Thursday, July 29, 2010

Dada Interview with Nicole Smith

Nicole Smith is the stage manager for our upcoming production The Altoona Dada Society Presents The Velvet Gentleman. She comes to us fresh off of her stage management internship at The Juilliard School.

We expect great things of Nicole, which is why we coerced her into taking part in our little Dada Interview.

1.) Finish this sentence: Dada is...

Nicole: Dada is an open mind and the belief that anything is possible.


2.) What was Anton Chekhov’s shoe size?

Nicole: Twelve.


3.) Do we like you?

Nicole:
You only work with people you like so I hope!


4.) Tell us who your influences are without using the letters "i" or “c”.

Nicole:
Kent Sorensen was my 1st drama teacher. He let me learn to be a Stage Manager on my own. Nature, love, the human world, emoveres


5.) Describe the show as a flavor of Ice Cream.

Nicole:
Mint Chocolate Chip. Refreshing with a hint of pleasure.


6.) Why do I keep hearing Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" everywhere?

Nicole: Sometimes all you need to do is relax and go with the flow.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Dada Interview with John-Patrick Driscoll

The Altoona Dada Society Presents The Velvet Gentleman is John-Patrick Driscoll's first show with Playlab NYC. J.P. is playing Altoona Dada Society member Ben Killcoyne.

Mr. Driscoll came highly recommended by Loss of Breath alum Erik Gratton, so if this comes to a bad end we will blame Erik.

We think he must have enjoyed this Dada Interview more than most of the cast because it took him days to get us his answers.

1.) Finish this sentence: Dada is...

J.P.: Dada is correct.

2.) What was William Shakespeare’s favorite color?

J.P.: Red.

3.) Do we like you?

J.P.: Not yet, you should start in about a week or two.

4.) Tell us who your influences are without using the letters "i" or “c”.

J.P.: Robert Downey, Jr.

5.) Explain the show using only names of exercises and alcoholic beverages.

J.P.: Bourbon, absinthe, scotch, sit ups, side bends, stretches.

6.) When in the course of human events?

J.P.: Three pickles.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Jennifer Wilcox reading at The Soundtrack Series

Back in April we wrote a little bit about Sean Williams' and Dana Rossi's Soundtrack Series at Waltz-Astoria.

Each month Sean and Dana gather six writers to present an exciting mix tape of ten-minute monologues about "the memories, stories, or tirades triggered every time they hear a particular song of their choosing."

In that previous post Kevin wrote about the series that, "Jennifer and I have both talked about being inspired to reflect on the soundtrack of our own lives. Who knows, maybe we'll end up with a monologue of our own."

Well that time has come, at least for Jennifer. If you are in the Astoria area this coming Thursday, July 29 at 8:00, please come out to cheer Jennifer on at The Soundtrack Series #6. She will be reading a monologue she's written about how the Jane's Addiction song "Jane Said" takes her back to a 1991 road trip to Niagara Falls.

There's no cover, but there is a $10 minimum purchase. It's a coffee shop, but you will find beer and a very tasty sangria.

The Soundtrack Series #6

July 29, 2010, 8pm

Waltz Astoria,

2314 Ditmars Boulevard

N/Q to the Ditmars stop. Between 23rd and 24th Streets

We hope to see you there.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Dada Interview with Robert Leeds

Robert Leeds ("Bob" to those in the know) is returning to FringeNYC with us having appeared in last summer's Professor Ralph's Loss of Breath. Bob is playing Altoona Dada Society Anti-Artistic Director Frank Rector.

We are very happy to have Mr. Leeds back with us, as long as he refrains from improvising soliloquies from Macbeth during performance. We decided to test his patience by conducting a little thing we are calling our Dada Interview.

1.) Finish this sentence: Dada is...

Bob: Dada is windowsill.

2.) What did Anton Chekhov taste like?

Bob: A cherry orchard.

3.) Do we like you?

Bob: That should correctly read: Do we, as you? And as I, you do.

4.) Tell us who your influences are without using the letters "i" or “c”.

Bob: Osar Wlde, Dorothy Parker, P.G. Woodhouse, Ra Gershwn, Ole Porter, Stephen Sondhem, and Marel Mareau.

5.) Describe the show as a flavor of Ice Cream.

Bob: Rocky Road.

6.) Is the sky blue? Why?

Bob: 42.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Dada Interview with Lisa Altomare

UPDATE: It appears that Lindsey Lane has started blogging!

Lisa Altomare is joining us at Playlab NYC for the first time. She is playing Altoona Dada Society member Lindsey Lane. Lindsey Lane is the Broadway veteran of the ADS, having appeared in Your Own Thing, Rockabye Hamlet, and Merlin.

Lisa on the other hand was most recently seen in Now the Cats with Jewelled Claws , part of Target Margin's Unknown Williams Lab. She has played the role of Mrs. Dilber in the McCarter Theater's A Christmas Carol for four seasons.

We sat down with Lisa at the first day of rehearsal and picked her brain with our Dada Interview.

1.) Finish this sentence: Dada is...

Lisa: Dada is only when I am alone.

2.) What was Henrik Ibsen's favorite color?

Lisa: Gray. (But really - pink.)

3.) Do we like you?

Lisa: Obviously, I'm exceptionally lovable.

4.) Tell us who your influences are without using the letters "i" or “c”.

Lisa: My ats and dog.

5.) How would you explain the show in three gestures to my four-year-old son?

Lisa: Happy Face! Clapping Hands! Tumbling!

6.) Why is the sky blue?

Lisa: Pudding with raisins!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Dada Interview with Jon Steinhagen

Jon Steinhagen is a good friend of Playlab NYC. Artistic Director Kevin P. Hale first met Jon back in 1998 when Kevin helped produce a workshop of Emma & Company at North Shore Music Theatre. Kevin went on to direct the New York premiere of the Judy Freed and Jon Steinhagen musical adaptation of Edna Ferber's short stories at the Wings Theater in 2001.

Since then Jon and Kevin have collaborated a musical based on Charles G. Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao. Last summer Playlab NYC produced a collection of some of Jon's short plays, Perfectly Natural at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. In December 2009, with Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), we produced a twenty hour reading of The Arresting Dilemma of Mr. K, a musical written in collaboration with John Sparks.

We recently emailed Jon, who lives in the Chicago area, a little dada interview to get a some insight into man who created the Altoona Dada Society.

1.) Finish this sentence: Dada is...

Jon: Dada is Turner & Hooch.

2.) What was Anton Chekhov’s favorite color?

Jon: Blood red.

3.) What shouldn't we know about you?

Jon: My private life from February 1998 thru August 2001.

4.) Tell us who your influences are without using the letters "i" or “c”.

Jon: Wyll Eno. Neal Symon. Eyerah Gershwynn. Rynne Groff.

5.) Explain the show using only names of exercises and alcoholic beverages.

Jon: Running in place/absinthe/running in place/absinthe (repeat for 18 more cycles).

6.) If you could medal in any Olympic sport, what would it be? And if not, could you medal in a new Olympic sport that you created, and if so what would that sport be?

Jon: I always pay special attention to anything with a 4 and a 7.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Welcome 2: The Re-Welcoming

At the beginning of May, Playlab NYC props artisan, Edison Matthew Hale while trying to hide from his father under the kitchen table pulled on the tablecloth and smashed Playlab NYC's laptop on the floor. Along with the death of the computer was the death of the website, and by extension the Playground blog.

As I always say, "Mary Kay Sara Sarah."

In the six or so weeks since then, Playlab NYC managing director, Jennifer Wilcox has been hard at work trying to rebuild the site. One of the decisions that we made during the reconstruction was to move our blog off campus and into a blogger.com account.

Our new account, being a part of the cutting edge will allow, comments from readers (assuming that we have any), and a wide variety of other features that modern day blogs have, but our old Playground did not have.

We hope to have a lot of new entries soon, and will make a better effort to keep you apprised of all the goings on at Playlab NYC.