Archives: Shows

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CRYSTAL FIELD

PRESENTS

I JUST WANT TO TELL SOMEBODY

Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave (at E. 10^th Street)
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 3:00 PM
$18 gen. Adm., $15 seniors & students
Box office:  www.theaterforthenewcity.net, 212-254-1109
Photos are available at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVd2P8Ki8kqj9SmV8
Press Release: Smokey_Stevens_PR3
Critics are invited on or after January 7.

Times Square Chronicles: Ashton And Me by Ronald “Smokey” Stevens

I Just Want To Tell Somebody has been extended through February 6. Additional show Wednesday February 2

Video On Demand tickets are $10.

NEW YORK, December 1 — Smokey Stevens (https://www.smokeystevens.com), one of Broadway’s great musical comedy performers, has adapted his autobiographical novel, “I Just Want to Tell Somebody: The Autobiography of Ronald Smokey Stevens,” into a one-man, two character theater production.  The play dramatizes Stevens’ lifelong battle with drugs in which he, at long last, prevailed. “Smokey” plays both himself and his nemesis, a sarcastic doppelganger called “D MAN.” The play ushers us through modern moments of theater history that were Smokey’s triumphs and the journey through drug usage that was nearly his undoing.  Theater for the New City will present the New York premiere of the work January 6 to 23, 2022, directed by Stephen Byrd.

Mr. Stevens earned a place on Broadway thanks to raw talent and his wits, becoming a featured ensemble member of such productions as “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” “Inacent Black,” “Dreamgirls,” his own musical, “Rollin’ on the T.O.B.A.,” and tours of “One Mo’ Time” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” His films include “The Wiz” (as one of the Crows performing with Michael Jackson), “The Cotton Club” and “Times Square.” He danced with such greats as tap master Charles “Honi” Coles, Lucille Ball, Cab Calloway and Gregory Hines, to name a few.  He’s now Artistic Director of Capital City Readers Theatre in Washington, DC, recipient of The @NAACP 11th Annual Theater Arts Award, and a documentary filmmaker.

COVID Protocol and Etiquette:
As of August 17 2021, people 12 and older are required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO.
Children ages 5 to 11 are now required to have proof of vaccination. They must show they have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Starting January 29, 2022, children ages 5 to 11 must also show proof of full vaccination.

Proof of vaccination may include the NYC Vaccination Record, CDC Vaccination Card (or photo), Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe App.

All patrons must be vaccinated in order to see shows. Please provide proof before purchasing and picking up tickets.
Face masks must be worn throughout the building and for entry into the theater.

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CRYSTAL FIELD

PRESENTS

THE SLAVE WHO LOVED CAVIAR

The theater will be open if you want to see the show in person.

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:00 PM; Sundays at 3:00 PM
(Yes, there will be performances Xmas Eve & Day and New Year’s Eve & Day.)
Runs 2 hours including intermission.
Tickets $15.00

If you decide not to attend in person, all performances will be Live Stream for only $10. Live Stream means the show will be performed in real time, the same time as the performance in person.

“The Slave Who Loved Caviar” offers a hefty corrective ….to the way(s) that Basquiat has been and continues to be (re)presented.”
— John R. Ziegler and Leah Richards www.thinkingtheaternyc.com

“–a complex social history of art creation versus commodity marketing, racial identity and economic advantage, personal integrity and the lure of fame and fashion, encompassing the existential paradoxes of the outsider. Ishmael Reed’s play is structured like a case study, combining forensic investigation with a parallel satire in the style of a noir vampire play.””
–“Beate Hein Bennett in nytheatre-wire.com

“This is more than a play….. It’s an artistic, historic expose of Warhol and his ruthless, cannibalistic culture vultures. I learned things I never knew.” — Felipe Luciano, WBAI 99.5 FM

NEW YORK, November 20 — Playwright Ishmael Reed uses satire to explore aspects of American culture and history overlooked by others. His newest play, “The Slave Who Loved Caviar” is a theatrical investigation into the relationship between Jean-Michel Basquiat and the art world. It challenges the widespread notion that Basquiat was merely Andy Warhol’s “mascot.” Theater for the New City will present its world premiere December 23, 2021 to January 9, 2022, directed by Reed’s frequent collaborator, Carla Blank.

Basquiat’s legacy has been intricately entwined with Warhol’s since their collaborations in the mid-1980s. At that time, Warhol was an arts world insider and “elder statesman.” Basquiat was an edgy talent rising from the graffiti scene. They collaborated intensely in 1984 and 1985, with Warhol assuming an almost parental role in Basquiat’s life. Basquiat’s father was born in Haiti; his mother was born in Brooklyn to parents of Puerto Rican descent. Jean-Michel became a graffiti artist, pop icon, musician and neo-expressionist painter. He unified street art with painting, bridging modes that were historically considered high and low art. Warhol’s studio assistant, Ronny Cutrone, remembered, “It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was symbiotic. Jean-Michel thought he needed Andy’s fame, and Andy thought he needed Jean-Michel’s new blood. Jean-Michel gave Andy a rebellious image again.”

 Ishmael Reed is author of twelve novels, nine collections of  essays, fifteen anthologies of criticism and ten plays of  which this is the latest. The New Yorker has labeled him “America’s most fearless satirist” and his exposés often attract bitter criticism.  A firestorm of comments, often  ferocious, appeared in The New York Times and Broadway World in response to his “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda” (Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 2019), which deconstructed the Broadway play’s abolitionist portrayal of the founding father with incisive, impeccably-researched satire.  The play portrayed a naive, defensive Miranda awakening to the sins of the Founding Fathers.  Writing in The New York Times, Elizabeth Vincentelli characterized it as “classic activist theater” and “a cross between ‘A Christmas Carol’ and a trial at The Hague’s International Criminal Court.”  Reed’s eighth play, “Life Among the Aryans” (Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 2018), envisioned a future when the downtrodden denizens of the Alt Right realize they’d be better off if they were Black.  His latest anthology, “Bigotry on Broadway,” co-edited with Carla Blank, was published this fall by Baraka Books.  His best-known novel, “Mumbo Jumbo” (1972), was cited by Harold Bloom as one of the 500 great books in the Western Canon.  His newest poetry collection, “Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues: Poems 2007-2020,” was released from Dalkey Archive Press in November 2020.  He is also a publisher, songwriter, cartoonist, public media commentator, lecturer, teacher, and founder of the Before Columbus Foundation and PEN Oakland, non-profit organizations run by writers for writers.

Carla Blank is a director, dramaturge, writer and editor. After debuting as a dancer and choreographer as part of the Judson Dance Theater Workshop performances in the 1960s, she devoted a portion of her life to working with youth to aged adults in community arts projects.  The performance arts handbook, “Live On Stage!,” that evolved out of this work was adopted in school districts throughout the US and Canada. From 2003-2012 she directed productions of Wajahat Ali’s “The Domestic Crusaders.” A collaboration with director Robert Wilson, “KOOL- Dancing in my Mind,” an homage for Japanese choreographer Suzushi Hanayagi, premiered at NYC’s Guggenheim Museum in April 2009. She directed “News from Fukushima,” a multimedia performance work by Yuri Kageyama, at La MaMa in 2015 and Z Space in San Francisco in 2017. A documentary film of the 2017 performance is receiving international acclaim. She directed Ishmael Reed’s “Mother Hubbard” in Xiangtan, China in 2016.
Rome Neal, Director of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, is Production Coordinator

Starring:
Jennifer Blue ———————— Kenya Wilson
Baron De Whit ——————— Raul Diaz
Agent Antonio Wolfe ————- Jesse Bueno
Detective Mary Van Helsing —- Roz Fox
Forensic Expert I (Grace) ——- Laura Robards / Kenya Wilson
Forensic Expert II (Raksha) —- Monisha Shiva
Jack Brooks ————————- Robert Turner
Young Blood ———————— Brian Simmons
Richard Pryor of the Dream – Maurice Carlton (Voiceover); Kenya Wilson (Shadow Dancer)

Director —————————— Carla Blank
Production Coordinator ——— Rome Neal
Stage Manager ———————- Michael Durgavich
Assistant Stage Manager ——— Juan Carlos Augustin
Set Design ————————– Mark Marcante
Assistant Set Design ————- Lytza Colón
Light and Sound Design ——– Alexander Bartenieff
Costume Design —————— Diana Adelman
Projection Design —————- Miles Shebar
Light/Sound Board Operator — Brian Park

 

COVID Protocol and Etiquette:
As of August 17 2021, people 12 and older are required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO.
Children ages 5 to 11 are now required to have proof of vaccination. They must show they have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Starting January 29, 2022, children ages 5 to 11 must also show proof of full vaccination.

Proof of vaccination may include the NYC Vaccination Record, CDC Vaccination Card (or photo), Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe App.

All patrons must be vaccinated in order to see shows. Please provide proof before purchasing and picking up tickets.
Face masks must be worn throughout the building and for entry into the theater.

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CRYSTAL FIELD

PRESENTS

TREE LIGHTING AT TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK

Come join us for caroling of Olde New York!

Refreshments from Veselka Restaurant.

TNC’s NEW CITY, NEW BLOOD READINGS SERIES

Theater for the New City

Executive Artistic Director, Crystal Field

Presents

FLAWLESS

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CRYSTAL FIELD

PRESENTS

WORLD PREMIERE OF

THE DARK OUTSIDE

BY BERNARD KOPS

November 6 to 28, 2021

Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. (at E. 10^th Street)

Previews November 6 and 7, Opens Wednesday November 10.
Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 3:00 PM.
No shows Wednesday November 24 and Thursday November 25 Thanksgiving

Tickets $18 general admission. $15 Students & Seniors

Box Office: www.theaterforthenewcity.net, (212) 254-1109

Show’s website: https://www.thedarkoutsidenyc.com

Author’s agent: Katie Langridge at Knight Hall Agency Ltd. (London)

Runs 1:30.  Critics are invited on or after November 10.

In “The Dark Outside” by Bernard Kops, a birthday celebration for a one-armed East London tailor, who is in a life crisis, brings home his three grown children.  All are facing traumatic changes.  It falls to his wife–the family matriarch and unfailing strength–to hold the clan together.  Songs and poetic outbursts are inspired because plain speech is insufficient for the family’s powerful feelings.  This piece is the latest work for the stage by one of England’s greatest contemporary playwrights and is thematically similar to his most recent works of poetry.  Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will present its world premiere November 6 to 28, starring Austin Pendleton as the tailor and New York actress Katharine Cullison, for whom the part was written, as his wife.  Jack Serio directs.

Bernard Kops is an English playwright, novelist, and poet born on November 28, 1926, in London, England, known for his works of unabashed sentimentality.
Kops left school at the age of 13 and worked at various odd jobs before beginning to write. He established himself with his first play, The Hamlet of Stepney Green (1959), a reversal of the family relationships depicted in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, ending happily in an affirmation of the human spirit. Among his other plays were The Dream of Peter Mann (1960), an apocalyptic drama in which much of the action occurs as a dream, and Playing Sinatra (1991), which centers on a brother and sister obsessed with the legendary performer. Kops’s early life of poverty and his Jewish background informs much of his work, including Enter Solly Gold (1961), in which a con artist convinces a Jewish millionaire that he is the Messiah in order to steal his money, the surrealistic drama Ezra (produced 1981), based on the personality of the American poet Ezra Pound, and Dreams of Anne Frank (1998).
Kops’s novels included Awake for Mourning (1958), The Dissent of Dominick Shapiro (1966), and The Odyssey of Samuel Glass (2012). He also wrote the autobiographies The World Is a Wedding (1963) and Shalom Bomb (2000) as well as several radio and television plays. Barricades in West Hampstead (1988) and Love, Death, and Other Joys (2018) were among Kops’s many collections of poetry.

Katharine Cullison (Helen) received her BA in Theatre at Grinnell College and studied classical American realism at HB Studios with Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof, Anne Jackson, and Austin Pendleton. In London, she trained with the late Doreen Cannon, former head of acting at RADA.  Credits include Sandra in “Playing Sinatra” by Bernard Kops opposite Austin Pendleton (Theater for the New City), “Dirty Linen” directed by Edward de Souza (Arts Theater, West End), “Rogues and Vagabonds” (JW3, London), “Rumcake” (Trilogy Theater, Off Broadway); “Ways and Means” (Spectrum Stage), and numerous productions at HB Playwrights Foundation.  Ms. Cullison also gave voice to the Federal Theatre Project’s “Hallie Flannigan” (opposite Tim Robbins and Simon Callow) on Art for the Millions for BBC Radio 4.  In 2011, she served as a judge for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and in 2018 was a guest artist at Grinnell College.  She played Helen in the reading of “The Dark Outside” at London’s National Portrait Gallery.

Austin Pendleton (Paul) is an actor, a director, a playwright and a teacher of acting at HB Studio in New York, where he studied with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof.  His most recent New York appearance as an actor has been in “The Minutes” by Tracy Letts, which will reappear this spring.  His first Broadway appearance was as Motel in the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof; his first off-Broadway appearance was in “Oh Dad, Poor Dad…” by Arthur Kopit.  Both of these were directed by Jerome Robbins.  He is a member of the Ensemble in Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater.  He has appeared in several hundred movies and on TV in such shows as “Homicide,” “Oz” and “Law and Order.”   He has directed Tony-nominated shows on Broadway (“Spoils of War,” “The Little Foxes”) and directed extensively at other theaters, notably the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where he apprenticed and got his start under the guidance of its Artistic Director, Nikos Psacharopoulos.  His plays are “Booth,” “Uncle Bob” and “Orson’s Shadow,” each of which has been published and produced extensively.

Ben is played by Jesse McCormick.
Sophie is played by Brenna Donahue.
Penny is played by Kathleen Simmonds.

Director Jack Serio most recently directed Misha Brooks in “solo happy & grateful” at Ars Nova. Born and raised in Boston, he was the founding Artistic Director of The Boston Teen Acting Troupe, a nationally recognized professional teen theatre company.  As an assistant director, he has worked under Austin Pendleton, Alex Timbers, Lee Sunday Evans, Jason Eagan, Knud Adams, Rory McGregor, Gabriel Barre and DJ Mendel.  He was an assistant in Tom Kirdahy Productions for the Broadway productions of “It’s Only A Play” and “The Visit” by Terrence McNally.  He is an artistic consultant to actor/comedian Aasif Mandvi and occasionally writes for HowlRound. He earned a BFA at NYU and is a member of the 2019 Lincoln Center Directors Lab and the 2019-2021 SDC Foundation Observership Class.

Scenic Designer is Walt Spangler.
Lighting Designer is Keith Parham.
Sound Designer/Composer is Nick T. Moore
Costume Designer is Ricky Reynoso.
Props Manager is Kathryn (China) Hayzer.
Stage Manager is Helen Thornton.
Production Coordinator / Assistant Stage Manager is Paulina Tobar.

COVID Protocol and Etiquette:
As of August 17 2021, people 12 and older are required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO.
Proof of vaccination may include the NYC Vaccination Record, CDC Vaccination Card (or photo), Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe App.

All patrons must be vaccinated in order to see shows. Please provide proof before purchasing tickets.
Everyone must wear a face mask for entry into the theater or when moving around.

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CRYSTAL FIELD

PRESENTS

BREAD AND PUPPET

The Persians & Our Domestic Resurrection Circus

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY’S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL MOVES OUTSIDE OCTOBER 31

NEW YORK, September 24 — Theater for the New City (TNC) has presented its Village Halloween Costume Ball annually since 1976. With safety paramount this year, the fete will take place October 31 as an open-air celebration outside the theater, on East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues.  A large tent will provide rain protection.  Performances, a costume competition and dancing to the music of swing and Latin bands are planned.  Events are scheduled from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Admission is free but donations will be gratefully accepted.  No reservations are necessary.  The entire public is invited.

LISTEN TO THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY’S HALLOWEEN PROMO

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

2:00 PM
A sizzling hour of entertainment begins with Cobu, the all-female Japanese Taiko drumming and dance troupe led by Yako Miyamoto with Ayaha Otsuka, Mayu Yamashita, Micro Fukuyama and Kana Matsui.  Also: musical selections from this summer’s TNC Street Theater; Belly Dance with Carol Tendava; Yip Harburg Rainbow Troupe; Elizabeth Ruf; Glitter Kitty; Justine J. Hall; Reverend Billy; Wycherly Sisters.  A table of face-painting will be provided to keep the children happy. Trick-or-treaters will receive wrapped candy.

3:00 PM
Dancing in the street with Art Lillard’s Heavenly Big Band, a 17 piece swing orchestra.

4:30 PM
Costume judging and prizes with the “Monsters and Miracles Costume Parade.” All costumed attendees are invited to march past a panel of celebrity judges.  Winners will receive one-year passes to TNC and a bottle of Moet Chandon champagne. Attendees will be judged in such categories as “Most Booster-Shot,” “Most Stimulus Packaged,” “Most Flood Controlled,” “Most Welcoming,” “Most Ozoned,” “Most Demilitarized,” “Most Solar,” “Most Herd Immunity” and “Most Economical.”  Emceed by T. Scott Lilly.

5:30 PM
Dancing with Mr. Pablo’s Latin Dance Band.

7:15 PM
“The Red and Black Masque,” an annual Medieval ritual show written by Arthur Sainer, scored by David Tice and directed by Crystal Field which is performed by torchlight.  The audience will be invited to participate.

7:30 – 10:30 PM
Chop Shop Theater– a succession of free, live, 10-minute performances staged in the theater’s set shop for audiences outside who watch through an open garage door on East Tenth Street.  The theater’s set shop is outfitted with an elaborate set by Mark Marcante and Lytza Colon, full stage lighting by Alexander Bartenieff and a four-mic sound system.  This attraction was invented last year for TNC’s Halloween celebration and played 23 weekly installments throughout the winter.  The growing list of performers includes Cobu, Peter Dizozza, Vinie Burrows, Lei Zhou, Ben Harburg, Bina Sharif, Inma Heredia, Ian Gordon, Katherine Adamenko, F Murray Abraham*, David Lewis, Lissa Moira, Carol Tandava, Zero Boy, Danielle Aziza.

10:15 PM
The Tell-Tale Heart: A Film by Danny Ashkenazi

REFRESHMENTS
From 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM, attendees can enjoy libations of beer, wine, cider and water (with or without chips) from an inside bar that will be selling through doors on East Tenth Street to the sidewalk, where a section will be roped off with chairs for revelers’ seating.

Neighborhood bars and restaurants are devising new original drinks–$3 to $5 TNC Halloween Specials–for patrons who can show a TNC Halloween Program.  TNC’s neighbors are always in the mix!

NEIGHBORHOOD GIVEAWAYS
Neighbors will display objects to be given away free, including children’s toys, baby clothes and household items.  Donations optional. TNC will have its own giveaway table.  Donations are always appreciated.

COME SEE AND BE SEEN AND CELEBRATE THE DAY OF DAYS AND NIGHTS OF NIGHTS!

TNC’s NEW CITY, NEW BLOOD READINGS SERIES

Theater for the New City

Crystal Field, Executive Director presents

Executive Artistic Director, Crystal Field

Presents

LIGHTEN UP, NYC!: A STAGED READING

As part of the City Arts Corps Awards Program

155 1^st Avenue, New York, NY 10003

A staged reading of four ten-minute plays from the production of Lighten Up, NYC! by Peter Zachari will be held at Theater for the New City on Monday, September 27, 2021 at 2pm. Free admission.

The cast includes Daniel Krstyen, Amanda Nicholas, Patrick Reidy and Jillian Vitko.

Have we all forgotten how to lighten up? Are we all so wound up that even the possibility of loosening up makes us uncomfortable? Peter Zachari explores this theme with four comedic and exploratory pieces:

Cellular Fun finds lascivious Max and frigid Susan on a crowded MTA bus.

My Father, My Friend discovers Celeste desperately trying to confess her sins after her bachelorette party to a priest who is having none of it.

Can You Please Passive the Aggression presents two New Yorkers dining at a restaurant who find fault with everything.

Coming In explores a family whose child must summon the courage to reveal a hidden secret about themselves.

This program is made possible by the New York City Artist Corps. Members of the public can participate in City Artist Corps Grants programming by following the hashtag #CityArtistCorps and @NYCulture on social media. 

COVID Protocol and Etiquette: 
As of August 17 2021, people 12 and older are required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO.

Proof of vaccination may include the NYC Vaccination Record, CDC Vaccination Card (or photo), Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe App.

All patrons must be vaccinated in order to see shows. Please provide proof before purchasing tickets.

Everyone must wear a face mask for entry into the theater or when moving around.