Tuesday, August 9, 2016

SUPPORT OUR RETURN TO OFF BROADWAY

You may have already read about it in the NEW YORK TIMES, but if you didn't - we're headed OFF BROADWAY this fall with Israel Horovitz's newest play!  We're just as excited as you BUT need your support to make our final fundraising goals a reality.  A generous donor has come on board to match every dollar up to $10,000 to bring this very important play to New York City audiences of all ages.  

We are in search of donors who are looking to sponsor our production and become a part of the presentation with gifts in return such as: tax-deductible receipt, producer credit, opening night/red-carpet tixs, private screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' short films, Floating Sunflowers (starring Anna Chlumsky) and latest A Northern Star (starring Lynn Cohen), with Horovitz's short film, Security (originally developed and premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.) along with private dinner and drinks with Horovitz and the Barefoot Theatre Co. ensemble and more!

Three (3) easy ways to contribute & become a part of our Off Broadway production:
1) Click on button to make your tax-deductible donation:

CLICK TO MAKE YOUR DONATION
2) Write a check and make it payable to:
Barefoot Theatre Company, Inc.
619 East 17th Street, #1S
Brooklyn, NY 11226 
c/o Francisco Solorzano

3) or contact us to make a secured CHASE Quickpay transaction.  Email us at barefoottheatre@aol.com, attn: Francisco Solorzano with the best way to contact you via phone.

Here's a little more about the project in Israel Horovitz's own words:
Why are we fundraising online for MAN IN SNOW? 

The budget for the Gloucester Stage leg of the journey is covered. The budget for bringing the show to LaMama is very nearly covered. In total, our budget for the NYC transfer is at $20,000 - we're looking to raise only half, with a matching donation already set at $10,000!

I hope that you will be able to help with a contribution, large or small.
This project is hugely important to me. I think that MAN IN SNOW is among my very best work.

The play tells the story of a man caught in an avalanche, but centers on parents grieving for a dead child. The play is very much a study of grief and its effects on marriages and families. I have done exhaustive research on these important life-issues. I have seen audiences’ profoundly emotional response to both the radio play and the stage version of MAN IN SNOW.


Grief is an important, but highly ­non-commercial theme. Hardly obscure, grief touches every human life, yet is a subject rarely touched by films or stage-plays.
 
MAN IN SNOW was originally written for BBC Radio 4 in the year 2000. I had just returned from seeing a play of mine in Fairbanks, Alaska, and was being interviewed by a local radio station... when a report came in about a man who was killed in a cabin during an avalanche. He spent his final minutes of his life talking on a cell-phone to his wife, saying goodbye.

The phone was hot-wired into a 40’-high antenna, allowing continued reception.


This story stayed with me, haunted me. When I was asked by BBC Radio 4 to write an original radio play, I wrote MAN IN SNOW, which is totally fiction except for the essential image of a husband and wife saying their goodbyes in that terrible circumstance. My play won the 2001 Sony Radio Academy Award.


Around 5 years ago, I had an invitation to travel to Italy to see some short plays of mine in a theatre in Spoleto. I had been to Spoleto in 1968 for the Festival of Two Worlds, where I showed The Indian Wants the Bronx with Al Pacino and John Cazale, and It's Called The Sugar Plum with Jill Clayburgh. Spoleto was a great memory for me, and so I accepted the invitation to return there to see the stage-show composed of my short plays. In Spoleto, I met the director Andrea Paciotto for the first time. His work directing my plays was brilliant. Andrea’s speciality is physical – visual – theatre. Mine is very much the art of storytelling. Our combined work was, I think, unusual and compelling for audiences.

The eight Italian actors performing my plays asked me if they could stay together as a troupe and continue to perform other plays of mine. Of course I said 'yes' and Compagnia Horovitz-Pacciotto was born.


To date, Andrea has directed nearly a dozen of my plays in Italy. A few years ago, he asked if he could put my radio play MAN IN SNOW on stage in Italy. His stage-production of MAN IN SNOW was astonishing. It inspired me to write a fully-realized stage-play based upon my radio script.

During the past year, I developed the stage version of MAN IN SNOW at The Actors Studio in NYC, working closely with Francisco Solorzano of Barefoot Theatre. Francisco is a close friend of Pacciotto. I have worked with Barefoot Theatre on literally dozens of my plays. When Igturned 70, Barefoot 4:38 PMheater and Francisco Solorzano organized the 70/70 Horovitz Project… 70 of my plays were given readings and/or full productions by theatre companies around the globe.

Francisco Solorzano and I worked closely developing MAN IN SNOW for the stage, doing rehearsed readings of developing drafts of the stage play through four separate performances of MAN IN SNOW, spaced throughout a full year at The Actors Studio in NYC, and Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in Florida.

The play is now scheduled to be performed at Gloucester Stage during September and October 2016, followed immediately by performances in NYC at LaMama in November.

Others theatres in the USA and France have already scheduled performances of MAN IN SNOW for 2017.


Andrea Paciotto will come to America in summer, 2016, to rehearse and direct MAN IN SNOW at Gloucester Stage, and then re-stage the play at LaMama. 


Israel HOROVITZ

NYC,

May-July 2016.
GIFTS:

Co-PRODUCER - $20,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Two (2) to any following performances
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Media DVD/CD with BBC Radio Original Recording, Rehearsal Clips, Interviews & More
Private Dinner w/ Barefoot Theatre Co & Israel Horovtiz
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgement
Program and Website Advertisement space
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party to Barefoot GALA
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs to NYC Premiere of A NOTHERN STAR, a film starring Lynn Cohen & the Barefoot Theatre Ensemble.
Signed BluRay copy of Barefoot Studio Pictures' debut film, FLOATING SUNFLOWERS starring Anna Chlumsky of VEEP and My Girl fame. 
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - $10,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Two (2) to any following performances
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Private Dinner w/ Barefoot Theatre Co & Israel Horovtiz
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party to Barefoot GALA
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt
SUPPORTER - $5,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Media DVD/CD with BBC Radio Original Recording, Rehearsal Clips, Interviews & More
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt
ANGEL - $500 +
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt
All funds will go towards the NYC transfer: Actor's fees, health & pension, marketing, advertising, designer fees, crew and more.  For a detailed breakdown, please contact us directly at barefoottheatre@aol.com. 
 
BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY (Co-Producer)
In 1999, Barefoot Theatre Company was founded by a multicultural group of artists determined to produce vital, thought-provoking plays, both new and lesser-known existing works.  Led by Actor, Francisco Solorzano, the BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY is now in its 17th season, developing theater and film (via sister co. Barefoot Studio Pictures) in New York and LA.  Recent collaborations with award winning writers include, Jose Rivera, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristoffer Diaz, Ben Snyder, Mike Reiss, Joe Pintuaro, Israel Horovitz, Lyle Kessler, Jan Rosenberg, Amina Henry, Adam Szymkowicz, Mark Borkowski, Micheline Auger, Mel Nieves and actors Gina Gershon, Bobby Cannavale, Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Chris Cooper, Michael Stuhlbarg, Annabella Sciorra, John Doman, Austin Pendleton, Richard Kind, Mickey Sumner, Anna Chlumksy, Lynn Cohen, Tala Ashe, Caitlin FitzGerald, Alfredo Narciso, to name a few.  Recent productions Off-Broadway include the premieres of TEETH OF THE SONS, a stage adaptation of the film DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NYC Revival of Joe Pintauro’s RAFT OF THE MEDUSA, the workshop of Israel Horovitz's GLOUCESTER BLUE, as well as the 70/70 HOROVITZ PROJECT, a yearlong worldwide festival that featured 70 of Horovitz's plays on the occasion of his 70th birthday.  First film project via Barefoot Studio Pictures, FLOATING SUNFLOWERS starring Anna Chlumsky, Lynn Cohen, Christopher Whalen; directed by Francisco Solorzano was the recipient of several awards including Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Chlumsky), and many others at some of the top Film Festivals.  Currently in post production: A short film written and directed by Caitlin FitzGerald; A Northern Star written and directed by Francisco Solorzano starring Lynn Cohen and the Barefoot Theatre Co. Ensemble completed and scheduled for release around the globe this Fall.  Fore more info visit: barefoottheatrecompany.org. 

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

BREAKING NEWS: Barefoot Theatre Co. set to returns OFF-BROADWAY with NEW ISRAEL HOROVITZ play...

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We are PROUD to announce that we will be joining NYC's legendary La MaMa theatre along with Gloucester Stage Co. to bring ISRAEL HOROVITZ's newest play, MAN IN SNOW, Off Broadway later this Fall as part of our 2016-2017 Season following the world premiere at GSC... BUT...we need your support to make our final fundraising goals a reality.  A generous donor has come on board to match every dollar up to $10,000 to bring this very important play to New York City audiences of all ages.

We are in search of donors who are looking to sponsor our production and become a part of the presentation with gifts in return such as: tax-deductible receipt, producer credit, opening night/red-carpet tixs, private screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' short films, Floating Sunflowers (starring Anna Chlumsky) and latest A Northern Star (starring Lynn Cohen), with Horovitz's short film, Security (originally developed and premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.) along with private dinner and drinks with Horovitz and the Barefoot Theatre Co. ensemble.

See more info on artists involved, the play, history as well as breakdown of Gifts BELOW.

Three (3) easy ways to contribute & become a part of our Off Broadway production:

1) Click on button to make your tax-deductible donation:

CLICK TO MAKE YOUR DONATION

2) Write a check and make it payable to:

Barefoot Theatre Company, Inc.
619 East 17th Street, #1S
Brooklyn, NY 11226 
c/o Francisco Solorzano

3) or contact us to make a secured CHASE Quickpay transaction.  Email us at barefoottheatre@aol.com, attn: Francisco Solorzano with the best way to contact you via phone.

Here's a little more about the project in Israel Horovitz's own words:

Why are we fundraising online for MAN IN SNOW? 



The budget for the Gloucester Stage leg of the journey is covered. The budget for bringing the show to LaMama is very nearly covered. In total, our budget for the NYC transfer is at $20,000 - we're looking to raise only half, with a matching donation already set at $10,00!


I hope that you will be able to help with a contribution, large or small.
This project is hugely important to me. I think that MAN IN SNOW is among my very best work.

The play tells the story of a man caught in an avalanche, but centers on parents grieving for a dead child. The play is very much a study of grief and its effects on marriages and families. I have done exhaustive research on these important life-issues. I have seen audiences’ profoundly emotional response to both the radio play and the stage version of MAN IN SNOW.


Grief is an important, but highly ­non-commercial theme. Hardly obscure, grief touches every human life, yet is a subject rarely touched by films or stage-plays.
 
MAN IN SNOW was originally written for BBC Radio 4 in the year 2000. I had just returned from seeing a play of mine in Fairbanks, Alaska, and was being interviewed by a local radio station... when a report came in about a man who was killed in a cabin during an avalanche. He spent his final minutes of his life talking on a cell-phone to his wife, saying goodbye.

The phone was hot-wired into a 40’-high antenna, allowing continued reception.


This story stayed with me, haunted me. When I was asked by BBC Radio 4 to write an original radio play, I wrote MAN IN SNOW, which is totally fiction except for the essential image of a husband and wife saying their goodbyes in that terrible circumstance. My play won the 2001 Sony Radio Academy Award.


Around 5 years ago, I had an invitation to travel to Italy to see some short plays of mine in a theatre in Spoleto. I had been to Spoleto in 1968 for the Festival of Two Worlds, where I showed The Indian Wants the Bronx with Al Pacino and John Cazale, and It's Called The Sugar Plum with Jill Clayburgh. Spoleto was a great memory for me, and so I accepted the invitation to return there to see the stage-show composed of my short plays. In Spoleto, I met the director Andrea Paciotto for the first time. His work directing my plays was brilliant. Andrea’s speciality is physical – visual – theatre. Mine is very much the art of storytelling. Our combined work was, I think, unusual and compelling for audiences.

The eight Italian actors performing my plays asked me if they could stay together as a troupe and continue to perform other plays of mine. Of course I said 'yes' and Compagnia Horovitz-Pacciotto was born.


To date, Andrea has directed nearly a dozen of my plays in Italy. A few years ago, he asked if he could put my radio play MAN IN SNOW on stage in Italy. His stage-production of MAN IN SNOW was astonishing. It inspired me to write a fully-realized stage-play based upon my radio script.

During the past year, I developed the stage version of MAN IN SNOW at The Actors Studio in NYC, working closely with Francisco Solorzano of Barefoot Theatre. Francisco is a close friend of Pacciotto. I have worked with Barefoot Theatre on literally dozens of my plays. When Igturned 70, Barefoot 4:38 PMheater and Francisco Solorzano organized the 70/70 Horovitz Project… 70 of my plays were given readings and/or full productions by theatre companies around the globe.


Francisco Solorzano and I worked closely developing MAN IN SNOW for the stage, doing rehearsed readings of developing drafts of the stage play through four separate performances of MAN IN SNOW, spaced throughout a full year at The Actors Studio in NYC, and Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in Florida.

The play is now scheduled to be performed at Gloucester Stage during September and October 2016, followed immediately by performances in NYC at LaMama in November.

Others theatres in the USA and France have already scheduled performances of MAN IN SNOW for 2017.


Andrea Paciotto will come to America in summer, 2016, to rehearse and direct MAN IN SNOW at Gloucester Stage, and then re-stage the play at LaMama. 


Israel HOROVITZ

NYC,

May-July 2016.

GIFTS:

Co-PRODUCER - $20,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Two (2) to any following performances
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Media DVD/CD with BBC Radio Original Recording, Rehearsal Clips, Interviews & More
Private Dinner w/ Barefoot Theatre Co & Israel Horovtiz
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgement
Program and Website Advertisement space
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party to Barefoot GALA
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs to NYC Premiere of A NOTHERN STAR, a film starring Lynn Cohen & the Barefoot Theatre Ensemble.
Signed BluRay copy of Barefoot Studio Pictures' debut film, FLOATING SUNFLOWERS starring Anna Chlumsky of VEEP and My Girl fame. 
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - $10,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Two (2) to any following performances
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Private Dinner w/ Barefoot Theatre Co & Israel Horovtiz
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
TWO (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party to Barefoot GALA
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt

SUPPORTER - $5,000 +
Two (2) Red-Carpet / Opening Night Tixs & After party 
Signed Framed Poster of MAN IN SNOW
Signed Script - NYC Performance Script
Media DVD/CD with BBC Radio Original Recording, Rehearsal Clips, Interviews & More
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt

ANGEL - $500 +
Private Screening of Barefoot Studio Pictures' films including Security by Horovitz (originally premiered on stage w/ Barefoot Theatre Co.)
Signed Collection of Israel Horovitz Playscripts, Poems and Memoir 
Program acknowledgment 
Social Media & Website acknowledgment
Barefoot Theatre Company limited Logo Pin
Tax Deductible Donation Receipt

All funds will go towards the NYC transfer: Actor's fees, health & pension, marketing, advertising, designer fees, crew and more.  For a detailed breakdown, please contact us directly at barefoottheatre@aol.com. 
 
BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY (Co-Producer)
In 1999, Barefoot Theatre Company was founded by a multicultural group of artists determined to produce vital, thought-provoking plays, both new and lesser-known existing works.  Led by Actor, Francisco Solorzano, the BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY is now in its 17th season, developing theater and film (via sister co. Barefoot Studio Pictures) in New York and LA.  Recent collaborations with award winning writers include, Jose Rivera, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristoffer Diaz, Ben Snyder, Mike Reiss, Joe Pintuaro, Israel Horovitz, Lyle Kessler, Jan Rosenberg, Amina Henry, Adam Szymkowicz, Mark Borkowski, Micheline Auger, Mel Nieves and actors Gina Gershon, Bobby Cannavale, Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Chris Cooper, Michael Stuhlbarg, Annabella Sciorra, John Doman, Austin Pendleton, Richard Kind, Mickey Sumner, Anna Chlumksy, Lynn Cohen, Tala Ashe, Caitlin FitzGerald, Alfredo Narciso, to name a few.  Recent productions Off-Broadway include the premieres of TEETH OF THE SONS, a stage adaptation of the film DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NYC Revival of Joe Pintauro’s RAFT OF THE MEDUSA, the workshop of Israel Horovitz's GLOUCESTER BLUE, as well as the 70/70 HOROVITZ PROJECT, a yearlong worldwide festival that featured 70 of Horovitz's plays on the occasion of his 70th birthday.  First film project via Barefoot Studio Pictures, FLOATING SUNFLOWERS starring Anna Chlumsky, Lynn Cohen, Christopher Whalen; directed by Francisco Solorzano was the recipient of several awards including Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Chlumsky), and many others at some of the top Film Festivals.  Currently in post production: A short film written and directed by Caitlin FitzGerald; A Northern Star written and directed by Francisco Solorzano starring Lynn Cohen and the Barefoot Theatre Co. Ensemble completed and scheduled for release around the globe this Fall.  Fore more info visit: barefoottheatrecompany.org.  

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Playwright-screenwriter-director ISRAEL HOROVITZ’S 70+ plays have been translated and performed in as many as 30 languages, worldwide.  Best-known plays include Line (in its 45th year, off-Broadway, NYC’s longest-running play, ever), The Indian Wants The Bronx, It’s Called The Sugar Plum, Rats, Morning, The Primary English Class, The Wakefield Plays (a cycle including Alfred the Great, Our Father’s Failing, Alfred Dies, Hopscotch, The 75th, Stage Directions and Spared), The Widow’s Blind Date, The Growing Up Jewish Trilogy Park Your Car In Harvard Yard, North Shore Fish, Fighting Over Beverley, Lebensraum, My Old Lady, Unexpected Tenderness, Fast Hands, 6 Hotels, Compromise, and The Secret of Mme. Bonnard’s Bath. Recent plays include The Bump, Sins of the Mother, What Strong Fences Make, The P Word, Virtual Alex, St. Anne’s Soup, Breaking Philip Glass, Man In Snow (written originally for BBC Radio 4, winner of Sony Radio Academy Award), and Gloucester Blue.  Currently working on two new plays: Out Of The Mouths of Babes (opening June 7th at The Cherry Lane Theatre starring Estelle Parsons and Judith Ivey), and The Day Before Yesterday. Screenplays include Author! Author!, The Strawberry Statement (Prix du Jury, Cannes Film Festival), Sunshine (European Academy Award – Best Screenplay),  Security, New York, I Love YouJames Dean (which introduced James Franco), 3 Weeks After Paradise (which Horovitz wrote, directed and starred. Played on Bravo Network and in film festivals worldwide). Mr. Horovitz recently wrote and directed his first feature film (at age 74) My Old Lady, which starred Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott-Thomas, based upon his stage-play.  Horovitz’s memoires Un New-Yorkais a Paris were recently published in France, where he is the most-produced American playwright in French theatre history.  He has written and published one novel Cappella and one novella Nobody Love Me. Heaven and Other Poems, published October 2014, is the first collection of his poetry he has authorized for publication.  Awards include OBIE (twice), Prix Italia, Sony Radio Academy Award, Writers Guild of Canada Best Screenwriter Award, Christopher Award, Drama Desk Award, Award in Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and many others.  Horovitz was recently decorated as Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest honor awarded to foreign artists.  He is Founding Artistic Director of Gloucester Stage, and active Artistic Director of the New York Playwrights Lab, and is co-artistic director of Compagnia Horovitz-Paciotto in Italy. NYC’s Barefoot Theatre celebrated Horovitz’s 70th birthday by organizing The 70/70 Horovitz Project, a year-long event with 70 Horovitz plays having had readings and/or productions by theatres around the globe. (May 2016.)


 MAN IN SNOW director's notes:

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"My mother was very funny; she had a wonderful sense of humor —I learned from her that the easiest way to involve an audience in a very serious play is to make them laugh and feel comfortable. All art is born of the suffering of the child—there is no exception."

Israel Horovitz
extract from an interview published in August 2012


Since I met Israel Horovitz in 2009 and our collaboration began, his wisdom, passion and wonderful artistry has been a great inspiration. And some of his thoughts and ideas about theatre have become precious instruments in my director's tool bag. One of the strongest traits of his writing is the sense of humor. Horovitz is able to use it with sensitive and always surprising mastery, not for the sake of writing easy entertaining comedies, but as a necessary ingredient to tell poignant stories. Irony helps the audience open up to the world of the play, engaging with the characters, feeling the pulsating current of the narration and experiencing real moments of moving beauty.        
"If you want to make the audience cry, first make them laugh." And this is what happens also in Man in Snow. We giggle and laugh at David's humorous conversation with his wife Franny. We follow the engaging recounting of his travel to Alaska's highest mountain peak Denali, one of most beautiful and magic natural places on earth, and the mesmerizing vision of the Northern Lights. We feel suspended in a time of remembrance and we are gradually lead into the introspective revelation of David's world of unexpressed passions, hidden memories, deepest sorrows and regrets.
Horovitz depicts a journey, from the lightness of the initial scenes to the touching depth of the final intimate moments. David's attempt to reach the top of the mountain, becomes a ritualistic journey of reconciliation with his own life, never restored after the accident in which he lost his son. And we cannot hold back the tears, when we realize that only surrendering to the most pure and urgent expression of love, he is able to find peace and reconciliation. This is what happened to me when I read this play for the first time, and what happens every time I read it again.
The prose is so full of vivid imagery and powerful symbolic elements that the staging remains by contrast very minimal, offering the opportunity for the audience to concentrate on the words and on the emotional journey conveyed by the actors. The sound design and the music, as well as the sober and very detailed use of lighting, help support the flow of the dialogues and connect the various scenes, only suggesting an idea of the environment in which the story unfolds. The audience are invited to fill the empty space activating their own senses and imagination.
 - ANDREA PACIOTTO

ANDREA PACIOTTO
Andrea Paciotto is a theatre director, producer, teacher and curator, originally from Italy. In more than twenty-five years of activity, he has directed over 30 different productions, has collaborated with various festivals and theaters around the world and his work has been presented in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia, Switzerland, Poland, Macedonia, United States, Mexico and South Korea. He has directed a very diverse array of productions, contemporary and classical plays, experimental projects, operas, music theatre performances and large multimedia events. He has directed videofilms and documentaries, created installations, produced and curated different types of cultural and artistic projects, translated and published plays, engaged in social and community work and contributed to developed theatre educational programs at different levels.
He began studying theatre as an actor in Italy at the Theatre School of Perugia University and at the Pontedera Theatre Foundation. He later continued in the United States receiving a B.A. and M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from Brooklyn College City University of New York. Subsequently, he was accepted by the DasArts Center for Advance Research in Theatre and Dance of Amsterdam University in The Netherlands, for a two years research on the application of new technologies in live performance, for which he holds another M.A. degree.  His international career initiated in 1990 thanks to the encounter with American theatre icon Ellen Stewart, founder and artistic director of New York La MaMa Experimental Theatre. He has been affiliated to La MaMa ever since, working as Resident performer and Director. He was later appointed Director of the European center called La MaMa Umbria International, an Artist Residency located in Spoleto.  In 2000, 2001 he lived Mexico and worked as director and teacher for organizations such as: the Festival Cumbre Tajin, the Center of Indigenous Art in Veracruz, the International Music Festival of Guadalajara and Music Festival of Xalapa, among others. In 2004 he returned to Italy and founded Offucina Spoleto, a production company focused on the development, creation and promotion of innovative artistic and cultural events, which he directed until 2013. In 2007 he was commissioned by Venice Biennale to direct a production on Goldoni and the new theatre, co-produced with Serbian Uzice National Theatre and BITEF Belgrade International Festival, for which he also curated the National Program of the festival. The following year (2008) the Mittelfest of Cividale del Friuli, Italy, invited him to present a multimedia interactive performance based on Italo Calvino's short science fiction stories. In 2009 he started the Horovitz-Paciotto Company, a collaborative project with American playwright Israel Horovitz. The company produced 4 different performances, which received national acclaim and toured in major theaters all around Italy, in 2012-2013.  Andrea has lead courses, lectures and workshops on various aspects of theatre and media performances at: University of Viterbo, National Academy of Dance in Mexico City, Maastricht Theater Academy, University of Belgrade and Bitef Festival in Belgrade, Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, University of South Carolina among others. Since 2008, he is an active member of the TECOM, Training and education committee of the International Theatre Institute and a founding member of the Italian Center of ITI.  In March 2014 he began collaborating with the Seoul Institute of the Arts in Korea, as Visiting Professor and guest artist. He has been teaching courses in directing, acting, devised and physical theatre, interdisciplinary production and telematic performance. He is one of the researchers for the CultureHub, exploring the use of telepresence and Internet technology for education and artistic projects. 

Sunday, June 26, 2016

bareNaked Reading Series (JUNE/JULY)

Our bareNaked Reading Series (no sets, no props, just words) continues with three new plays by Amina Henry, Micheline Auger and Adam Szymkowicz. Join us for three nights of #NYTheatre #EnsembleCollaborations featuring LIVE MUSIC and FREE DRINKS!!!

DOORS OPEN: 6:30pm, refreshments & live music
CURTAIN: All readings begin at 7pm
SUGGESTED DONATION: $5
RSVP: email barefootrsvp@aol.com w/ date of play you're attending in Subject line to reserve your seat (s) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


Monday, June 27th @ 7pm
BURNED 

by Amina Henry
Directed by 

Francisco Solorzano
 

Featuring: Gil Perez-Abraham, Gabe Fazio, Camille St. James, Jennifer Fouche & Tina Wong Lu 

Live Music: BROTHERS

SYNOPSIS:

Jamal did a bad thing – firebombed a synagogue for money – but he still feels like a normal young man. His mother and girlfriend refuse to believe otherwise.


Wednesday, June 29th @ 7pm
THE TERRORISTS 

by Micheline Auger
Directed by Shira-Lee Shalit
 

Featuring: Florencia Lozano, Trevor Long, Lisa Ramirez, Sean Carvajal, Arthur Kriklivy, Alexander Jameson, Ethan Coskay, Allison Anderegg, John Harlacher, Benjamin Manno, Maggie Belle Caplis & Nino Shengelaia with 

Live Music: THE RUNGS



SYNOPSIS:
A comedy about family, punk, smoking weed with Jesus, and stumbling upon the miracles in the every day.
  

Tuesday, July 5th @ 7pm
MERCY 

by Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Scott Illingworth
 

Featuring: John Doman, Kathleen Littlfield, Francisco Solorzano & Ashley Marie Ortiz

Live Music: TBA

SYNOPSIS:

Orville is trying to get on with his life after his wife was killed in a car accident. His father is mostly taking care of his still unnamed infant daughter while his boss as work is aggressively trying to comfort him. Everything changes when he sees the man responsible for his wife's death. Is someone in this much pain capable of forgiveness?


ALL READINGS will take place at:
El Barrio's Artspace PS109
215 East 99th Street, bet. 2nd & 3rd Avenue

MORE INFO ON PLAYS, WHO'S WHO, ENSEMBLE MEMBERS & ARTISTIC ASSOCIATES COMING SOON!

CO-PRODUCERS/PRESENTERS
Hi-ARTS
Kamilah Forbes, Artistic Director
Tiffany Vega, General Manager
Leslie Lissaint, Project Manager

Hi-ARTS (formerly known as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival) is a leading organization within the urban arts movement. For fifteen years, Hi-ARTS has consistently broken new ground, advancing urban art by empowering artists to develop bold new works, while creating a lasting and positive impact on urban communities. Hi-ARTS is adding to the legacy of the HHTF at an exciting stage of growth that engages Hip-Hop while creating the new urban arts. With the move to our new home at PS 109, Hi-ARTS is poised to grow into new realms of artistic creativity, advocacy and service to the arts and the communities in which we live.

Our commitment to this work has developed an audience that is equally unique within the landscape which is young and ethnically and racially diverse. Located at the center of creative and community practice in El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Hi-ARTS engages arts and culture both locally and nationally. Our work is focused on:

Developing and produce new work through performance and the visual arts,
Serving as an incubator that provides a platform for artists while showcasing innovative work of the future,
Facilitating educational programs and opportunities that increase access, participation and diversity in the arts,
Creating a pipeline that produces important works for the field of urban arts.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

2016 bareNaked Reading Series (May)

Our bareNaked Reading Series (no sets, no props, just words) is BACK and better than ever!!! The first round of 2016 plays, presented by Hi-ARTS will take place at El Barrio's Artspace PS109, in NYC. We are thrilled to be hosted by one of our favorite companies in this gorgeous, new venue.

Our first round of plays will be directed by Barefoot's Artistic Directors: Francisco Solorzano (Producing Artistic Director) and Shira-Lee Shalit (Associate Artistic Director) and introducing our newest ensemble member, Paula Pizzi-Black (Actor/Director)!


Monday, May 23rd @ 7pm
THE NEW GIRL by Israel Horovitz (curtain riser; premiere)
directed by Joli Tribuzio
CAST: Michael Pantozzi, Rocky Vega, Mackenzie Lansing, Malachy Silva

&

HELLMOUTH '89 by Mark Borkowski
directed by Francisco Solorzano
CAST: Christopher Whalen, Therese Plahen, Dan Grimaldi, Peter Collier, Marcia Haufrecht, Joan Porter, and Molly Collier.
featuring Live Music by SEBASTIAN ERAKARE



Synopsis: When a mentally disturbed father seeks forgiveness for sins against his family, he asks his son to help him take the only action he believes will fully absolve him: he wants to be crucified. His request unveils the family’s darkest secrets and forces them to confront their demons.
 
Wednesday, May 25th @ 7pm
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU by Jan Rosenberg
Directed by Shira-Lee Shalit
CAST: Jake Cannavale, Reyna de Courcy, David Potters, Kara Young, Kathryn Danielle, Gates Leonard and Maria Paz Alegre.
featuring Live Music by ADAM COHEN! 


Synopsis:  Following someone to the hospital after they’ve had a seizure on the L train isn’t the most ideal way to make friends, but it’s how Caden meets Mae. Suddenly he's sucked into twisted game where pain and shock value gives you the highest score. What’s Wrong With You is a play about the dangerous measures we take to seek human connection—or avoid it entirely.


Friday, May 27th @ 7pm
FABULOUS MONSTERS by Diana Burbano
Directed by Paula Pizzi-Black
CAST: Ashely Marie Ortiz, Jennifer Henriquez, Maggie Bofill, Barbara English, Domenica Salame, Brian Tarantina and Allison Anderegg.
featuring Live Music by THE RUNGS!


Synopsis: When punk rock exploded in L.A., Sally and Lou were there: feminists, Latinas, queens of noise. One went pop, one stayed punk, but sparks from their tumultuous friendship remain. Decades later, can they overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did?

All readings will feature pre&post show LIVE MUSIC and FREE DRINKS sponsored by Sixpoint Brewery. Suggested Donation: $5.

RESERVATIONS are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - email barefootrsvp@aol.com with DATE of reading you'd like to attend in subject line. We will email you back ONLY if there's a problem.

STAY TUNED: June readings will future works by Micheline Auger, Amina Henry and Adam Szymkowicz.

CO-PRODUCERS/PRESENTERS - Hi-ARTS
Kamilah Forbes, Artistic Director; Tiffany Vega, General Manager; Leslie Lissaint, Project Manager


Hi-ARTS (formerly known as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival) is a leading organization within the urban arts movement. For fifteen years, Hi-ARTS has consistently broken new ground, advancing urban art by empowering artists to develop bold new works, while creating a lasting and positive impact on urban communities. Hi-ARTS is adding to the legacy of the HHTF at an exciting stage of growth that engages Hip-Hop while creating the new urban arts. With the move to our new home at PS 109, Hi-ARTS is poised to grow into new realms of artistic creativity, advocacy and service to the arts and the communities in which we live.

Our commitment to this work has developed an audience that is equally unique within the landscape which is young and ethnically and racially diverse. Located at the center of creative and community practice in El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Hi-ARTS engages arts and culture both locally and nationally. Our work is focused on:

Developing and produce new work through performance and the visual arts,
Serving as an incubator that provides a platform for artists while showcasing innovative work of the future, Facilitating educational programs and opportunities that increase access, participation and diversity in the arts,
Creating a pipeline that produces important works for the field of urban arts.


Special thanks to Alaina Albertson, The Actors Studio, Primary Stages, LABrinth Theater Co., Hi-ARTS, Amina Henry, Cecilia Copeland, Gilberto Perez-Abraham, Dedra Woods, Adam Szymkowicz, Stephanie Elam.