Friday, March 28, 2014

Cheers to World Theatre Day 2014!

A big thank you to everyone who attended last night's celebration of World Theatre Day 2014 at the Lark Play Development Center! We had a terrific audience who all greatly enjoyed the world premiere reading of this year's Around-the-Globe Chain Play, penned by fifteen playwrights from thirteen different countries. If you missed the show, don't worry! You can still watch it online at http://innovativetheatre.org/live/.

Here are some photos from the reading:  

Left to right: Evan Thompson, Reynaldo Piniella, Sarah Todes, Patricia Randell, JoJo McCabe
Charles Browning
L to R: Sarah Todes, Patricia Randell, JoJo McCabe, Jamie Effros


















Following the play, director Sherri Kronfeld polled the audience for the play's title... 

Sherri Kronfeld
And it shall be forever known as "Belly of the Snow Globe."

Finally, several World Theatre Day veterans delivered this year's international World Theatre Day message, written by South African playwright, director, designer, and Artistic Director of Third World Bunfight, Brett Bailey. 

L to R: Joanna Sheehan Bell, Anuvab Pal, Doug Howe
L to R: Chisa Hutchinson, Nick Micozzi, Shay Gines
As Brett Bailey (and Doug Howe and Joanna Sheehan Bell) reminded us last night, "Wherever there is human society, the irrepressible Spirit of Performance manifests."

Thank you to The Lark, ART/NY, American Theatre Wing, and all of our volunteers.

We look forward to celebrating WTD 2015 with you next year!


Thursday, March 27, 2014

"I was a foppish butterfly" -- An Interview with playwright Lily Bevan, UK

Can you tell me a story from your childhood that influenced the person and/or playwright you are today?

I played an insect in a local community Opera for children (W11 Opera London). I was a foppish butterfly advising a butterfly Queen about the fate of two grasshopper lovers who were fighting against an army of fascist ants. My friend Tristan was a wisecracking cockney beetle. We performed in a church, a cast of 100 kids aged 8-18 from all different schools. It was so colourful, bizarre, loud & ambitious. And I never felt happier. That feeling of being enfolded together in a ridiculous, bold production - full of passion, that's the place for me.

If you can have a drink with any dramatist (living or dead) who would it be and why?

Lawks. Has to be Shakespeare doesn't it. He knows more of what it's all about than anyone who's ever lived. Worth a pint of cider.

Why is theater important to you?

Theatre is a group of people standing in front of another group of people pretending to be another group of people to try to make someone go - 'yes, I've felt that' and not feel so terribly alone. That's important.

What advice do you have for new playwrights?

Show your work to people. Friends, family, editors, theatres, whoever - and get feedback. It's easy to get all rolled up in it on your own. Roll it out & get the others walking around on it, you'll see what it looks like much more quickly.


Lily Bevan (UK) attended Jesus College, Cambridge and trained at RADA. Acting credits include: A Voyage Round My Father (Donmar Warehouse), Kindertransport (Shared Experience, Hampstead, National Tour), The Miser and The Hypochondriac (Belgrade, Coventry), An Evening With John Mortimer (National Tour), “Dr Who” (BBC), “Rumpole of The Bailey” (BBC Radio). Lily co-wrote the sell-out Christmas show Stephen and The Sexy Partridge (Trafalgar Studios) and her own plays include Avocado (King’s Head), A Stab In The Dark (Latitude), Café Red (Trafalgar Studios) and People of The Town (RADA). Directing includes: The Death of All Elephant Elders at the Finborough (Nominated Best Director, Off West End). Lily attended the Royal Court Young Writers Programme and studied screenwriting at NYU, New York. She is currently developing a new British screenplay with writer/actress Emma Thompson and a television project with Leftbank Pictures. Lily is part of the Bush Theatre/Kudos initiative and was shortlisted for the Funny Women Awards, 2013. Lily Bevan c/o http://www.independenttalent.com. She can be contacted on twitter @lilybevan, and through her website http://www.thelondoncollectivetheatre.com/.


Join Us Tonight! (and a new cast member)

There are still a limited number of tickets available… nycwtdchainplay2014.eventbrite.com

The Staged Reading of the Second Annual
Around-the-Globe Chain Play
with Charles Browning now joining the cast...


 

Charles Browning, Holly Chou, Jamie Effros, JoJo McCabe, Reynaldo Piniella, 
Patricia Randell, Evan Thompson, and Sarah Todes

Tickets are FREE
To make reservations go to nycwtdchainplay2014.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, March 27th at 7:00 PM

The Lark Play Development Center
(311 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor, NYC)

The reading will also be live streamed on innovativetheatre.org/live.



Starting and ending in NYC, a play will be written as it travels around the world making 15 stops with playwrights from across the globe. Each playwright will contribute the next one to four pages of text, moving the plot forward from where the previous playwright left off. 

The playwrights are Lisa Kron (USA, NYC), Aditi Kapil (USA, Minneapolis), Nicolas Billon (Canada), Luz Estrada (Colombia), Thomas Sainsbury (New Zealand), Nick Rongjun Yu (China), Anuvab Pal (India), Oded Liphshiz (Israel), Lily Bevan (UK), Nina Mitrović (Croatia), Lana Nasser (The Netherlands), Phillip M. Dikotla (South Africa), Amy Conroy (Ireland), Sol Rodríguez Seoane (Argentina), and Chisa Hutchinson (USA, NYC).

The reading will be directed by Sherri Kronfeld, Artistic Director of the NYC based theatre company SUPERWOLF. 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

"if you love something, then it's important." Lana Nasser (The Netherlands)

What was your first experience of theater that converted you to wanting to pursue it as a career?

I think I was about 8 or so... I started writing little poems, perhaps to emulate my father, a university professor, poet and writer.  An event was taking place at Jordan University, and my father put me on a stage, before hundreds of students and faculty, to read my poem.  Me, a little kid, in front of all these adults ... it must have left a mark, encouraging me to write giving me the confidence to perform. 


If you could have a drink with any dramatist (living or dead) who would it be and why?

Oscar Wilde ... an eccentric character.  And Ingmar Bergman .... a master and inspiration.  


Why is theater important to you?

Why is theatre important .... I could go on about the power of theatre to change society, to reinterpret the past, scrutinize the present, and envision the future, to tackle taboos and say SOMETHING.... I could go on about the magic of the theatre, the lights, the smell of the stage, and the learning that happens to artists and audiences .... but all that comes from the head - it's been said before... the thing is, you either love it, or you don't ... and if you love something, then it's important.



What advice do you have for new playwrights?

Just write and think of how your words shape society ... what is the story you want to tell, what is the future you want to paint? remember that you know it all, and that you know nothing at all ... have fun with it, and make it truthful ... for at the end, nothing means anything, and anything could mean everything. 



Lana Nasser (The Netherlands) Writer, performer, theatre-maker and translator, with a research background in Consciousness and Dreams, and a passion for dance. Her dramatization of the ensemble playTaman Banat gave her the title of director; and an award for her monodrama In the Lost and Found: Red Suitcase gave her the title of playwright. With an underlying feminist agenda, she co-founded Aat network of women artists in Jordan, and directed their Annual International Women's Day festival since its establishment in 2010. Lana leads creative expression and empowerment courses for underprivileged women and youth, specialized journeys to sacred sites in Jordan, and artistic environmental and peace campaigns. With academic publication, creative articles, and dabbles in poetry; she is now working on her first book. Jordanian-Palestinian by origin, American by citizenship and education, she is now living in the Netherlands.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Celebrating World Theatre Day in NYC...

Attend the NYCWTD's Around-the-Globe Chain Play: nycwtdchainplay2014.eventbrite.com
And then attend:
A window into the creative process, The Rough Draft Festival is a showcase of exciting new work currently under development by LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and other companies. Highlighted by performances at the ON-stage theater; interactive Q&A sessions; and online opportunities to engage the artists with social media, The Rough Draft Festival runs Wed, Mar 26 - Tue, Apr 1. 
Participating artists include: Built for Collapse who Time Out NY called, “An ambitiously subversive young troupe”; Debut readings from LPAC New Play Development Residents; and co-curators Audrey Dimola and Tyler Rivenbark create an immersive theatre experience in site-specific locations throughout the LAGCC campus.
KICK-OFF EVENT, FRI, MAR 27, 9PM-12AM
CLOCKTOWER BUILDING IN LONG ISLAND CITY
In collaboration with HOLOCENTER (Center For the Holographic Arts), LPAC kicks off the annual Rough Draft Theater Festival on WORLD THEATER DAY, Fri, Mar 27. Clocktower performances include: DJ BUILT4COLLAPSE; Yoga theatrics from actress April Evans; musical stylings of QUEENIE; social media installations; and pop-up dramas from festival participants.

**Light refreshments and cash bar available at the reception. To RSVP.

    
Other ways to participate:

  • Share Bailey and Rodriguez’s message on or around March 27 through program notes, curtain speeches and online media.
  • View videos of international theatre artists reading translations of Bailey’s message in their own language on ITI Worldwide in Paris’ website: www.iti-worldwide.org.
  • Read the Crossing Borders World Theatre Day salon on the TCG Circle, which will feature interviews with and essays from Mexican and Canadian artists, as well as other globally-minded theatre people working across borders: http://www.tcgcircle.org/.
  • Connect with other global theatre-makers on TCG’s year-round online community platform, Conference 2.0.
  • Write your own globally-minded essay for the TCG Circle.
  • Tune into The NYC WTD Coalition's The Around the Globe Chain Play.
  • Follow WTD updates on Twitter, and tweet about World Theatre Day using hashtag #WTD14 with a message like, “Celebrate World Theatre Day 2014 on March 27"
  • Follow the International Theatre Institute on Facebook, and post your own messages like this one, “Join us as we celebrate World Theatre Day 2014 leading up to the 52nd Anniversary on March 27. There are many ways to get involved, so please help us champion the power of theatre to strengthen cultural exchange and mutual understanding across borders!”
  • Host a round table with your community to discuss the themes related to World Theatre Day
  • Offer ticket discounts in celebration of the day
  • Make your backstage space available for audiences to tour
  • Register with the Human Rights Watch to learn about human rights issues from around the world
  • Consider applying for a Fulbright to conduct theatre research, training, and teaching —our world needs more creative solutions and leadership to resolve many of our challenges, and the Fulbright is making an effort to include more artists and theatre scholars in their programs
  • Set a goal to work with your local community and Sister Cities International to create a reciprocal cultural exchange or project with your sister city
  • Purchase a copy of the World of Theatre, published by ITI Worldwide, which serves as the best reference guide available to explore the diversity of the current global dramatic scene

And, of course, the best way to celebrate 
World Theatre Day
 is to create and attend theatre!!!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Celebrating World Theatre Day Around the World

The NYC World Theatre Day Coalition celebrates with the Around-the-Globe Chain Play, but if you find yourself elswhere in the world here are ways others are celebrating

50 Years of Community Theater Seraing (Brussels) 

Centre Culturel de Seraing an "official" launch ceremony of this anniversary year. On this occasion will read the message of the World Theatre Day. http://www.centrecultureldeseraing.be



National Centre for Culture and Arts (Jordan)


The National Centre for Culture and Arts will celebrate World Theatre Day on the 26th of March at 6:00 pm. The event will be held under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and will feature artistic performances and the reading of the ITI message. www.pac.org.jo

"The new Face of the Acting Teacher" (France)


International Colloquium celebrating the World Theatre Day will feature their program "The New Face of the Acting Teacher" "Les processus de direction d'acteurs, de transmission et d'echanges" Labex Arts H2H at the Conservatoire national superieur d'art dramatique. 27th March 10 a.m to 10 p.m. Salle Louis Jouvet.



Inxusa Theater Festival and Colloquium 2014 (Bulawayo, Zimbabe)


Professor David Kerr will speak at the 3rd edition of the Inxusa Festival and Colloquieum.

http://www.panorama.co.zw/index.php/archives/117-visual-arts/698-professor-david-kerr-to-headline-2014-inxusa-theatre-festival-and-colloquium

Screening of ”The Tightrope” (Stockholm)


Screening the unique film ”the Tightrope” about the director Peter Brook, directed by his son, the filmmaker Simon Brook. Prior to the film screening, this year’s World Theatre messages will be read in Swedish by the actress Ann Petrén.  After the film, we will have a discussion with Simon Brook about the film and his father. The evening ends with a reception.







5 @ 7 of 27 led by Dominique Leduc (Montreal)


On the occasion of World Theatre Day, the Conseil québécois du théâtre invites you to attend the ceremony Sentinel Price CQT and celebrate our peers recipients of awards for excellence in theater 

during the cocktail 5 @ 7. 
* Reading Québec message written by Alexis Martin, co-artistic director of New Experimental Theatre 
      French version read by Alexis Martin 
      English version translated and read by playwright Michael Mackenzie 
* Reading the international message, written by Brett Bailey, dramatist, designer, director and South African artist 
* Celebrating the award winners received in 2013


Theater to meet the public (Montreal)


Come watch the short theatrical performances performed by students of vocational schools of theater, on March 27, 12 am - 13: 30 pm and 16 pm - 17 h 30 in different places Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme - Place des Arts in Montreal.



Making a Scene 2014 - An Ignition The Future of Theatre (Vancouver)


Reading of the World Theatre Day Message at 5pm during the Annual Conference on March 27th. Performance Works 1218 Cartwright St Vancouver,Canada


Il Pozzo Dei Desideri (Italy)

A two-part theatrical event. At BARCODE CAFE the first part is dedicated to children with the company IMPRESSIONS OF THEATRE with the show WAS MORE' THAN ONCE to follow customary cutting of the cake that will be offered to you and we will read the message written in 2014 by Brett Bailey. The second part of the evening by the company THE WELL OF WISHES with readings, sketches, improvizationa and much more, without forgetting the moment poetry and the moment where the audience who wants to can try this fantastic world.  Along with the INN OF FACTORS Murder by Death LAST NIGHT SCENES IN HEAVEN TORN company investigator who will be the most clever of the evening?