blog by arwen

The Incubator Arts Project hosts its notorious annual BBQ Benefit this Saturday July 9th. Doors open at 8pm and the entry price gets you all you can EAT & DRINK with our staff slaving away over grills & kegs to satisfy. All proceeds directly benefit the Incubator Arts Project which is presenting its second full season of original, experimental work made by local artists.

This is a special opportunity to hang out in the gardens and grounds of the landmark St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery while mixing & mingling with some of the most exciting up-and-coming performing artists anywhere in NYC. The Church & Theater are located at 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue in the East Village.

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere lately because I’ve been focused on some big life changes.

Most notably, I left NYC in April to relocate to sunny Florida. Having spent more than 15 years in the Big Apple left me exhausted and needing a break from city life. I made some wonderful friends in Central Florida a decade ago when I lived here the first time, so it made sense to return when wondering where to go next.

Never content to move across the country without going into production at EXACTLY the same time, I am thrilled to share that I am working as Assistant Visual Fringe Producer for the 20th anniversary year of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival (now officially the longest running Fringe festival in the USA!).   I’ve been affiliated with Fringe in a few different ways over the years – first as a local show Producer and presenting partner, next as the festival Grant Writer and more recently I was the Production Manager for an out of town show that toured here from NY.

This being the 20th anniversary, we have more fun & fringy stuff happening throughout Loch Haven Park than ever before. Some basic festival info in case you are in the Central Florida and can come catch the insanity:

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a 12-day-festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theatre, music, dance, art and madness to all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within The Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe festival. The mission of the Orlando Fringe is to provide an accessible, affordable outlet that draws diverse elements of the community together and inspires creative excellence through the arts.

The Fringe is held in beautiful Loch Haven Park, just north of downtown Orlando, at Princeton Street and Mills Avenue. The shows are in various theaters at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Orlando Repertory Theatre and some outdoor or ad-hoc sites; most of the venues are identified by colors May 18-30. Box-office hours on weekdays are 4 p.m.-midnight; on weekends, 10 a.m.-midnight.

Like the theatre portion of the festival, Visual Fringe is uncensored, unjuried and 100% of the money made in sales is given to the artists. The 2011 Visual Fringe will feature both emerging artists and established artists mainly from Central Florida.  It offers Fringe-goers a chance to see artwork they do not normally have access to and features artists creating their work live in the gallery. A primary goal of Visual Fringe is for patrons and artists to interact and all mediums of artwork are encouraged: painting, photography, sculpture, multi-media, installation, drawing, collage, jewelry, conceptual, abstract, figurative, pastoral, comedic, stoic, you name it.

If you live in Central Florida and have never “done the Fringe”, you should do yourself a favor and check it out before it disappears on 5/30/11.

Now that I am somewhat settled in my new home, city & state, I promise more timely updates on all things Arwen going forward. And I am still working remotely as Development Director for Incubator Arts Project, my favorite downtown NYC performance venue and will be returning to NYC periodically during the year so NY friends, do not despair. I am not gone, just farther away…

My final producing project of 2010 runs this week at CUNY’s Graduate Center – it is the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center‘s annual Prelude Festival.

PRELUDE.10: Techniques for Live Stimulation is this Wednesday 9/29 – Friday 10/1 from 3pm – 10pm each day. The Grad Center is located in Midtown Manhattan at 34th & Fifth Avenue.

Here is what it is all about:

PRELUDE.10 asks the blunt question: Why Does Live Matter?

Join us for participatory art sessions, sneak-peak excerpt presentations, live writing, and round-table chats as we investigate different techniques each day: Communication, Provocation, and Simulation. The festival also includes SPOTLIGHT: CATALONIA presented in association with The Institut Ramon Llull with support from Sala Beckett.

Our participating artists comprise a stellar array of individuals and ensembles (in my obviously biased opinion).

* on Wednesday, we explore COMMUNICATION with: The PRELUDE.10 Live Writers, Joyce Cho, Ugly Duckling Presse, Robert Quillen Camp, Hoi Polloi and Sylvan Oswald, Trajal Harrell, and The TEAM

* on Thursday, we address PROVOCATION with: HERE, Aaron Landsman, The Field‘s ERPA Artists, OurGoods.org, Jim Findlay, Julie Atlas Muz, Penny Arcade and Ishmael Houston-Jones

* on Friday, we feature SPOTLIGHT: CATALONIA and investigate SIMULATION with Joe Silovsky, Kimon Keramidas, Reid Farrington, Andrew Schneider, Reggie Watts, and a video from DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid

The festival is FREE with no reservations – strictly first come, first served. Activity sessions occur each afternoon, performances and round-table discussions follow in the evening and late night we journey to the local watering hole to continue our conversations and raise a glass together.

You can view the schedule, read about our artists or learn more about the afternoon’s activities online or by stopping by the Grad Center anytime during festival hours.

Will you join us?

Like a proud mom, I can’t stop gushing about the show I’m producing. Vision Disturbance is a new play written by Christina Masciotti, presented by the New York City Players and directed by Richard Maxwell.

Folks in the media are starting to comment now that we’ve completed our first week. There is a great profile written about Christina, our playwright. I am also happy to thank Culturebot for its love and share what is officially my first NY Times review.

Two more weeks of shows are running at Abrons Arts Center from Wed – Sat at 8pm through Sept 18. Tickets available here for $18.

In my own words, I would describe the show as “an understated and heartfelt meditation on perception & transformation”.

Other people’s words include:

“A lovely, resourceful and unexpected coup de theatre…inspired and inventive…a showcase for Ms. Masciotti’s gift for writing.”- Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“a thoroughly enjoyable evening in the theater and a reminder that, sometimes, all you need is…strong actors and good, insightful writing”- Andy Horwitz, culturebot.com

You can read more about the show here.

Seating is limited so if you plan to attend, I suggest you get tickets sooner than later. You will understand why when you see it…and that is all I will say about that.

Blog silence of late is the result of a super-hectic producing schedule. I’ve been busy working with Richard Maxwell’s New York City Players to produce a new play opening next week at the historic playhouse in Henry St. Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center.

From our press release:

A new play by Christina Masciotti, Vision Disturbance is about two people whose structured lives suddenly fall apart and who are vehemently looking to find new ground and belonging.

In Vision Disturbance, Mondo, a middle-aged Greek immigrant woman living in smalltown Pennsylvania, is going through a divorce from her traditional, Greek husband. The resulting stress detonates an eye disorder that features a loss of depth perception among other perplexing symptoms. She seeks treatment from Dr. Hull who uses an unorthodox approach involving music therapy to help her regain her eyesight.

Vision Disturbance features Linda Mancini as Mondo and Jay Smith as Dr. Hull. The set and lighting design is by Adrian W. Jones, costumes by Victoria Vazquez, and sound design by Ben Williams.

The play starts September 1st and runs through September 18, Wed-Sat, 8pm at Abrons Arts Center, located 466 Grand Street in New York City. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased by calling 212.352.3101 or at www.theatermania.com.

Vision Disturbance
Written by Christina Masciotti
Directed by Richard Maxwell
80 minutes, without intermission

Wed- Sat, September 1- 18, 2010, 8:00pm
Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, NYC
Tickets: $18 | For tickets call: 212.352.3101 or www.theatermania.com

I know Christina from my days at Fractured Atlas and I was thrilled when NYCP asked me to produce the show, which has been in development for about two years. We had a reading at New York Theatre Workshop last May, after being featured in CUNY’s 2009 Prelude Festival.

I love this play, we have an amazing cast & crew and I am so proud to be working on it. There are production elements that excite me so much I want to spill the beans about them here & now, but I won’t. To do so would ruin the experience, so you’ll just have to come down and see for yourself. We have limited seats available (hint hint) so don’t miss it!

Through a master stroke of fate, I’ve ended up as the Lead Producer for East River Commedia’s 2010 undergroundzero festival opening next week at P.S. 122.

What is undergroundzero you ask? Why, an experimental theater festival of course! More specifically…

undergroundzero festival offers a unique flying repertory of innovative performance by renowned local and international theater makers. Over twenty artists and companies from the US, Australia, Catalonia (Spain), Germany, Ireland, Italy, Romania, and Wales are participating.

The 4th Annual undergroundzero festival will run July 6-25 at Performance Space 122 (150 1st Avenue at East 9th Street). Tickets ($20) may be purchased online at www.PS122.org  or via phone at (212) 352-3101.

According to Time Out NY, we are a great deal and you can read a bit about the history & philosophy here.

playgroundzero is the Laboratory Division of the undergroundzero festival featuring a series of bold and innovative works-in-progress, followed by feedback sessions with the artists. All playgroundzero readings are downstairs at PS 122 with a $5 suggested donation. The line-up can be found here.

Not content with presenting daring new work by some of downtown’s favorite theater-makers, we are also hosting  weekly special events.

Each Tuesday (July 6, 13, & 20) from 8pm – 10pm in the Upstairs venue at PS122, commonground will introduce the festival artists and highlight our international guests.

commonground is a meta-theatrical talk show in which attendees will comprise a live studio audience for the first hour while special guests interview participating artists and cultural experts. The second hour will be an open gathering for participants, special guests, and audience-goers to mix and mingle.

And everyone knows it ain’t a festival without a dance party somewhere in the mix, so…

Each Friday, the festival presents latenightzero, a downtown dance party that welcomes everyone in the arts community and beyond to shake off the work week by getting down.

latenightzero happens every Friday (July 9, 16, & 23) from 11pm – 1am in the Upstairs venue at PS122. On Friday, July 16 latenightzero hosts the League of Independent Theater, the membership, advocacy and business league for the independent theater community in New York City.

The special events are free and open to the public with a $5 suggested donation and refreshments served.

If you find yourself in the East Village during July, be sure to check it out!

I am excited to announce two events I have coming up in the next few weeks.

First, I am moderating a discussion that is part of a salon series presented by The Performance Project at University Settlement and the Ontological-Hysteric Theater Co‘s Incubator program. These legendary downtown organizations have teamed up to host a series of salons for artists and the public, free of charge.

Scheduled for Monday, March 29, 7p.m. at University Settlement located at 184 Eldridge Street (corner of Rivington), the salon is titled:

The Long Haul – Defining and creating a sustainable career-path.

Artist participants: Alec Duffy of Hoi Polloi, Jules Gimbrone and Elliot Montague of WREST, and Sandi Carroll of MUD/BONE.

Join us to discuss how independent artists think about their careers in the long term. Hear from a variety of participants how they sustain themselves during the feast & famine cycles affecting not only income, but also creative inspiration. Does thinking about the long term matter? Is it better to only worry about the next 12 months? What are some of the benefits of planning ahead and making strategic investments for your future and how does one go about it? Is goal setting important or does it restrict flexibility and opportunity? Artist participants will share thoughts, tips and tactics about how they have managed to survive and thrive over the course of their career so far and how they plan to continue it in future years.

Second, I am teaching another new workshop at The Field – this time on individual appeal letters. If you have ever wondered about or wanted to improve your skills in the area of soliciting donations via the written word, this workshop is for you. If interested, you can sign up here.

Individual Giving Letters – April 10, Saturday, 11am-1:30pm

Appeal letters are the primary tool artists use to raise funds for their work by soliciting friends, family, and audience members to donate money, goods and services. This workshop focuses on writing effective individual appeals and their integral position within the spectrum of fund raising efforts. Participants are encouraged to bring in past letters for discussion and attendees will work on crafting potential letters for future use.

I’m pleased as punch to announce that I will be serving as Associate Producer for Tisch School of the Arts‘ 2010 hotINK International Play Reading Festival. The festival runs during the last two weekends of January on 1/23 – 1/25, and 1/30, 1/31.

A completely FREE festival of plays from around the globe, this year features playwrights hailing from Uganda, Ireland, Canada, Russia, France, Romania, Finland, Austria and Japan.

Now in its ninth year, hotINK is an annual, international festival of play readings, presented by the Department of Drama, that brings together playwrights from around the world with distinguished actors and directors from the New York theatre, as well as students, alumni and faculty from the Tisch School of the Arts.

The many distinguished U.S. playwrights, directors and actors who have taken part in hotINK include Bill Camp, Kathleen Chalfant, Migdalia Cruz, Liz Diamond, Kathryn Erbe, John Gallagher, Jr., Joe Grifasi, Kathryn Grody, Rinne Groff, Stephanie Roth Haberle, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jessica Hecht, Marin Ireland, Len Jenkin, Francis Jue, Arthur Kopit, Michael Laurence, Paul Lazar, Robert Lyons, Joan MacIntosh, Heather McDonald, Steve Mellor, Itamar Moses, Victor Pappas, Keith Reddin, Henry Stram, Caridad Svich, Mac Wellman, B.D. Wong, Frank Woods and Janet Zarish.

As an alumni of Undergrad Drama, I am thrilled to be working again with some of my favorite people on staff at 721 Broadway. Full details for the festival can be found here. Tickets will be available after January 4th through Smarttix and more information will be forthcoming after the New Year.

A gigantic, free theater orgy in Union Square is happening this Thursday Oct 15th from noon – 6pm as part of TCG’s Free Night of Theater program. Information on all the Free Night NYC events can be found here.

For those of you outside NYC, don’t fret – you can probably get your theater freak on as well – just visit the main Free Night website to see if your city has joined the party.

There are over 120 sites and over 600 theaters participating and it’s all FREE, so you have no excuse not to get your butt out to the theater on Thursday night!

I’ve been sick with a terrible flu for the past week. Now that I am finally better, I am excited to have a reason to be out and about all day Thurday. I will be in Union Square for most of the day – if you see me, please say hello!

I am thrilled to announce that I am working in collaboration with this year’s Prelude Festival, presented by The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center (MESTC), The Graduate Center, CUNY. Now in its 6th year, this annual festival previews work-in-progress by some of NYC’s most exciting artists and features symposium and artist talk-back sessions daily.

It is FREE and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis and only lasts four days: Sept 30 – Oct 3.

I am moderating a panel discussion on the subject of citizenship and serving as Associate Producer. I will post again with more details as the festival approaches, but for now I encourage you to follow the festival on Twitter: @preludenyc and become a fan on Facebook.