We ARE the People

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October/ November  2008

 

CONTACT

Herb Donaldson
212-957-8358
bleerby@hotmail.com

herb@royariasstudios.com

 

PRODUCER ROY ARIAS STUDIOS and THEATERS present

 

We ARE the People’

 

Political, Social, Global Reading Series 2008

 

300 WEST 43RD STREET

5TH FLOOR

NEW YORK, NY 10036

Btwn 8TH & 9TH AVENUES 

 

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

 

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New York, NY:  Producer Roy Arias Studios & Theaters present: 

 

We ARE the People Reading Series 2008

 

WHERE:

Roy Arias Studios & Theaters

300 West 43rd Street – 5th Floor

New York, NY 10036

Between 8th & 9th Avenues. 

 

The event is FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC

 

DONATIONS kindly ACCEPTED

 

 

WHAT:

Producer Roy Arias Studios & Theaters along with Artistic Director, Herb Donaldson (Palaver Tree Theater), present work from local and national artists that speak to the current political, social, and global issues that surround the upcoming Presidential Election. 

 

Guest WRITERS:

Dominic Taylor

Evan Guilford-Blake

Owa

Stephen Baily

Ann G. Bauer

David Beckett

Lew Riley

and Joe Thristino

 

Guest DIRECTORS:

James R. Jaworski

Antoinette Broderick

Kim Weston-Moran

Passion

Hondo

and Stacy Waring  

 

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We ARE the People:
POLITICAL, SOCIAL, GLOBAL READING SERIES 2008

 

SCHEDULE:

 

Friday / Oct. 31  

Begins at 6pm -

*****STAY and ENJOY OUR HALLOWEEN BASH AFTER THE SHOW****

 

Saturday/ Nov. 1   

Begins at 3pm

 

FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC

 

DONATIONS ENCOURAGED 

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

 

ACT ONE

 

Beginning at 6pm -

 

AFTERPARTY: ***HALLOWEEN BASH after the show @ MARIE'S CRISIS (The Village)**

 

FURDAY

By Owa

A monologue play

A US Navy Seal tells how he sacrificed for his country by giving and giving…

 

M.A.D.: Mutually Assured Destruction

By Owa

A short play on the absurdity of human conflict for a theater of the bizarre

A Jihadist and a Marine have a meeting of the minds as muscle heads.

 

FOR YOU, JULIUS

By Stephen Baily

Directed by Kim Weston-Moran

A legendary capitalist wonders if the gift of a million dollars will make a difference in the lives of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on the eve of their arrest by the FBI. 

 

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

By Owa

Directed by: Hondo

A short play on the longest day

 

An alleged Enemy Combatant’s ordeal in detention and denial.

   

RELEASE NOTE

By Joe Thristino

Directed by James Jaworsky

We all have a choice. For better or worse.

 

SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER 1ST

 

ACT TWO

 

 3PM -

RIGHTS TO ACT

By Dominic Taylor

Directed by Kim Weston-Moran

Eleanor Butler has returned to her home after spending ten years incarcerated. As a free woman, she must cope with her friends, her parole officer, her son’s father, and most importantly her fifteen-year-old son Rasuol. He was five years old when Eleanor entered the penitentiary, and he is attempting to readjust to his mother, as he now becomes a young man. Eleanor is trying to get back on her feet, but the world has changed drastically since she has been inside.  What exactly will Eleanor do in order to cope? 

 

8pm

WOMEN AT WAR

By Evan Guilford-Blake

Directed by Antionette Broderick

Winner: 2006 Georigia Theater Conference One-Act Competition (Part 1: The Invasion)

 

Two thematically complementary one-act plays that deal with the nature of war, women's various roles in it – as soldiers, spouses and lovers, mothers, sisters and victims – and the effects of it on them. 

 

8:50pm

ON THE WAY TO O’NEILL’s: JFK in Ireland

By Ann G. Bauer and David Beckett

What if President Kennedy alone survived the Dallas assassination attempt, and Jackie didn’t?

 

It is 1999, and JFK returns to Ireland to mourn the loss of his son.  An encounter with an Irish reporter (whose voice resembles Jackie’s) plunges him into a life-changing confrontation with un-exorcised demons from his past.  In addition, the ghosts of the Cold War return to threaten international peace.  This prize-winning work explores the question – What happens when history is re-written, and the legend returns?

 

WRITERS

 

DOMINIC TAYLOR:

(TBA)

 

EVAN GUILFORD-BLAKE:

Evan Guilford-Blake is the author of about 30 produced plays which have received more than 100 productions across the U.S., in Canada, Australia, England and Israel. He has won 26 playwriting competitions (among them, Ireland's Eamon Keane Award for An Uncommon Language; the Jackie White Memorial and the Aurand Harris/New England Theatre Conference for Telling William Tell, a play for young audiences; the Texas Nonprofit Theatres and Saints and Sinners competitions for Nighthawks; and the Utah PlayFest for Ceremonies of Prayer). He has also won numerous awards for his short fiction, and his poetry and children's material. Playscripts, Inc., publishes his plays The Firebird and True Magic, Nighthawks is available in a trade edition from neoNuma Arts, The Sound Called Music online at Scene4.com, and What is Gained is Loss is forthcoming as an e-book from Červená Barva Press. He also has short stories in holiday anthologies from Adams Media and HCI Publications. He is Resident Playwright emeritus as Chicago Dramatists and a member of the Dramatists Guild.  Evan has served as an Instructor and Playwright-in-Residence at Utah State University and a responder and presenter for the American College Theatre Festival. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Advisory Board of Chicago Dramatists, and creator of the course "The Business of Playwriting: Developing and Marketing Your Play Without an Agent," which he has presented across the U.S. In 2008, he was selected for the Georgia Writers Registry and named to Southern Artistry.  He and his wife, freelance writer and jewelry designer Roxanna Guilford-Blake, live in the Atlanta area with their two lovable, dumb-as-dirt doves, Quill and Gabriella.

  

OWA:

Owa’s introduction to black theater was through a fortuitous mid 1960’s meeting with the playwright OyamO.  Since serving time in early 70’s (for check frauds and bail jumping as a result of a virulent addiction to speedball injections) and becoming politicized at Sing-Sing “Correctional Facility,” Owa has since been a C.E.T.A. Community Projects Artist with Theater for the Forgotten (TFTF). A member of Joseph Papp's, NY Public Theater Playwrights Workshop directed by Ed Bullins, James Baldwin Theater Workshop directed by Dr. Henry Miller, the Negro Ensemble, NEC Playwrights Unit directed by Steve Carter and the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop (FSWW) directed by Garland Lee Thompson; He studied acting with NY Street Theater’s Marketta Kimbral; his play Bloodrite was a selection at the 1978 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference with Lloyd Richards artistic director, featuring Michele Shay, Howard Rollins, John Seitz and directed by Oz Scott. He was the FSWW first Rockefeller Writer-in-Resident.  And is one of the featured writers in Center Stage: (An Anthology of New Black Playwrights) edited by Eileen Ostrow, published by University of Illinois Press.  Laurence Tocci, PHD has included Owa’s experiences in his dissertation, THE PROCENIUM CAGE (Comparative case studies in US Prison Theater Programs) TUFTS University (2006 unpublished). He also has collected works with Frank Silvera Writers Workshop and Negro Ensemble Company in the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Black Research in Harlem, NY (across the street from Harlem Hospital where he was born); as well as the African–American Playwrights Exchange Archive at the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theater Research Institute at Ohio University.  He is currently a member of The Workshop Theater Company, Writers Group and African-American Playwrights’ Exchange (AAPEX). Owa did a brief walk on before being shown the stage left exit in the 2006 Untitled Workshop headed by Lyn Merriam and Dominic Taylor; he studied dramatic writing with James Farrell and has a certificate in Playwrighting, from Farleigh Dickinson University. He has a Master Human Services Degree from Lincoln University and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Westbrook University his own dissertation is Integration of Transpersonal Therapy and Buddhist Lojong in Individual Addiction Counseling. (Unpublished, 2000)

 

STEPHEN BAILY:

One of Stephen’s short plays titled, "Confessions of a Chat Room Romeo" was broadcast nationally this summer on the Public Radio Satellite Network by Shoestring Radio Theatre in San Francisco. Another of his works, "Blood Oranges," was given a staged public reading last year by Ten Grand Productions at the National Comedy Theatre in Manhattan.

 

PAUL COHEN:

Paul, born and raised New York, has written numerous one-acts and full-length plays. His works have premiered at the John Houseman Theatre Space, Gardener Stages in Los Angeles, and the Soho Theatre in London. Last February his comedy “Cherubina” ran at the Sanford Meisner Theatre, and his most recent work “Mourn the Living Hector” won an award for Best Playwriting at the New York International Fringe Festival

 

 

JAMAL WILLIAMS

Novelist/Short-story writer/Playwright /Screenwriter Jamal Williams has a Master of Creative Writing from The University of California at San Francisco State.  He is a Charter Member and former Executive Director of The Buriel Clay San Francisco Black Writers Workshop, and Playwright-in-Residence of The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company (1989-1992).  He is a winner of the San Francisco Bay Guardian 1st Playwriting Competition for Best Full-Length Play, 1991 (“Is You Is or Is You Ain’t”).  His first novel, entitled Where Dark Things Hide, is a hybrid urban science fiction and horror novel.  He founded the Uptown Playwrights Workshop in Harlem.  He co-founded the Harlem Screenwriters Workshop.  Many of his works have been staged across America: Atlanta, San Francisco, Berkeley, Dallas, Washington D.C., Sacramento, Los Angeles, Winston Salem, North Carolina, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and New York City, amongst many locations.  His most recent productions, an elaborate production of “Yesterday Came Too Soon” (The Dorothy Dandridge Story) starring Leslie Lewis Sword was done in April 2005 at The National Black Theatre in New York City; (Los Angeles Production, February/March 2004; and Berkeley Black Repertory Company, Berkeley, California, November 2003; and National Black Theatre Festival, Winston Salem, North Carolina, August 2003).  “Return to Crosscreek” was selected as a stage reading in the R. Joyce Whitley Play Festival Karamu Theatre Company, April 2004, “Ding Dong Daddy” (Blacken Blues Theatre Festival 2004, Dallas, Texas), Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Black/White Festival 2007.  “Miss Laura Maye Brown of Harlem”, NY Downtown Urban Theater Festival, Manhattan Rep Summerfest – 2007.   “Last Dance of the Panther Women”, Prometheus Fire Theater Co., Stamford, Ct. 3/28/08.  .  ’King Willie” has just completed a three year development program with The Essential Theater Company of Washington, D.C.  “Osage Avenue” (The MOVE inferno) took Honorable Mention at the 2008 Downtown Urban Theater Festival at Cherry Lane Theater in New York. Additional stage productions are: Eulogy for the Blackman (Theater for the New City, New York, June 2002); The Blue Mirror Revue” (via The Writer’s Clique at Harlem Theatre Company, New York, February 2002), Yesterday Came Too Soon:  The Dorothy Dandridge Story” (The 4305 Village Theatre, September 2001).  This Los Angeles production was nominated for eight Hollywood/Beverly Hills NAACP Theater Awards of 2001.  The production won for Best Actress.  And “House on Fire” (Theater for The New City, New York, March, 2000) was highly acclaimed.  “Ding Dong Daddy” was produced in that Black/White Theater Festival, in Pittsburgh, PA in October 2007.  Jamal has won numerous awards, fellowships, and scholarships.  He has an extensive body of work also includes two novels, and two screenplays. jammit50@gmail.com ; Jammit50@yahoo.com

  

ANN G. BAUER:

Ann G. Bauer has a theatre degree from Arizona State University. After teaching drama for three years she moved to California and worked with the Old Globe, while continuing to act and direct regionally. A turning point in her career was working with Steve Marshall (Writer/Producer: "WKRP In Cincinnati", Executive Producer: "Growing Pains") who encouraged her to turn her talents to writing. Since then Ann has written professionally in a wide variety of genres (including television and radio). She also teaches writing on the college level. "O'Neill's"is her first full-length stage play.

 

DAVID BECKETT:

David Beckett and Henry Polic II both made their professional debuts in the same show. David's credits include television ("Boston Legal"), film ("Timecop II"), National Broadway tours ("Anything Goes"), as well as Off-Broadway theatre ("Hound Of The Baskervilles") and numerous commercials. David was last seen by L.A. theater-goers in "Slaves Of Starbucks", which Henry produced. L.A. Weekly commented: "David Beckett delivers first-rate lunacy in his superb one-man performance". It was a satire of Kennedy's inaugural address in "Starbucks" that provided the inspiration for "O'Neill's". (One critic declared: "Beckett also offers an amazing impression of JFK") The project began with the simple question: "What if?"    For more info you are invited to visit David's homepage at davidbeckett.com

 

LEW RILEY (TBA)

 

JOE THRISTINO:

Joe is 26 years old and started performing stand-up and writing sketch comedy around New York City at the age of 17.  He’s moved on to playwriting and has had a one-act ('The Distant Hymn') featured in a reading series at the National Comedy Theater in Midtown Manhattan.  Joe’s also written freelance online commercial scripts for CGI Communications

 

  

 

  DIRECTORS

 

ANTOINETTE BRODERICK

Antoinette is an accomplished performer (Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, Hartford Stage) now embarking on a directing career in New York City. Recent projects include Antaeus, Mood, President’s Puppets and Digging Bach in Suzan Lori-Parks 365 Days/365 Plays Festival. Scene Work, I Don't Want to Hear it and God's Creatures with Inneract Productions. Love and thanks to women who inspire and community

 

KIM WESTON-MORAN

As an actress/producer/director, Kim is in LOVE with the creative process,  which she believes has trans-formative powers. Kim’s most recent acting credits include: a workshop production of France-Luce Benson Freedom Sea at The Atlantic Theatre, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl [CART/NFT], for which is she was nominated for a 2007 AUDELCO Award; The Lesbian Real Estate Attorney in The WorkShops’ Intellectuals; Irina, the Black Russian Wig-mistress in Leslie Lee’s Blues In A Broken Tongue [NEC] and Pemberton Productions; the sadistic mother in Herb Donaldson’s The Brighter Burn at The Cherry Lane Theatre; and NBTC’s God’s Trombones with Trazana Beverly. Kim has received 3 other AUDELCO Nom. and was blessed for Lead Actress for Don't Explain, dir. by Rome Neal.  She is best know for her role of Alabama [Alma} in Ayoka Chenzira’s Film, Alma’s Rainbow and a few bad girls and a mom in Independent films by Juney Smith. Kim has had the opportunity to share the stage with some phenomenal artists, including: Minnie Gentry, Roxie Roker, Phyllcia Rashad, Gylan Kain, Bill Gunn, Ellen Dolan, Charles Weldon, Patricia O’Connell, Ron Cephas Jones, Barbara Montgomery and Bill Cobbs.   In July 07, she was ecstatic to play opposite Anthony Chisolm in a reading of A Paradise Lost, a dark play with humor set in 1940’s Harlem, written by Dr. H. Owa Jackson. As a Director, Kim directed Fighting Fires, written by Von H. Washington, Sr.; as part of The Strawberry One-Act Festival Competition; the production received nominations for Best Director, Best Play and Best Actress; A Day in the Life of an Ex-Ralette, by Cynthia Scott for Scene @  NFT and ARTC and developed and directed Tanya Maryoung’s Desert Flower’s Truth, a one-woman musical dramedy and Ulterior Side Dishes – The Trilogy, at Nuyorican Poet’s Café.  In 2005/06 she was Director –in-Residence for Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center’s monthly reading series at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

 

HERB DONALDSON:

Herb’s first play At A Time Like This was first featured with NBC as part of the PSNBC Festival at HERE Theatre.  The play was featured at the National Black Theatre Festival and later produced by Arcos Communications in June 2003 as part of its Downtown Urban Theatre Festival.  It won ‘Best in Show Award’.  Another of his plays, A Matter of Seconds, was produced as part of the Urban Pop Theatre Festival.  His short film Love Aquarium premiered July 2004 in Los Angeles, Ca., and later in the Hampton International Film Festival, as well as an artist/community fest in Molnbo, Sweden. Mr. Donaldson has worked as a marketing consultant for Walker International Communications Group where he specialized in strategic marketing and audience development for performing and visual arts cultivation long-term relationships with diverse and minority audiences.  Production clients included:  Hairspray (Broadway production), Gem of the Ocean (Broadway production, of which Mr. Donaldson personally designed the talkback series), Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, and others. He was Director of Interpretive Programming for Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, where he worked with numerous performers, visual artists, writers, lecturers and managers to develop performances, literary events and symposia for the institutions various event spaces, seating from 300 to 3000.  While at the Schomburg he created and co-produced Nobody Knows Our Name: The Renaissance Resurrected, a performance showcase based on the book of observations by James Baldwin titled “Nobody Knows My Name,” featuring dancers, musicians, writers, poets, filmmakers and historical segments. As Marketing Associate for the Public Theater/NYSF, Mr. Donaldson was responsible for the promotion of such shows as Everybody’s Ruby (Thulani Davis); Ride Down Mt. Morgan (Arthur Miller), New York Premiere; Lakawanna Blues (Rueben Santiago Hudson); The Wild Party (George C. Wolfe), Broadway production; Topdog/Underdog (Susan Lori-Parks), and others. As Marketing Associate for Joe’s Pub (The Public Theater) he was integral in the launch, marketing and promotion of numerous bands and artists including: Me’chelle N’dgeocello, Roy Hargrove, Carley Simon, Mike Ladd, Sapphire, Amiri Baraka, Greg Tate’s Burnt Sugar, Tamar-kali, Ute Lemper, Gil Scott Heron, Ann Hampton Calloway, Comden and Green, Darlene Love, others.  As Marketing and Audience Development (Community Affairs division of the Public Theater) he worked alongside the Public Theater’s Director of Community Affairs in the institution’s outreach efforts to community and faith-based organizations. Created and managed institutional and vendor affiliations plus public events such as street fairs, open houses and special performances. Mr. Donaldson’s latest play The Brighter Burn was chosen to launch the Fifth Annual Downtown Urban Theater Fest, at the Cherry Lane Theater, with an opening introduction from Amiri Baraka as the Cherry Lane celebrated the anniversary of Baraka’s play, The Dutchman, which premiered at the theatre 30 years before.  Recently, Mr. Donaldson was Programming Director for Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theater, where he created and developed, Book Party @ New Federal, The Literary Breed Reading Series, and Scene @ New Federal.  Mr. Donaldson’s theater company Palaver Tree Theater will launch later this season.  He is currently Artistic Director of Roy Arias Studios and Theaters.

 

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LOCATION:

Producer Roy Arias Studios & Theaters

300 West 43rd Street

5th Floor

New York NY 10036

(Btwn 8th & 9th Avenues)

 

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CONTACT:
Herb Donaldson
bleerby@hotmail.com
herb@royariasstudios.com
212-212-957-8358