Jones), Sean Carvajal (Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train), Mateo Moreno (Snipped/Cut/Tied), and Anthony Irizarry. LISTEN TO PART 1 HERE LISTEN TO PART 2 HERE To learn more about The Parsnip Ship visit theparsnipship.com |
