SAINT JOAN - Reviews & Photos

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two weeks since we opened SAINT JOAN, as the ensemble has been deep in the work of teching and prepping DOCTOR FAUSTUS since the moment JOAN was fully on it's feet, but nevertheless, here we are.  Not only have the reviews been very kind to us, we also have some gorgeous production photos from Shawn May to entice you to see the show for yourself.  Here's a dose of both:

Jim Rutter, for the Philadelphia Inquirer, calls it, "a powerhouse, actor-driven production," and adds, "Leigha Kato's Joan inspires. [Her performance] is beyond compare, a singularity of passion and energy."

David Fox, for Philadelphia Magazine, lauds, "Rebecca Wright's staging reinforces the core sense of the play as an arena for vigorous philosophical debate," and adds, "The ensemble deserves congratulations, with special praise to Sean Close and Josh Carpenter (who are best at the Shavian banter), and Gregory Isaac, (whose performance as Peter Cauchon is heartbreaking in it's emotional directness)."

And Mark Cofta, for the Broad Street Review, notes that, "Brian Sidney Bembridge's powerful lighting sculpts the action," along with sound designer Adriano Shaplin's "artful" underscoring, and Nikki Delhomme's "bold" costumes, but concludes, "Most impressive about SAINT JOAN is how it relates to today's world, nearly a century after Shaw wrote it."

SAINT JOAN is scheduled to run through April 22nd, and is produced by the Quintessence Theatre Group at the historic Sedgwick Theatre.  Tickets range from $15-$34.

Leigha Kato as JOAN (Photo by Shawn May)

Andrew Betz as the Dauphin, Leigha Kato as Joan (Photo by Shawn May)

John Basiulis as the Inquisitor, Alan Brincks as Brother Martin, Gregory Isaac as Cauchon (Photo by Shawn May)

Aaron Kirkpatrick as LaHire, Josh Carpenter as Bluebeard, John Basiulis as The Archbishop

THE GOOD GIRL at 59E59

I don't boast about it much, but I am one of the producers for a small NYC theatre company fondly named Joyseekers Theatre, and right now, we have a powerhouse little show enjoying a limited run at 59E59 Theaters.  THE GOOD GIRL, by Emilie Collyer, directed by Adam Fitzgerald, is a dark comedy, sci-fi piece about a woman who works as a madam to a sex robot, the maintenance man who is hired to make repairs, and what happens when the robot begins exhibiting unusual -and illegal - human-like behavior.

(PURCHASE YOUR $18 TICKETS HERE)

My friend and colleague, Leah Gabriel, has shouldered the vast majority of the work getting this project off the ground and running so smoothly - including being featured onstage in the show alongside Giacomo Basessato (with the off-stage robot voiced by Tamara Sevunts).  I'm truly in awe of the size success of her accomplishment.  I'm not the only one.  Glowing reviews have poured in from the critics...

THE NEW YORK TIMES:
"A feminist sci-fi comedy that darkens considerably as it goes along...Ms. Collyer has written a clever examination of sex, longing, memory, gender roles and violence."

THE HUFFINGTON POST:
“Adam Fitzgerald's fast-paced direction and the high-key acting keep the audience riveted.”

NY THEATER GUIDE:
“Leah Gabriel gives a commanding performance as Anjali, providing the perfect measure of conscience and calculating ambition to make her character’s course of action believable. She shares a natural chemistry with Giacomo Baessato that effectively serves the momentum of the plot.”

THEATER PIZZAZZ:
“Collyer’s play with the expert acting and direction keeps us off-balance, riding the seesaw with the characters, tense for the next moments of revelation.”

This is, currently, the final week of performances for THE GOOD GIRL.  It must close at 59E59 this Sunday, February 28th.  Tickets are only $18, and with limited seats available, they are selling fast.  If you are in New York, please go see the fine work on display.

And Finally, a plaintive request: Producing Theatre in New York City - even on the modest scale of THE GOOD GIRL - is incredibly expensive.  Sadly, even strong ticket sales are not enough. Please take a moment, click through this link to the Joyseeker Website and make just a $20 charitible donation to help us defray the costs of the production.  This helps us not only pay rent for the performance space, but also provide reasonable salaries to production staff and designers.  We cannot thank you enough for your support!

Up Next: FAUSTUS and Quintessence's Spring Rep

I'm excited to be returning to the Quintessence Theatre Group on the north side of Philadelphia this spring.  They have invited me back as part of their ensemble for their upcoming Spring Rep.  I'll appear, first, in George Bernard Shaw's SAINT JOAN (beginning March 16th), and then will perform the title role in Christopher Marlowe's DOCTOR FAUSTUS (beginning on March 30th).  Both shows will then run in rep through the end of April.

I am thrilled to be back again at QTG, but confess that FAUSTUS presents a daunting task.  The character and the language are both incredibly layered and complex, but more than that, Marlowe is a particular favorite of artistic director, Alexander Burns.  (It's a fact that his Instagram handle is actaully @marlowephl, but you didn't hear that from me.) The ensemble will be helping him bring Marlowe to the Quintessence stage for the first time.  I'm honored to have been asked along for that ride. 

SAINT JOAN will be directed by Rebecca Wright.  Everyone was still buzzing about her recently completed production of THE METAMORPHOSIS when I first arrived at QTG for THE THREE MUSKETEERS a year ago. I'm really looking forward to being in the room with her.  The rest of the rep's ensemble will include folks either very familiar or completely new to me: John Basiulis, Andrew Betz, Alan Brincks, Tom Carman, Josh Carpenter, Sean Close, Ife Foy, Anita Holland, and Leigha Kato.

AND, it's true, I let out the metaphorical equivelent of a serious SQUEEEEEEEEE, when I discovered that not only has Brian Sidney Bembridge been enlisted to design lights for both shows, but Nikki Delhomme will also create costumes for SAINT JOAN.  Both are incredible talents that I had the pleasure of working with on several different occasions in Chicago some years back.  It's always a pleasant surprise to be reminded how small the theatre community real can be.

It's already less than a month until first rehearsals.  I've got a lot of memorizing to do before then...

M O O D with Lloyd Mulvey

Last month I arranged a little photo shoot with the handsome and talented, Mr. Lloyd Mulvey at his Harlem studio.  We didn't have any terribly specific goals in mind other than, as Lloyd subsequently summed up:  M O O D.  

We took a couple of hours and fooled around in the room.  I changed clothes a few times along the way.  I shaved for the first time in three months.  We got some fun stuff.  (And by the way, did I mention that Lloyd Mulvey is a talented fellow?)

THE MANDRAKE Production Photos (& reviews!)

THE MANDRAKE is open! And we've been running in repertory with ROMEO & JULIET (featuring the same cast of 9 actors) for more than a week.

Our notices for both shows have been very good.  Rachel Beecher, for DC Metro Theatre Arts calls our MANDRAKE "a humorous theatrical home run."  Rebecca Rendell, for Talkin' Broadway calls it "a laugh-out-loud funny and downright dirty evening of theater." 

Review for ROMEO & JULIET have been just as good.  Jim Rutter, of the Philadelphia Inquirer calls it "a superbly acted production," with "phenomenal performances from the entire cast."   Kelli Curtin, for Theatre Sensation, states that ours is "an exceptional production of the show." 

Finally, Mark Cofta, reviewing the repertory as a whole, calls MANDRAKE "Inspired lunacy," and says that "witnessing this capable ensemble perform two demanding classics," is a feat that is, "a credit to not only the cast, but also to Alexander Burns, the director of both plays."

The Repertory runs through, at least, November 8th! You can check out the rep schedule and tickets sales here, at Quintessence's website, and a sample of Shawn May's production photos of THE MANDRAKE are below.

Connor Hammond as Siro, Alan Brincks as Callimaco

Gregory Isaac as Nicia, Josh Carpenter as Ligurio

Gregory Isaac as Nicia

Sean Close as Brother Timothy, Emiley Kiser as Lucrezia

Connor Hammond as Siro, Josh Carpenter as Ligurio, Gregory Isaac as Nicia, Sean Close as Brother Timothy

Romeo & Juliet Production Photos

We are in the thick of everything at Quintessence now.  The Fall Rep is now half up, with ROMEO & JULIET having opening a week ago, and the opening night of THE MANDRAKE still a week away.  It's been both awesome and exhausting.  R&J is really starting to hum and I've got a few production photos shot by Shawn May to whet your whistle.  More to come, my friends...

(And you can see more of Shawn May's production photos in Quintessence's Facebook Album by clicking HERE.)

Connor Hammond and Emiley Kiser

Gregory Isaac and Josh Caerpenter

Connor Hammond, Jahzeer Terrell, and Alan Brincks

Jahzeer Terrell

Emiley Kiser and Gregory Isaac

Anita Holland and Emiley Kiser

Gregory Isaac and Emiley Kiser

Upcoming Work! This Fall at Quintessence...

I'm pretty happy to formally announce that I've been booked to return to the Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia this Fall!  They produce a two-show repertory to kick off their season every year, and this year's offerings are Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET and Machiavelli's THE MANDRAKE.  Quintessence artistic director Alex Burns will direct both shows.

I had a pretty incredible time working with QTG this past spring on THE THREE MUSKETEERS and I am really thrilled to be back with them again to kick off their 6th season.  The Rep will feature a 9-actor ensemble and Four of my Musketeer castmates (Alan Brincks, Sean Close, Connor Hammond, and Anita Holland) will also be returning, and we're joined by several other Quintessence mainstays (Josh Carpenter, Ashley Izzard, and Emiley Kiser).  Jahzeer Terrell will also make his Quintessence debut to ensure that I am not, still, the newest member of the QTG roster.

ROMEO & JULIET will open on September 30th.  THE MANDRAKE will start up on October 14th.  Both will then run in repertory through, at least, November 8th at the Sedgwick Theatre in Mt. Airy neighborhood on the Northerly side of Philadelphia.

QTG Season VI graphic designs for ROMEO & JULIET and THE MANDRAKE by Goodloe Byron

NYIT Award Nominations!

We recently got a little bonus news! SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE, the show I was in early last summer, has received a nomination for "Outstanding Ensemble" from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards for the '14/'15 theatre season!!

The NYIT Awards are the Off-Off-Broadway awards, and they cover a large range of participating productions during their 12 month judging cycle.

It's been over a year since we closed SHORT LIFE, and rehearsals began in April last year, but I was first invited to an early workshop of the script waaaay back in July of 2013.  Now we get to keep talking about it all the way to the NYIT Awards Ceremony in mid-September.  (You'll find photos and selected music recordings from this show if you click here.)

It was an honor to be 1/9th of that cast, and I was equally honored to have my name listed on the big screen with each of them tonight at the nomination announcement party.  And, we'd have been much diminished without the support of our creative & production staff: Eric P. Holm, Jill Woodward, Kat Holland, Anastasia Romantsova, Michael McGee, Peter Mills Weiss, Christina Rene Polhemus, and Brian Morvant.  

Congrats to ALL of the nominees! See you in September!

Photo by Anastasia Romantsova

Praise for Quintessence's THE THREE MUSKETEERS

As rewarding as this process has been, until a week ago, we lacked that crucial final element: our audience.  I almost always enjoy the creative process, and it is often very gratifying in and of itself, but the end result of the work is, hopefully, to entertain, to stir emotion, to provoke thought.  Given the alternatives, we would all much prefer to succeed at these goals than not, and I am pleased to report that our production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS by the Quintessence Theatre Group has received resounding, universal praise.

Wendy Rosenfield, for the Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
"What is it about The Three Musketeers that still captures our imagination? Quintessence Theatre Group's new adaptation makes some excellent arguments for its continued longevity...  What prevails in these Musketeers is their joie de vivre. This production covers only the book's first half, leaving open the possibility that the Musketeers may soon ride again. Let's hope they do, and that once again, they bring this fantastic team along with them."

Lynn Hoffman writing for the BroadStreet Review:
"The production in the round is a masterpiece, intimately presented in the jewel-box Sedgwick Theater. As is usually the case at Quintessence, the cast is superb."

Kathryn Osenlund for Curtain Up:
"Quintessence's own in-house adapters have connected this series of astutely curated dramatic scenes. It would have been so easy to make a muddle of it, but [they] have achieved an admirable clarity with their script. Deftly directed by Alexander Burns; [with] remarkable dual performances by the strong cast."

Mark Cofta for the City Paper:
"The bare stage allows maximum space for Ian Rose's terrifically witty battles, including a five-on-four sword fight that's a work of choreographic brilliance.  [This show] is never dull."

And the production has been "Barrymore Recommended" by Philadelphia's prestigious professional theatre awards program.

And we've only just begun! I'm having a great time, and I'm looking forward to playing with this cast and crew for most of the next month. Come see for yourself!

The Historic Sedgwick Movie Palace

Exterior of the Sedgwick Theater in the 1940s

Quintessence Theatre Group is housed in the historic Sedgwick Theater in Mount Airy neighborhood on the far north side of Philadelphia.  It was designed by noted architect, William Harold Lee and opened in 1928 as a true “Movie Palace”.  The Sedgwick was a landmark of art deco design, and very much a centerpiece for the neighborhood.  The theatre itself was a 1600+ seat venue and designed with a full stage beneath the large projection screen which was capable of hosting a orchestra to sit and play along live to the silent movies of the day.  (An event which, apparently, happened only rarely, as the “talkies” became commonplace not long after the theatre was opened.)

The massive screening room was fronted by not one, but two large and ornate lobbies which welcomed moviegoers as they entered the building. This, after they passed under a grand, lighted marquee and through the recessed, open-air box office off the sidewalk.  Each room featured high ceilings, chandeliers, deco detail, and the presentation of general grandeur. 

My understanding is that the “average” number of seats in any given screening room at a modern movie house is about 250.  The Sedgwick had more than 1,600, and if a planned balcony had actually been constructed (it was scrapped early on while the theater was still being built), the capacity would have been more than 2,000 seats.

The Fox Theater in Atlanta, which is primarily a venue for concerts and live performances, still offers a movie series most summers.  Capacity there is more than 4,600, and the movie screen is massive.  They have occasionally used the full 75mm prints for certain movies featured in those summer programs.  I was lucky to see 2001, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, STAR WARS, and CITIZEN KANE there in that massive venue.  The Sedgwick lacked the extra balcony seating, and the house was not as wide as the Fox, but the depth of the house and the loft of the ceiling would have been comparable.  How amazing to have a structure like that as your local neighborhood movie house.

The Sedgwick today

The Sedgwick was one of 20 such theaters build in the late 20s in Philadelphia. They all had the great misfortune to open just before the country was buried in the depression and movie palace extravagance began to seem frivolous and unnecessary.  Their presence never fully took hold, and they gradually faded, failed and shuttered their doors.  Only two of them still remain, and although the Sedgwick is one of those two, both exist now in an altered state.

The Sedgwick closed as a movie house in 1966, and the building was split into two halves.  The massive screening room was largely gutted and sold as a warehouse space.  A cinder block wall was erected, cutting it off from the double lobbies that led to it.  My understanding is that the deco ceiling, with the relief for the chandelier, and a large portion of the archway over the proscenium still remain.  The lobbies remained shuttered and dormant for several decades until the building was purchased and repurposed in the mid-90s by David and Betty Ann Fellner.  At that time, the open-air box office was enclosed, and what were originally lobbies became the venue for a cultural center in Mt. Airy. 

What now remains of the original theater, since converted into warehouse work space.

A series of performance companies have taken residence there in the 20 years since, but none were able to successfully root, until Quintessence moved in five years ago and has grown a strong, expanding local audience. The now-enclosed box office is a modest lobby and rehearsal space.  The original entrance lobby offers some storage and still serves as an audience passage-way, and what was the grand, second lobby is now a large, very versatile “black-box” performance space.  There is a great deal of decay, but the architectural archways between the lobbies still exist.  The ceilings are still intact and a beautiful deco, glass chandelier still hangs over what is now the house, but the space below is large and highly convertible into whatever look Quintessence chooses to give it for each production. (THE THREE MUSKETEERS will be performed in the round.)

One of many iterations of the Quintessence performance space in what used to be the Sedgwick's inner lobby.

Hopefully, before our run is over, I’ll find a way to take a peek inside the remnants of the old theater, maybe snap a few photos.  But even if I don’t, it’s still really cool to be working in this space. It’s a big part of the character of the company as a whole, and I think it has a very unique impact on this production.

Musketeer Fights with Ian Rose

One of the real pleasures I’ve had while working on this production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS with Quintessence Theater here in Philadelphia has been the task of representing the talent and craft of our expert fight choreographer, Ian Rose.  Ian has decades of experience, has worked in all mediums, and is adept with both novice and skilled actor combatants alike.

Quintessence has staged a lot of classical theatre.  Swords and combat come along with that material, and so the company has a well-established relationship with Ian.  One of the very first things we did, after several days of table work on the script, was to have a two-hour, general training session with him, reviewing basics, running movement drills, teaching and refreshing thrusts, dodges and parries. 

When I was just starting out professionally, I was a full-on “fight guy”.  I certified with the SAFD, fought in nearly every show I was cast in, and was the fight captain as often as not.  But as one ages, the types of roles you play change, of course, and so I discovered a lot of rusty spots in what were once well-honed fight skills.  Ian’s efficient guidance – and a cast filled with highly experienced fighters – has made it easy for me to recover some lost ground and feel good about what I’m doing again.  I’ve even learned a couple of new tricks. 

Ian has put a lot of trust in the cast’s collective skills with the work.  Six of the eleven who fight have, at some point, certified with the SAFD, and the other five all have some fight training in their past.  So, Ian has put a lot of trust in us to work quickly and to look good doing it.  I can tell you, as an observer, there will be some very graceful and talented men swinging pointy metal objects at each other in this show, and Ian Rose is at the core of it all.

Ian Rose (far right) works with J. Connor Hammond and Ken Sandberg on the Musketeer stage

OUR BAR: "Wake" photos by Eric Vogel

Eric Vogel captured some fun production photos last month during the performances of OUR BAR: "Wake".  He was kind enough to share them with us.  Here's a few snippets of the fun Lloyd Mulvey & I (playing a couple of experienced grave diggers), and Lindsey Ashlen (playing the novice funeral director who hired us), had during our scenes together.  (And much more or Eric Vogel's work can be found here.)