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writemarcus · 6 years

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Falling Forward with Athena Theatre at Symphony Space

Title: Help Who’s Next / Playwright: Kathryn Funkhouser / Actors: Shavanna Calder, Kelsey Peterson, Steve Hoose / Company: Athena Theatre

Athena Theatre develops off-beat, irreverent, thought-provoking and entertaining new plays that address modern issues. FALLING FORWARD: an evening of ten-minute plays by Athena Writes 2018, performed at Symphony Space on May 16, 2018, is another of Athena Theatre’s successful productions. Without being dogmatic or preachy, FALLING FORWARD’s plays broach topical issues, from guns and domestic violence to gender norms and marriage constructs, by making them personal. The surprising thematic through-line of the evening’s slate of plays, though, is our (we, humans’) aching need to be seen and known.

Thus far this year, there have been nearly 5,000 gun deaths, more than 18,000 gun incidents, and 100 mass shootings in the U.S according to the Gun Violence Archive. It’s no wonder, then, that guns and/or gun violence feature in the plots of three of FALLING FORWARD’s plays: Help Who’s Next by Kathryn Funkhouser; Natural Selection by Marcus Scott; and Shooting Janine by Kate Thomas.

Help Who’s Next presents possible multiverses where a congressman, his social media manager, and a barrista repeatedly intersect after a mass shooting. Ms. Funkhouser’s various iterations of the scene reveal the characters’ inner lives and conflicting priorities, and the unexpected confrontations that result. The play’s final deconstruction of dialogue, where each character spouts snippets of lines and words previously spoken by a different character, is hauntingly moving, and was affectingly performed by Shavanna Calder, Kelsey Peterson, and Steve Hoose.

The eponymous Janine in Ms. Thomas’s play is the personification of a pink rhinestone girly gun. Janine is sexy, empowering, and deadly. And Janine aims to seduce the women who hold her to kill men. All men. Just ask the two sisters who’ve just met Janine in the woods: one of whom killed her shooting instructor at Janine’s behest, and the other may be inspired to kill her husband as soon as she gets home. Actors Lea Garcia-McKenna, Emj Nelson, and Estelle Bajou gleefully inhabited the characters of Shooting Janine, underscoring Ms. Thomas’s play with abundant physical humor.

The opening beat of Natural Selection introduces us to Troy, Trevor, and Travis, three young Asian-American men, as they’re comparing the size of their penises, and it gets a big laugh. But, once the threesome completes that task, the audience must bear witness to the boys’ plot to shoot up their school’s ESL (English as a Second Language) building. This act, they reason, is an expression of their patriotism and full assimilation as Americans. As their individual commitment to their plot wanes and waxes, we learn that, at the heart of their planned mass shooting, is these loners’ desire for fame and recognition.

Two of FALLING FORWARD’s plays explore the strains that absence and secrets place on a marriage. Martha Pichey’s Drowning on Dry Land introduces us to Eliza, a whaling captain’s wife, profoundly dissatisfied with the long periods of separation required by her husband’s profession. She defies societal and gender norms by studying to be a navigator during his absence. Upon his return, Eliza’s demand –that next time, they go to sea together– forces her husband to adjust his image of her (as a stereotypical frail woman), and accept her for the independent, smart (and sexual), partner she is. In A Departure, the playwright, Grant MacDermott, investigates the corrosive effect on a marriage of a spouse’s secret, and considers what is the effect if the other spouse knows the secret but chooses to hide that knowledge? How can either party be truly seen, truly encountered when so much is concealed. Anna Holbrook and Alan Simon portray the long-married couple naturalistically and humorously, but Ms. Holbrook’s performance of the wife’s monologue near the end of the play was breathtaking.

Freddie Jay Fulton’s portrayal of the teenage boy in boys don’t look at boys by Jeremy O’Brian was also impactful. In turns brash, funny, poignant, and vulnerable, Mr. Fulton fully embodied Mr. O’Brian’s multi-faceted, heart-wrenching character. boys don’t look at boys asks what does it take to truly see another? How can we encourage recognition of the vulnerable other, especially among boys and men who are socialized to use humor and a veneer of self-sufficiency to mask weakness? Does it take a crisis to lift the blinders?

In Waiting, or Something Equally Tragic by Leila Teitelman and The Marsh by Nora Sørena Casey, the plays ask: what is a person’s rock-bottom and what does one do when they hit it? Ms. Teitelman’s play deals with the sisterhood’s varying responses to domestic violence, and uses the characters’ waiting for a bus as a metaphor for the emotional reckoning necessary for transition. In keeping with the “failure-to-be-seen” theme of the evening, in both Waiting … and The Marsh, characters purposefully obscure parts of themselves, despite their desperate need for recognition, support, and kinship.

Photography by BittenByAZebra, Athena Theatre

Additionally, FALLING FORWARD presented: The Meadows by Isaac Allen Miller, imagining a future where submitting to medical trials is a means of obtaining healthcare and paying down consumer debt; Amuka by Judah Skoff, considering the draw of prayer as a means of pursuing one’s desires; and Out of the Box by Flo Ankah, positing that a young woman’s genius is the magical genie that allows her to be powerful, purposeful, and seen.

FALLING FORWARD, produced by Veronique Ory, Artistic Director of Athena Theatre, and directed by Veronica Dang, presented talented actors showcasing a group of formidable writers. Remember their names: you’ll see them in lights.

Sherry Bokser is a NYC-based playwright. Her plays include R/Evolution (Characters Ink), With the Best of Intentions (360 Repco), Sally and Sibyl (The Players), and collaborative work includes The Pulse Project (Steppenwolf Theatre/Judson Church); All Hail (360 Repco); and Marvelous Country (Great Plains Theatre Conference/WPIC Mumbai). Sherry is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the ICWP.

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hobbylandlord · 6 years

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writemarcus · 6 years

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Athena Theatre Presents "FALLING FORWARD" An Evening of Ten-Minute Plays

Playwrights

Flo Ankah, Nora Sorena Casey, Kathryn Funkhouser, Grant MacDermott, Isaac Allen Miller, Jeremy O’Brian, Martha Pichey, Marcus Scott, Judah Skoff, Leila Teitelman, Kate Thomas

Starring

Estelle Bajou, Shavanna Calder, Sunny Choi, Peter Ducanson, Tanya Everett, Freddie Jay Fulton, Mark Andrew Garner, Steve Hoose, Anna Holbrook, Tim Liu, Lea McKenna-Garcia, EmJ Nelson, Marilyn Oran, Amy Patterson, Jenny Paul, Kelsey Peterson, Alan Simon, Chris Roe

Directed by Veronica Dang

Leonard Nemoy Theatre at Symphony Space 2537 Broadway at 95th 212 864 5400 One night only. May 16th 2018

In this world of limited attention span, plays of timely topics that are only 10 minutes each are very much appreciated. Writers and actors collaborated to give us insights into racism, murder, magic, marriage, religion, ghosts and angels, homosexuality, healthcare, and domestic terror. The discovery of self and the meaning of life cleverly wafted through each of these original pieces.

Some were extraordinary, some were interesting, and only a few were just fair. FALLING FORWARD: An Evening of Ten-Minute Plays has enough to hold almost everyone’s attention, and if you aren’t captivated by one of the plays, just wait. The next one will make you glad you came.

- Ronni Burns -

#Athena Theatre #Falling Forward #Athena Writes #Symphony Space #Natural Selection #Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #WriteMarcus #Write Marcus #asian men #mass shooting #mass shooters #school shooting #theatre #theatre review

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writemarcus · 6 years

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Developing world premieres of off-beat and irreverent psychological dramas and dark comedies that challenge traditional stereotypes. Athena produces theatre that entertains, informs, enlightens, questions and deepens audience awareness of vital modern issues.

Athena Theatre's new playwright group, Athena Writes, selected eleven playwrights assembled for a one-year exploration of the theme: "Falling Forward," and centered on Athena Theatre's commitment to supporting new work which pushes at the boundaries of live theatre.

Flo Ankah Nora Sørena Casey Kathryn Funkhouser Grant MacDermott Isaac Allen Miller Jeremy O'Brian Martha Pichey Marcus Scott Judah Skoff Leila Teitelman Kate Thomas

Playwrights were asked to write a short, 10 minute play for production.

FALLING FORWARD: an evening of ten minute plays by Athena Writes 2018

Directed by Veronica Dang

Starring: Estelle Bajou, Craig Braun, Shavanna Calder, Sunny Choi, Peter Duncanson, Tanya Everett, Freddie Jay Fulton, Mark Andrew Garner, Steve Hoose, Anna Holbrook, Diana Huey, Tim Liu, Lea McKenna-Garcia, EmJ Nelson, Marilyn Oran, Jenny Paul, Kelsey Petersen and Chris Roe

Out of the Box by Flo Ankah Plume is about the give up when a mysterious Genie appears and ignites her purpose.

The Marsh by Nora Sørena Casey Shawn goes camping with his friends and he's a total bummer. Where can you escape to after the woods?

Help Who's Next by Kathryn Funkhouser When a cycle repeats, there are conversations we expect. Would it be the same if we gave the words away - or stole them?

A Departure by Grant MacDermott A piece about a marriage and the role that secrets play in them.

The Meadows by Isaac Allen Miller An exciting new frontier in the privatization of healthcare!

boys don't look at boys by Jeremy O'Brian a play about remembering to look

Drowning on Dry Land by Martha Pichey When a whaling captain's wife can no longer bear the waiting, will courage or convention win out when she demands to be taken to sea?

Natural Selection by Marcus Scott Three young men plot an act of domestic terror in the comfort of a dorm room, but are they triggered to take the lives of innocents out of fury or are they simply trying to destroy their own self-hatred? Natural Selection tackles contemporary topics such as mass shootings, gun reform, white supremacy, the model minority myth and assimilation for a timely critique on American now and it's future.

Amuka by Judah Skoff On a mystical hill in northern Israel, young hopeful people gather to pray at the shrine of a renowned kabbalist, hoping his spirit will grant their deepest desires.

Waiting, or Something Equally Tragic by Leila Teitelman Four women sit at a bus stop waiting to be taken away, but to where?

Shooting Janine by Kate Thomas Two women make a random discovery on a hunting trip.

Production Team: Producer: Veronique Ory Assistant Producer: Chris Roe Scenic & Costume Design: Emily White Lighting Design: Steven Zhang Sound Design: Bryn Scharenberg Stage Management: Kylee Greenleaf & Bryn Scharenberg Choreographer for Out of the Box by Flo Ankah Choreographer for Amuka by Lauren Hubbell -------------------------------------- Playwrights are also working on a full-length piece on this year's theme.

The playwrights will also be considered for full production by Athena Theatre Company in its next season. The playwright group will be meeting twice a month, beginning in mid-January, for three hour sessions, to discuss the year's theme, share new work, talk playwriting and the business of theatre. The meetings also comprise of discussion about individual playwrights' projects, as well as readings of new work, where playwrights will cast (from the other writers) and hear their work read aloud. Athena Theatre believes that a play cannot be fully understood until the words hit the ear of an audience. This process allows playwrights to deepen their understanding of their own work, as well as glean ideas and approaches from their fellow playwrights.

In addition to closed sessions, some meetings will include dramaturges, directors and other industry professionals, to help deepen the understanding of specific works, as well as discuss industry concerns. Athena Theatre will also actively solicit opportunities for artists to submit their plays, to venues in New York City as well as around the country.

#Athena Theatre #Athena Writes #Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #WriteMarcus #Write Marcus

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writemarcus · 6 years

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Athena Theatre Announces 2018 Playwrights

by BWW News Desk

Jan. 22, 2018

Flo Ankah Nora Sørena Casey Kathryn Funkhouser Grant MacDermott Isaac Allen Miller Jeremy O'Brian Martha Pichey Marcus Scott Judah Skoff Leila Teitelman Kate Thomas

Playwrights are asked to write a short, 10 minute play for production at the New Play Festival Spring 2018. FALLING FORWARD: an evening of ten minute plays

Playwrights are also working on a full-length piece on this year's theme.

For more information please visit www.athenatheatre.com

#Athena Theatre #Athena Writes #Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #Playwrights #Black Playwrights #Theatre Bleek #TheatreBleek

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