Monday, January 10, 2011

Gentrifusion opens Jan 27


Award winning playwrights expose the truth behind the gentrification of New York

RED FERN THEATRE COMPANY
Proudly Presents the World Premiere of

GENTRIFUSION
photo by Dennis W. Ho

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT

JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 13, 2011

THE LABA THEATRE AT THE 14TH STREET Y


OPENING NIGHT IS SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 AT 8 P.M.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT REDFERNTHEATRE.ORG

RED FERN THEATRE COMPANY, Artistic Director, Melanie Moyer Williams, and Artistic Producers, Andrea Day and Kel Haney, are pleased to announce the world premiere production of GENTRIFUSION a series of short plays searching for the truth behind the gentrification of New York. GENTRIFUSION performs in a three-week limited engagement at the LABA Theatre at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street between First and Second Avenues). As per the mission of Red Fern Theatre Company, that each production is paired with a philanthropy whose work relates to the social themes of the play, GENTRIFUSION partnership will be announced. Performances begin Thursday, January 27 and continue through Sunday, February 13. Opening Night is Saturday, January 29 (8 p.m.).

PRESS PERFORMANCES: Friday, January 28 & Saturday January 29 (Press will be accommodated at all future performances.)

In GENTRIFUSION, playwrights Carla Ching, Joshua Conkel, Michael John Garcés, Jon Kern, Janine Nabers and Crystal Skillman, explore the different truths surrounding the gentrification of New York’s neighborhoods. The playwrights were charged with breaking down the cliched idea of "gentrification".  Their pieces dig deeper to address the ways that change both improves and diminishes a community.  All residents are given voice in this series, ultimately discovering that both long time residents and the new crop of gentrifiers benefit and suffer in different measures and different ways.

Directors include John Giameptro, Colette Robert, and Moritz von Stuelpnagel

The production features scenic and costume design by Katherine Akiko Day and lighting design by Marie Yokoyama. Michal V. Mendelson is the production stage manager and and projections have been created by photojournalist and documentary filmmaker, Dennis Ho (http://dwho.com/images.html).

GENTRIFUSION plays the following schedule through Sunday, February 13:

Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Sundays at 3 p.m.  (Super Bowl Sunday, February 6 at 2pm)

            Additional performance on Monday, February 7 at 7pm.

Tickets are $25 and are now available online at www.theatermania.com or by calling 866.811.4111. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater box office ½ hour prior to the performance.

Running Time: 120 minutes (with intermission)


Location:                                 LABA Theatre at the 14th Street Y
                                                344 East 14th Street between First and Second Avenues
                                                4/5/6/N/R/Q to Union Square; L to First Avenue

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Our 2010-2011 Season is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

The Dramatist Guild Fund, The Josephine Foundation, and The Puffin Foundation, Ltd, have also made generous grants to make the 2010-2011 Season possible.

BIOGRAPHIES
 
THE RED FERN THEATRE COMPANY (RFTC), founded in March 2006, strives to provoke social awareness and change through its theatrical productions and outreach.  Each play produced by the Red Fern Theatre Company addresses social issues that range in scope from local to global.  Each production is paired with a philanthropy whose work relates to the social themes of the play.  We educate our audience on the philanthropy’s mission, and a portion of the ticket sales from each play produced is donated to the designated philanthropy. By forming this association, RFTC is able to respond directly to the people affected by the issues addressed in the play.  To date, Red Fern has produced the revivals of ten plays, one New York premiere, and the World premiere of a commissioned collection of short plays.  The RFTC is a 501(c)(3) organization.  All donations are tax exempt to the fullest extent of the law.  Please visit us at www.redferntheatre.org.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

"Too Much Light" returns Jan 7 to the Kraine-


"A surreal exercise in channel-surfing"-Time Out New York

“An entertaining forum for discussing the issues”-the New Yorker

"Like the glory days of Saturday Night Live,
Too Much Light is not just funny but faintly surreal."
-Backstage

2010 NY Innovative Theatre Caffe Cino Fellowship Award Winners

Recipients of The 2009 NY Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Ensemble

Best Performance Artists in New York -2009 Village Voice Reader's Poll

 photo by Anton Nickel

TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND RETURNS JAN 7
& LAIKA DOG IN SPACE
HEADS TO CHICAGO FEB 5 –MAR 12

After a sold-out two weeks of Best Of 2010, the NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are back in 2011 with their ongoing, award-winning show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind beginning Friday, January 7th at the Kraine Theater (85 East 4th St). Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30pm.

Join Roberta Colindrez, Cara Francis, Ryan Good, Alicia Harding, Christopher Loar and Dan McCoy as they launch the New York Neo-Futurists sixth year of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, an ever-changing, lightening-paced attempt to perform 30 Plays in 60 Minutes.

Members of the 2011 New York Neo-Futurists ensemble are Jill Beckman, Christopher Borg, Alicia Chaisson, Roberta Colindrez, Jeffrey Cranor, Cara Francis, Ryan Good, Eevin Hartsough, Nicole Hill, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Erica Livingston, Christopher Loar, Dan McCoy, Rob Neill, Joey Rizzolo, Lauren Sharpe and Adam Smith.

Tickets are $11.00 plus the roll of a six-sided die ($12-$16) at the door. Advance tickets are $17.00 and can be purchased online at www.nyneofuturists.org, or by calling 212-352-3101.

The New York Neo-Futurists are also headed to Chicago with their 2009 acclaimed prime-time show Laika Dog in Space, created by Rob Neill, Eevin Hartsough  & Jill Beckman, under the direction of Phil Ridarelli, with music by Carl Riehl. Performances begin Friday, February 3rd and continue through March 12th, 2011 at The Neo-Futurarium (5153 N. Ashland, Chicago).

Drawing inspiration from the famed French children's story "The Little Prince," and the 1960's cult television show "The Prisoner", the New York Neo-Futurists interpreted the story of Laika, the first mammal in space, for the Ontological-Hysteric Incubator in 2009.  Now they are bringing their take on Laika's experience to the Neo-mothership.  Puppetry, dance, art installations, live music, and a serving of borscht shuttle audience members back to the mid-50's Soviet space program.  The local production fuses Chicago elements to the NY original through musicians, direction and appearances by Chicago Neos. 

Performances for Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind in New York City will continue during the run of Laika Dog in Space.

For more information visit www.neofuturists.org


THE NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are an ensemble of dynamic writer/performer/directors who present the critically acclaimed, energetic show of original short plays, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind--a non-illusory collage of the comic and tragic, the political and personal, the visceral and experimental, while embracing chance, change, and chaos.  Developing out of the format that has been a success in Chicago since 1988, the New York Neo-Futurists have roots in NYC from the mid 90’s.  Since opening TML in New York, they have created over 2000 plays and continue to present new and vital work every weekend in the East Village. For more info: www.nynf.org