Saturday, February 26, 2011

bareNaked Reading Series LA closes with 3 short plays by ISRAEL HOROVITZ

ISRAEL HOROVITZ’S plays have been translated and performed, worldwide. His 70+ plays include Line (now in 36th year, off-Broadway), The Indian Wants The Bronx, Rats, Morning, The Primary English Class, The Wakefield Plays, The Widow’s Blind Date, Today I Am A Fountain Pen, Park Your Car In Harvard Yard,North Shore Fish, Fighting Over Beverley, Lebensraum , My Old Lady, Free Gift,Cat-Lady, Stations of the Cross, One Under, 50 Years of Caddieing, Speaking Well of the Dead, Unexpected Tenderness, Fast Hands, Security, A Mother’s Love, Sins of the Mother, 6 Hotels (including The Audition Play, Fiddleheads and Lovers,Speaking of Tushy, 2nd Violin, Beirut Rocks, and The Hotel Play), Compromise,The Secret of Mme. Bonnard’s Bath, and The P Word. Screenplays include Author! Author!, The Strawberry Statement (Prix du Jury, Cannes Film Festival), Sunshine(European Academy Award – Best Screenplay), New York, I Love You, and EMMY-nominated James Dean. Horovitz wrote, directed and performed the award-winning documentary 3 Weeks After Paradise, shown in the USA on Bravo, now on stage in Paris. Awards include the OBIE (twice), the Prix de Plaisir du Théâtre, The Prix Italia (for radio plays), The Sony Radio Academy Award (for Man In Snow), The Writers Guild of Canada Best Screenwriter Award, The Christopher Award, The Drama Desk Award, an Award in Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Elliot Norton Prize, a Lifetime Achievement Award from B’Nai Brith, The Literature Prize of Washington College, an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Salem (Massachusetts) State College, Boston Public Library’s Literary Lights Award, The Walker Hancock Prize, and many others. Horovitz is Founding Artistic Director of Gloucester Stage, and active Artistic Director of the New York Playwrights Lab. He teaches a master class in screenwriting at Columbia University and La Fèmis, France’s national film school. Horovitz visits France, frequently, where he often directs French-language productions of his plays. He is the most-produced American playwright in French theatre history, and has recently been named to receive France’s coveted Order of Merit in Arts and Letters (March 2009).

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Seeking ASM & Production Assistant...

We are currently seeking an Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager and Production Assistant for our Spring Production of Joseph Sousa's Teeth of the Sons. The 4 week Off-Broadway run will take place at the legendary Cherry Lane Theatre with a 3/4 week rehearsal. Looking for eager, dedicated, and professional individuals interested in joining the Barefoot Theatre Company family!

Rehearsals will take place at our rehearsal space in Park Slope, Brooklyn during the day on Weekdays and some possible nights beginning March 19th thru April 18th. The ASM will assist our Production Stage Manager with any and all aspects of rehearsal during the three weeks prior to performances. Must also be available for Load-in / Tech: April 18th, 19th, 20th, & 21st.

ASM is a paid position. Possible stipend for Production Assistant who will be required to work closely with the ASM on an occasional basis regarding prop gathering, contacting design team, etc. Must also be available for Load-in/Tech week. We guarantee an incredible time during rehearsals with a full stocked Kitchen and even, yes, a Ping Pong table for use during breaks!!! Lunch and snacks are provided during load-in and tech. We will also be looking for a tech crew as we get closer to the load-in dates - should you be interested in just helping us this way please feel free to submit as well. All participants will receive a pair of tickets to the Opening Night / Red-Carpet Event as well as the After Party. All inquires should be submitted to:
Office@barefoottheatrecompany.org c/o Christopher Whalen, Producing Director.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Ensemble Member, John Gazzale


Check out ensemble member John Gazzale's performance in the upcoming show "Birds on a Wire" presented by the VOICETheatre in association with The Drilling Company! March 9th-20th at 236 West 78th Street. "It is a family story of resilience, forgiveness and foreclosure during one of the greatest ecological disasters America has ever faced, the dust storms of the 1930’s. A family and community fight for the most basic principles and rights in life, to have a home." For tickets, call 212 201 9337.
Pictured with Barefoot Family member, Betty Hudson.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Resident Playwrights, Daniel Graff & Francisco Solorzano will present works at bareNaked Reading Series LA!

Barefoot Theatre Company Ensemble Members and Resident Playwrights - Daniel Graff and Francisco Solorzano will present new works in the west coast premiere of the bareNaked Reading Series. Graff's short play, Maharaja Palace was originally workshopped in a writing retreat in July 10' and Solorzano's Jessica originally written and workshopped in the summer of 07.

DANIEL GRAFF
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."- George Eliot (1819 – 1880)
Daniel Graff was blessed until after the age of 30. It took some time, but Graff has begun to hone in on what he wants to say, and Barefoot functions as open ground for Graff to develop his voice. This voice can be heard in his first two plays Maharaja Palace and Black Man's Dilemma - performed in January 2011 at the Secret Theatre. As an actor, he joined forces with Barefoot Theatre Company in 2009, performing in Israel Horovitz's What Strong Fences Make, The Hotel Plays and A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley. He studied acting at The Maggie Flanigan Studio and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

FRANCISCO SOLORZANO
Theater: adapted, acted in and directed the critically acclaimed/sold-out world premiere of Dog Day Afternoon (Theatre Row Theatres). Currently working on several writing projects for Barefoot Studio Pictures, a film co. he co-founded with Christopher Whalen and Daniel Graff. As an Actor and Director, Francisco has worked on numerous productions that include award winning revivals, NY and World Premiere, regionally and throughout NYC. BFA: CUNY'S Brooklyn College; a founder and Producing Artistic Director of the Barefoot Theatre Company since 1999. Recipient of the 2009 Graduate Theater Organization of Brooklyn College, CUNY's Alumnus of the Year Award. Member Since 1999.

This playwriting duo will be seen acting opposite each other during the week long event. Keep your eyes open for any and all sudden stage combat!!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Resident Playwright, Joseph Sousa joins line-up for bareNaked Reading Series LA

We are thrilled to announce that one of our Resident Plawrights, Joseph Sousa will be joining us with our bareNaked Reading Series, the West Coast Premiere! Sousa's first full-length play, the award winning Teeth of the Sons will be seen later this Spring, Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre as part of our current 2010-2011 Season.

JOSEPH SOUSA - Theater: The Fool in Lear at The Portland Center For Performing Arts, Ensemble in the Public's Shakespeare in the Park production of Mother Courage, and Davis inRed Light Winter at the New Workshop theater, Teeth Of The Sons is Joseph's first play, and he is currently finishing his first screenplay St. Anthony's Feast. He first began working on his play, Teeth Of The Sons, when asked to write a play as part of the Brooklyn College Theater Grant Program. The play had a staged reading of an earlier draft at 78th Street Theater Lab.

Film: Joseph is a proud member of 776 Lincoln Films which is currently editing their first feature documentary, Witch Orphans, concerning the lives of Angolan orphans abandoned by their families due to witchcraft accusations. He worked as the on-camera interviewer and lead translator on the project. B.F.A. in Acting from Brooklyn College. Member Since 2009.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Tim Plaehn joins bareNaked Reading Series LA line-up!

Tim Plaehn's West Asheville directed by Barefoot Theatre Company Co-Artistic Director, Nicole Haran was seen in our Director's LAB late last year and we're excited to bring it to LA for our first ever bareNaked Reading Series out west!

TIM PLAEHN
Most of the writing Tim Plaehn has done over the last ten years has been at the bottom of student essays, but he has still found time to write short fiction and two full-length plays. His short story "Please Read" was featured in Atlanta's Creative Loafing, and Short Story America has recently selected another story, Confirmation," for publication both on its website and in its anthology of short fiction. In his previous life as poet, Tim lived for a time on Inishmore off the coast of Ireland after he was awarded The Aran Islands Poetry Fellowship.

Tim graduated from Northeastern University and holds master's degrees from both Harvard's School of Education and Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English. He has been a teacher and coach for fifteen years and lives in Asheville with his wife Helen and their four children, Martha, Patrick, Flannery, and Henry.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Playwright Lina Patel joins bareNaked Reading Series LA line-up!

Lina Patel (SANKALPAN)
is an actor/writer living in Los Angeles. Her play,SANKALPAN (Desire), was a semi-finalist for the Sundance Theatre Institute and received its first staged reading at Chicago’s Silk Road Theatre. In December the play had a workshop at the New Group in New York, directed by Ian Morgan. Her comedy, PERFECT FIT, about fashion, race and parenthood, received two staged readings at the Groundlings Theatre, directed by Shelley Butler. A Sherwood Award finalist, Lina was invited by Center Theatre Group to develop a new play in CTG’s Writer’s Retreat. THE RAGGED CLAWS received a reading at the Taper in June. She continues to develop her work in First Tuesdays, a writer’s group led by friend and mentor, Jose Rivera. Lina is actively involved in the Los Angeles arts community and served in various capacities for the ArtWallah Festival. Lina has worked with ArtWallah as literature and theatre curator and as co-artistic director.

As an actor, Lina has performed at the Globe Theatres, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, East West Players, the Kirk Douglas, Taper, Too, MCC, The New Group, Theatreworks, L.A. Women’s Shakespeare Festival, and the Actor’s Gang. Her one-woman show, KRISHNA IN TEXAS has been performed in San Diego and Los Angeles. Television appearances include guest-spots on: “24”, “Num3ers”, “ CSI”. As a voice-over artist, Lina has voiced for animated series and narrated books, including William Faulkner’s, "As I Lay Dying," for Penguin.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Playwright Lila Rose joins line-up for bareNaked Reading Series LA

Lila Rose

The short novella How are a Bear and a Bird Alike? was Lila Rose's writing debut. A compelling piece complete with illustrations, it showed great promise. However, it was deeply misunderstood by her first grade class. So, Lila Rose moved on to new modes of storytelling. Nothing quite fit. Poetry was lonely. Acting was fun, but she missed writing. Journalism required a lot of facts and punctuation. Finally, Lila Rose discovered playwriting. Her first play, BUSY SIGNAL was produced at her high school in Mamaroneck, NY. Soon after, Lila Rose left her hometown to attend Brown University. At Brown, she was fortunate to work with mentor playwrights Paula Vogel and Sarah Ruhl. Her thesis play WRITING FELLOWS debuted at the

McCormack Theatre in 2002. Upon graduation, she received the I.J. Kapstein Award for Excellence in Playwriting and was a finalist for The Princess Grace Award.

Lila Rose left Providence to explore the infinite theatre of New York. She moved to Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn where Zofia, her landlady, called her Lily-Anne and periodically tried to marry her off to a nephew in Warsaw. While in New York, Lila Rose wrote, directed, and drank a lot of coffee. She helped found the Temporary Theatre Company and interned at New Dramatists. To earn money and to help keep civil liberties alive, Lila Rose worked at the National Coalition Against Censorship. During this time she co-founded The Ladies of Liberty, a theatrical protest group. The Ladies dressed as suffragettes and performed in New York and Washington D.C. After three years of New York, Lila Rose drove to San Diego to pursue an MFA in Playwriting at UCSD. She was perplexed by the palm trees and glaring lack of seasons. Now she lives in Santa Barbara and commutes to LA. She's starting to come to peace with the palm trees.

Lila Rose's plays have been produced and developed by Second Stage, Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse/UCSD, Chalk Rep, Perishable Theatre, Mixed Blood, The Camden Fringe Festival, New Dramatists, PlayPenn, and The Lark among others. Dramatists Play Service recently published Lila Rose's Off-Broadway debut WILDFLOWER. Lila Rose is developing a new play with the Center Theatre Group Writers' Workshop in Los Angeles ths year. She belongs to the Dramatists Guild of America and The Playwrights Center. She is a proud founding member of The Playwrights Union in Los Angeles.

If you are interested in reading How are a Bear and a Bird Alike?, it is no longer in print.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

HAPPY OPENING! NEXT by Stephen Gracia

CONGRATS and Break legs to the cast and crew of "NEXT" by Ensemble Member / Resident Playwright, Stephen Gracia. The production's world premiere is being directed by Ensemble Member, Michael LoPorto. LoPorto also took part in the development and direction of the workshop production with the Barefoot Theatre Company.

This production also features Ensemble Members, Kendra Leigh Landon (producer / lead), John Harlacher, Charles Everett and a special appearance by Mark von Sternberg. Show your support and check it out! CONGRATS TO ALL!

Love,

Barefoot Theatre Company


INFORMATION:

In NEXT, a mobile whorehouse is brought to an American army encampment in Europe during WWII. Its presence brings to the surface issues of racism, sexuality, and the fear of impending death. Next! was first workshopped with the Barefoot Theatre Company and had its first reading at the Lit Lounge in the East Village and then was further developed at the ATA of the Sargent Theatre. The Abraxas Stage Company production of NEXT at the HERE Arts Center will benefit the non-profit organization On Behalf of a Grateful Nation (http://onbehalf.org/about-us).

Directed by Michael LoPorto

Scenic Design by Tom Lenz

Lighting Design by Josh Starr; Sound Design and Original Music by Tim Fite; Costume Design by Andrea Varga; Burlesque Choreography by Kitty Cavalier; Stage Manager TBD; Rehearsal Stage Manager/ASM Palma Dellaporta; Associate Scenic Design Fernando Cordero and Jordan Wagenseller; Publicity by Ron Lasko of Spin Cycle

Starring: Kasidy Devlin, Charles Everett, Matthew Ferretti, John Harlacher*, Kendra Leigh Landon, Sean Meehan*, Sean Mellott, Ridley Parson, Christopher Tocco* & John Weisenburger*

*AEA Member, AEA Approved Showcase

HERE

145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 Block South of Spring)

Show Dates:

February 2nd -February 4th @ 7pm

February 5th @ 2pm & 7pm

February 9th -February 13th @ 7pm

February 15th -18th @ 7pm

February 19th @ 2pm & 7pm

80 Minute Running Time

No Intermission

All tickets only $18

For Tickets: visit www.here.org or call 212-352-3101

Box Office: open after 4pm on show days only

more info on the production:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184549118243097