What a gift it was to be included in Ren Gyo Soh's First Anniversary Party, celebrating a year since it's initial founding. I was able to perform an excerpt from The Ume Group's Dream Dances and premiere a new piece choreographed by Ren Gyo Soh's Yokko; a Butoh exploration of Hamlet entitled The Name of Action.
truthordare In Process/ Void's Farewell Performance
The Void Theater Company is working on a research process in several stages.
We invite you to be a part of it.
Your feedback keeps the work growing and your ticket-by-donation helps to sustain Void- an ensemble of independent artists from NYC.
Directed by: Leni Mendez
Music by Emilio Cordero Checa
Lighting by: Robin Dill
Featuring:
Julia Cavagna
Clarissa Hoffmann
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones
Marie Putko
Lauren Sky
Keelie A. Sheridan
Yokko
Almost everyone has played 'truth or dare.' Most people know its rules and regulations. You have the choice to either answer a question as truthfully as possible or perform a dare, but you are always at the mercy of your fellow players. Even in the most familiar and intimate circles, the game can quickly turn dangerous.
$10 admission- CASH ONLY.
253 W.28th St (black unmarked door west of 253 entrance). RSVP to voidtheatercompany@gmail.com.
The Céilí Ensemble Showcase- Friday, April 10th
The Céilí Ensemble Showcase
Friday, April 10th- 8p
The Church of Grace & St. Paul- 123 W. 71st St., NY, NY
Under the direction of Keelie A. Sheridan, The Ume Group's Winter/Spring 2015 Training Ensemble invites you to join them for a FREE evening of traditional (and not so traditional) Irish social dancing. Be sure to bring a dish, drink or dessert to share at the potluck celebration to follow. This is an Ume Group tradition, not to be missed!
Featuring:
Samantha Keogh
Ariel Lauryn
Adam Berard
Alessandra Simeone
Agnes Koci
Karina Sindicich
There is no fee for admission. Make a donation if you have a good time!
Click here to RSVP on Facebook.
Read my article on the process of modernizing Irish social dance- Contemporizing and Recontextualizing Tradition on The Ume Group Blog.
Watch a video of The Céilí Ensemble dancing with strangers in the Times Sq. Subway Station on St. Padraig's Day 2015.
Dream Dances Closes.
The Ume Group's Dream Dances began development in October. Through five months of training (butoh, gymnastics, yoga nidra, physical theatre), dream journaling and sketching, the ensemble- Kate Douglas, Fabio Motta, Mike McNulty, Byron Hagan and myself- led by director Jordan Rosin (assisted by Yokko and Christian Leadley) devised what has been one of the greatest sources of pride and growth in my career thusfar. Resisting the urge to be easily classified or marketed as 'all this' or 'all that,' we were led through a process that challenged our limits as performers, building new skills and developing new senses for intimate, authentic and resonant storytelling. I have nothing but gratitude for Jordan, the team and the wildly supportive and enthusiastic audiences that shared this journey with us. On to the next.
Photos by Jorge Luna Photography.
St. Padraig's Day Times Sq. Subway Ceili
I grew up in an Irish dancing family, which meant St. Padraig's day was huge in my house. My sisters and I were excused from school each year to tour New York's Capital Region with our dance school, The Wild Irish Acres School of Irish Dance, performing at assemblies, in pubs, in parks and of course at the local Ancient Order of Hibernians. We'd stop between gigs for ice cream from Stewarts (free cones if you wore green!) and corned beef & cabbage and stay out way too late for school aged kids, generally having an absolute blast. My favorite part of every performance was the ceili- a social dance where everyone's a participant.
It's been years since I've been able to celebrate with my first dance school, but the joy of ceili has stayed very present in my mind and in my creative practice. I'm currently directing The Ceili Ensemble with The Ume Group- we're working on contemporizing the form while revering the tradition and embracing it's interactive, participatory roots- and we had a rehearsal scheduled for the 17th! It, of course, made perfect sense to bring our work to the people of NYC spending the night out celebrating Irish culture!
A simple sign explained our antics and we paused frequently to welcome onlookers and newcomers. Some stood and watched. Some filmed. Some danced. What an honor.
It was, to be brief, a smashing success. Like magic, friends and strangers emerged from the crowd and jumped in to share the Bonfire Dance, the Bridge of Athlone and the Siege of Ennis. It was a privilege and an honor to witness the beauty of strangers coming together to enjoy music, movement and each other's presence.
Save the date- on Friday, April 10th at 8p, The Ceili Ensemble will host a ceili at 123 W 71st St. Free to all!
And a very special thanks to Jorge Luna for the photos and video.
Dream Dances Begins Previews March 5th
Ren Gyo Soh Fundraiser Performance- April 18th
Save the date- I'll be performing a Butoh piece directed by Yokko at Ren Gyo Soh's 1st Birthday Party Fundraiser at the ABC Sanctuary, along with a bill of other exciting performances.
The Harper's Play- That's A Wrap!
Things got delightfully weird at JackNY the past two weekends as The Harper's Play, presented by Chooptown. What a privilege it was to play with Sarah Buffmanti, Matt Kohlrais, Aron Cantor and Andre Harris under the direction of Marty Brown, with an insane and brilliant script by Paul Ketchum, stage managed by Sophie Silleck and designed by Sarah Bruning Johnston and Sarah Engelman Brown.
Don't think you've heard the last from this team.
Void Theater Company's truth or dare
Void Theater Company's Fall Lab performance of truth or dare was a magically explosive and intimate experience shared with a small, invited audience in our private space on December 2nd, 2014. It's an honor and a privilege to collaborate with the lady-powerhouses of Void- voraciously talented dancers, actors and singers. We'll continue to develop this piece in the spring lab with plans for more public sharings in 2015. Void Theater Company is directed by Leni Mendez and consists of Leah Beltran, Julia Cavagna, Clarissa Hoffmann, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, Lauren Lamalino, Marie Putko with sound by Emilio Cordero.
Rehearsal shots below by Jorge Luna.
The Harper's Play rides again- Feb 2015 at JACK
After previous lives at Dixon Place and the 2014 Prelude Festival, The Harper's Play by Paul Ketchum, directed by Marty Brown, will return in February 2015- bigger and better than ever before, this time at Jack NY, February 5-14th, 2015. Maybe I'll be reprising my roles as Nancy Silberkleit or Monique Mabelly. Maybe I'll be playing something completely different. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
George J Mitchell Scholars Announced- Hint: You Know One!
It still feels a bit surreal. I'm thrilled to announce that I've been selected as one of the twelve 2016 George J Mitchell Scholars from across the US. I'll be traveling to Dublin in the fall of 2015 to pursue my MFA in Theatre Directing at Trinity College's The Lir Academy. To say it's an honor is an understatement. Each year the US Ireland Alliance sponsors the George J Mitchell Scholarship which sends students with outstanding scholastic achievements, commitments to their communities and contributions to their fields to Ireland for a year of post-graduate study. There has only ever been one other CUNY student to receive this award- I'm honored to be representing Brooklyn College and the CUNY system internationally.
Pictured above are the twenty finalists with Ambassador Anne Anderson, Ambassador David O'Sullivan and Serena Wilson- Director of the Mitchell Scholarship Program.
Emerging Voices Trailer- Fall 2014
The production quality is a reflection of my super-stretched schedule at the moment, but the kids shine through. Hear what some of the students in my Emerging Voices programming have to say.
Butoh Workshop with Yokko of Ren Gyo Soh
After a lengthy and intensive Void rehearsal Saturday AM, I hopped down to the ABC Sanctuary for a butoh workshop led by fellow Void dancer (and Ume Group member), Yokko- the founder of Ren Gyo Soh. It was an honor to explore and share deeply personal dances with this generous and open group. Many thanks, Yokko, for a beautiful afternoon!
The Ume Group's 'Dream Dances' Sketching Phase
After weeks of butoh, yoga nidra, acrobatics and physical theatre training along with intensive dream journaling, the ensemble has begun to sketch some of our most vivid, poignant, curious or personally stirring dreams using the ensemble to create representations of or responses to elements of within these stories.
Below is an image from last night's initial sketch directed by ensemble member Mike McNulty. The process has been challenging, invigorating and extremely fertile for me thusfar. Look out for more updates. Dream Dances will be performed March 5-7th 2015 at Grace & St. Paul's Church- 173 W. 71st St, NY NY.
Void Theater Company- Save the Date
I'm thrilled to have become a member of the Void Theatre Company. I'm humbled to belong to this octet of insanely talented female performance artists, headed by the inspiring Leni Mendez.
Our objective is to represent and promote artistic and cultural interests of a cosmopolitan nature. Theater, cinema, dance, music and plastic arts are utilized through an inclusive and multiethnic lens. We provoke the creation of an open space, a meeting point, exploration, fusion of new artistic languages incited by the cultural exchange fermented in New York City, whose cosmopolitan character makes it the ideal laboratory to create and "believe" art in this manner.
We'll be opening our doors and showing this fall's work on Sunday, November 30th at 8:30p in Manhattan. Details to follow. Please save the date.
The Harper's Play
Participating in this year's Prelude Festival was a delightfully odd whirlwind of a weekend. Part of a 12-month installment, I had the opportunity to play Nancy Silberkleit and Monique Mabelly in Paul Ketchum's adaptation of the February 2014 issue of Harper's Magazine. Paul said "From cover to cover, The Harper’s Play translates the entirety of the February 2014 issue of Harper’s Magazine to the stage (including the articles, advertisements, copyright info, and font). It features A-10 Warthogs refusing to bomb civilians, parents venting about their adopted children on a Yahoo message board, and a puzzle that is very difficult. Among other things, you will probably learn some surprising statistics by watching, which is excellent." Many thanks to Paul Ketchum and the rest of the Harper's Magazine Play team for letting me romp around in this wild piece.
'Mercy of Trees' at the Jefferson Market Library
I'm grateful beyond words to have been a part of Russell Brown's Mercy of Trees directed by Luis Villabon. I had the privilege of playing the Lady of Light opposite Kamaria Dailey's Mother of Darkness.
This immersive theatre piece led audiences through the beautiful Jefferson Market Library's Gardens and then into the former courthouse, incorporating dance and music into an evening of storytelling.
Our team is so grateful to the large and generous audience who attended and surrendered to this non-traditional experiences. I look forward to many future collaborations with this team.
The Ume Group's 'Dream Dances'
I'm humbled and thrilled to join The Ume Group as a company and ensemble member for the 2014-2015 season to collaborate on their new piece, 'Dream Dances.' I'll be working closely with a diverse, talented and inspiring team to use butoh, yoga, meditation and gymnastics to create a movement piece that explores the world of sleep and dreams. Performances will be March 5-7, 2015 at Grace & St. Paul's Church on 71st St. Stay tuned for more details.
Sam's Tea Shack TICKETS
Get 'em while they're hot. http://dixonplace.org/performances/sams-tea-shack/
Sam's Tea Shack- September 23rd @ Dixon Place
Sam's Tea Shack
inspired by the storytelling of Sam Soghor
written and directed by Ben Gassman
making use of transcribed conversations with Sam Soghor and Eliza Bent
Featuring: Sam Soghor, Keelie A. Sheridan, Robert Garbarino and Eliza Bent
Tuesday, September 23 @ 7:30PM
Dixon Place: 161A Chrystie St., btwn Rivington & Delancey
ticket info coming soon
Somewhere between visiting his uncle in Los Angeles and relocating to one of Calvino's more inscrutable Invisible Cities, Sam decided to open a tea shack, here, in our town. Please come and join him, Keelie, and Eliza for tea and the famed vegetarian tea snacks of Chef Robert Garbarino. Sam's Tea Shack is a transportable way-station as play. Or as Sam describes it: "it's about cultural identity versus national identity. It's a comedy." So stop in from the road for bottomless tea, vegetarian chopped liver, genealogical conjecture and irreverent storytelling.