The Female Role Model Project

Produced by Transforma Theatre, Inc.
Created by Tjasa Ferme
Developed with and Directed by Ana Margineanu

Nomination: Outstanding Innovative Design for Projection Design - John J.A. Jannone

About Transforma Theatre, Inc.
Transforma Theatre is a center where art tackles how scientific ideas and metaphysical knowledge about consciousness overlap. We explore the nature of existence and consciousness through science, shamanic rituals, and express them through the creation of multimedia performances. We are pioneering a new form of theatrical expression and developing a close community of artists and scientists instilled with the freedom of thinking and creating in alternative ways.

Photos by Katherine Butler

About The Female Role Model Project
The Female Role Model Project uses EEG headsets live on stage to investigate contemporary gender structures from the perspective of four completely different female identifying devisers sharing their autobiographical stories through a series of interactive games. The Female Role Model Project is a scientifically-enhanced, multimedia piece paired with neuroscience.

What first attracted you to this project?

John: I was interested in using live brain activity to influence the video design: the possibilities are tremendous and we were able to start what I hope will be an ongoing exploration in the video design for this piece.

Tjasa: I have always been fascinated by strong, unusual, independent women who were able to carve their own way in the world and defy the norms. The media’s portrayal of women frustrated me and as a tomboy growing up, I always felt the desire to break the mold. I realized we don’t have enough female role models that would represent freeminded, self-defining, pioneering women reinventing and transcending gender, so we decided to make a show about it.

What was your favorite part of working on this production?

John: It was an incredible team working on this show. Director Ana Margineanu is an exceptional collaborator, as is lighting designer Ayumu Poe Saegusa. Also production manager Jeremy Goren and stage manager Mariah Plante were a dream to work with.

Tjasa: Figuring out the audience participation parts. The show presents two intimate scenes where actors connect with audience members wearing headsets while their brain activity is being projected for everyone to see and interpreted by a cognitive neuroscientist live on stage.

What was the most challenging part of this experience for you?

John: We were working on a very short development timeline - there was significant software to write - in part because I was interfacing with live brain data, but also because I wanted the whole design to have a uniform quality of liveness, even when brain data was not modulating the imagery. So in addition to creating the design, I was creating a whole software framework to support it.

Tjasa:  Aligning technology with the tempo of the stage was a big challenge.

What was the weirdest part of this production?

Tjasa:  In the last scene the actors are wearing headsets which influence the audio design. The audience-by asking cognitively and emotionally provocative questions-becomes the DJ of our brains.

Did you gain any insight or learn anything new from working on this production?

Photo by Niav Conty

John: I think the software that I developed for this piece in order to make the design flexible enough to respond to real-time brain data is the beginning of a whole new design exploration for me; it's a very flexible base to build from, and I think I'll be able to use it as a starting point for future designs where I want a responsive and flexible structure. It has a lot of image possibilities, from pointillistic to stellar to pop-art to totally abstract. It's a rich territory I'm excited to explore.




What was it like working with Transforma Theatre?

John: I had tremendous freedom to explore the visual ideas I was interested in, and there was a strong sense of trust among the design and production team. We were able to work quickly and intuitively, which is very much my preferred working style.

What did you want the audience to walk away with after watching The Female Role Model Project?

Tjasa: I want to blow their minds and show them a glimpse of what's possible

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

John: It's an exciting moment for me - I was very pleased with the projection design, as were my collaborators, and it was disappointing that the design was not discussed at length in reviews after the show. I felt it made a significant contribution to the piece, and was a successful and innovative design, so I'm very happy to receive this nomination.

Tjasa: I'm ecstatic, especially because we are just about to start performing at Edinburgh Fringe!

Plan G

Produced by Randomly Specific Theatre Written by Larry Philips
Directed by Graydon Gund

Nominated for: Outstanding Ensemble: Allan Hayhurst, Lauren LeBeouf, Tiffany May McRae, Sarah Misch, Larry Phillips, Forrest Weber

About Plan G:
Life has beaten Christopher Abandonato down. He’s got a dead-end construction job, a wife who puts him in his place, and an out of work brother-in-law living in his basement. But he’s a dreamer, and he’s convinced buying abandoned storage units is his ticket to becoming rich. He just needs to find that special something that will change his life forever. Plan G is a DARK comedy about seeing an opportunity when its starring at you.


What first attracted you to this project?

Lauren: A script about an eyeball. Truly original!

Tiffany: It was such a wild, dark comedy about a freak discovery that forces a family to grapple with fame, greed, classism and doing the right thing

Sarah: I saw a friend in Larry's play The Weekend Will End, and I loved his writing so much that I reached out to him afterward. I love working on new plays, and Larry sure can write a good one.

Forrest: It’s very well written and made me laugh out loud time and time again, even while reading it.

Larry: I wrote it, so narcissism at it's finest.

What was your favorite part of working on Plan G?

Lauren: My favorite part was the conderful cast and team, which you need for an ensemble piece.

Tiffany: Duking it out with Larry Phillips (who plays my husband) every night onstage. I always enjoy a good row with Mr. Phillips!

Sarah: Honestly, the cast made the whole experience. Everyone was equal parts fun and professional!

Larry: The calibration of working with a mixture of friends that I've worked with prior, and brand new friends.

Forrest: Actually performing the show had to be my favorite part. Between hearing and feeling how much the audience was along for the ride and finding a groove with my nothing beat the actual moments where we were on stage.

What was the most challenging part of this production?

Lauren: Fighting (combat) in heels!

Tiffany: Maintaining my New Jersey accent once the character Shannon (Lauren LeBeouf) gets on stage! Her character was from the south and once she started that drawl my native Texas twang would just try to slip in there and join her.

Sarah: I loved my character, Elizabeth, but she's could be really cold and self-serving. It was a fun challenge to balance the aspects of her that were sympathetic and likable without trying too hard to redeem her less... desirable traits.

Forrest: The most challenging part for me was dealing with the fact that I wished more people knew about this production while it was happening.

What was the silliest part of this production for you?

Sarah: My character was only in the second half of the show, so I had about 45 minutes of downtown backstage before I made my first entrance. I'd like to say I was diligently studying my script, but mostly, I was surfing Twitter.

Forrest: My cast mates were so damn funny, in the early rehearsals I would miss my lines because I’d just get caught up laughing and watching them!

Did you gain any insight or learn anything new while working on this show?

Lauren: Talking in a Southern accent came very naturally, even though I had never performed with the accent before. Playing a dumb character takes a smart and clever actor!

What was it like working with Randomly Specific Theatre?
Lauren: Larry Phillips is an experienced writer who writes truly original scripts. Full of comedy and heart.

Tiffany: This cast was a hoot to share the stage with! Always bringing in ideas, listening, and willing to adapt and just play.

Sarah: Everyone treated their character and the show with so much respect throughout the process, and everyone was so funny!

Forrest: Developing lasting quality relationships was the best part of work with this company.

Why is the Ensemble of Plan G so awesome?

Larry:  A lovely group of people both inside and outside of the process.

Forrest: I genuinely believe my cast mates deserve this award and I am lucky to have worked with them. This show itself deserves another run, in a larger spotlight, truth be told.

What does this nomination mean to you?

Lauren: The world! This was my first play in NYC (outside of my acting school). Such an honor!!

Tiffany: I was so proud of this cast and crew that receiving a nomination for ensemble work is just so exciting! We worked hard and had so much fun making this piece of theatre, the nomination truly touching.

Sarah: Lately, I'm trying to lean into making theatre I like, so it always means a lot when other people like it, too.

Larry: An Ensemble nomination means everything clicked. The Director and producer's work in casting. The writers vision as the play. And obviously the actors sold the story. I love ensemble comedies, this means we did something right.

Forrest: It’s like a little dose of chicken soup for the actor’s soul to find out months later that all the hard work we put in didn’t go unnoticed.

MEET THE 2019 NOMINEES: A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Jonathan Hopkins
Presented by Smith Street Stage

NOMINATED FOR: Outstanding Original Music - Joe Jung

Joe Jung

What attracted you to working on this project?
I've been a big fan of Smith Street Stage since its founding. I acted in their previous production of The Tempest and jump at any chance to work with them in whatever capacity I am able.


What was your favorite part of working on this production? And why?
SSS is all about collaboration and creativity, as well as treating the plays of Shakespeare with the respect and energy that is required of them. Music is a big part of ...Dream, so to be so intimately involved with how music influences the world of the play was incredibly fulfilling.


What was the most challenging part of working on this production? And why?
Live music in an outdoor space is always tricky. How can the actors be heard when an ice cream truck is blaring right down the road? What kind of music can evoke a courtly or mystical environment in the middle of a city park? How can we use the environment we have to inform the music and vice versa? These questions led to a lot of really creative conversations.

What do you want the audience to come away with after watching your production?
Taking a cab, loaded with weird musical instruments, into Manhattan on a weekend morning for our first music rehearsal, getting stuck in a traffic jam, then walking a few blocks loaded down with guitars, amps, a cajon, a few crowbars, and a bunch of other bells and whistles will always be etched in my mind. But getting into the room and asking the cast what they play, what they would be willing to bang on - challenging "non-singers" to sing, and "non-musicians" to play - is always a joy. Likewise, we found a great way to mix electric and acoustic music to the mix, to define the human world with acoustic sounds and the fairy world with more electric music was a nice little shift.


What is the best thing about working with this company and/or these artists?
Trust. Jonathan and Beth Ann are incredibly trusting producers. The cast was trusting in my notion that they all could contribute to the soundscape. And I trusted everyone involved to execute what ended up being the music for the show. When a trusting environment is established, lovely art is made.

Did you learn anything or discover anything new while working on this project? If so, what?
Music and theatre go hand in hand, always. They are best friends. They tell each other secrets and bring out the best in each other.


What does this nomination mean to you?
It always means a lot to be acknowledged by your peers and the audiences you serve.

MEET THE 2019 NOMINEES: Arkham

Radiotheatre's 10th Annual H.P.Lovecraft Festival: Arkham
Written, directed, and sound designed by Dan Bianchi
Presented by Radiotheatre in association with Theatre At St.John's

Starring Frank Zilinyi, R. Patrick Alberty, Alejandro L. Cardozo, Sarah Gwynne Walker, Joshua Nicholson.

PRODUCERS
Pastor Mark Erson (Theatre At St.John's, Co-producer)
Dan Bianchi (Radiotheatre, Artistic Director/Co-producer)

CREW
Wes Shippee (Tech Director)

NOMINATED FOR: Outstanding Performance Art Production

PHOTO: Cynthia Bianchi

About the Show
Each year Radiotheatre presents a festival of their own adaptations of terror tales by H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) whom Stephen King calls "the Grand Master of 20th Century American Horror" and whose works have gone on to inspire hundreds of artists, writers, filmmakers, game makers around the world to this day (2018's Best Picture and Best Director Oscars went to THE SHAPE OF WATER - a direct descendant of Lovecraftian Horror by Guillermo Del Toro, a Lovecraft fanatic).

What attracted you to working on this project?
Radiotheatre , a unique live audio theater complete with great storytellers, original orchestral scores using Hollywood software and award winning sound design is unlike any other theater company in NYC. It is perhaps best suited to present the weird works of H.P.Lovecraft in its unique format than any other medium...including $200 mil movies.

What was your favorite part of working on this production? And why?
Challenging the audience to use their own imaginations to provide the visuals rather than offer them whatever the director decides is best to view. RT is as simple as sitting around a campfire in the dark telling tales...yet, in today's world of expensive theater and films, it offers something none of those can deliver...asking the audience itself to participate. So, when the audience stands and cheers at each curtain and remains for a half-hour praising the work of the actors and crew, it is unlike most other low budget productions I've seen.

What do you want the audience to come away with after watching your production?
The audience left each evening smiling and cheering and thanking the artists for allowing them this unique experience they don't get at other shows.

PHOTO: Cynthia Bianchi

Why are the nominees from this production awesome?
The core group at Radiotheatre has been together for 15 yrs and the rest have been here for 4-5 yrs. Everything works like clockwork, new or old works. Truly a family atmosphere.

Was there anything odd, quirky, innovative, funny or otherwise noteworthy about your experience with this production?
We are often asked to perform at the big H.P.Lovecraft NECRONOMICON in Providence RI (His hometown) and the attendees over the week cannot believe our shows. However, our fog set off the alarms last year and the whole audience was asked to stand in the rain while the FD cleared the space. Yet, all 400 people re-entered to see the show afterwards.

What does this nomination mean to you?
NYIT is our awards for our work in OFF OFF Broadway which is our home for those of us who don't intend to bring our unique artistry to Broadway and Beyond, etc. Radiotheatre began when NYIT Awards began and has received many noms and awards and recognition and we are always grateful to them!

MEET THE 2019 NOMINEES: Befuddled 101

Befuddled! Or, 101 Reasons to Thank Your God for Donald J Trump, Vladimir J Putin, and My Dad Who's a Dick!
Written and Directed by Rob Reese

Presented by Amnesia Wars Productions

Rodney Umble as The Monologist

Lexi Orphanos as The Stage Manager

Monica Furman as The Russian Translator

NOMINATED FOR: Outstanding Performance Art Production

Photos by Rob Reese

L-R: Monica Forman, Rodney Umble, Lexi Orphanos

ABOUT THE SHOW

Monologist Max Silver is jolted from his mundane existence into a schizophrenic Max Headroom style dystopia. An immediate intersection of his parental resentments, his painful breakup, a deficient understanding of American politics, Russian history, artistic manifestos, and every bit of media he’s ever consumed result in a hilariously failed journey of self-discovery.

A manic, multi-media event featuring vodka shots, vaudeville dance, slapstick and wholesale theft from established artists.

Join Max as he endures breakneck cue-calling and biting criticism by his antagonistic Stage Manager Laventry Beria, and incomprehensible heckling by Ivan The Translator.

INTERVIEW WITH ROB REESE, PRODUCER

What attracted you to working on this project?

After touring through much of eastern Europe with The Wooster Group, Piloblous Dance, and other companies I became fascinated with the effects of Communism and dictatorships on peoples' lives. The piece that resulted is an expression of those ideas through my own biographical filter.

What was your favorite part of working on this production? And why?

The incredibly creative collaboration from the performers is what made this piece stand out. Their individual artistic visions and playful professionalism were fundamental to this process.

What was the most challenging part of working on this production? And why?

The performer (Lexi Orhpanos) embodying the 'role' of the Stage Manager was not only performing her character, but was actually firing the tech of the exhibition as a real Stage Manager would. This is >100 cues on several different machines interactively displaying video, audio, and lighting cues.

What do you want the audience to come away with after watching your production?

Confusion! Any entrenched opinion an audience member has about any of the topics addressed in our exhibition should have at least been shaken.

Why are the nominees from this production awesome?

They are talented, engaging artists who also couldn't be nicer, smarter, or easier to work with.

Was there anything odd, quirky, innovative, funny or otherwise noteworthy about your experience with this production?

Almost nothing about this show wasn't odd, quirky, innovative, or funny. I'm sorry the honest answer is the least press-worthy.

What does this nomination mean to you?

Amnesia Wars has been doing Comedy and Theater for >20 years and Performance art for merely 3. This nomination gives us some level of "credential" in performance art.

Catch the Sparrow

Produced by Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Written & Directed by Alex Mace

Nominated for: Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role, Meredith M. Sweeney

 About Isleof Shoals

The Isle of Shoals motto is “Theatre for Discovery.” Since its founding, Isle of Shoals has maintained a commitment to developing and producing pieces (from brand new to ancient), which might otherwise never or seldom get to see the light of day in our present theater ecosystem. The works Isle of Shoals gravitates towards are those which celebrate the human spirit and enrich the artistry of early and mid-career theater professionals of every stripe and creed. We pride ourselves on being the inclusive theater company that says “yes” to brilliant new ideas that are elsewhere met with echoing “no”s.

About Catch the Sparrow
A gripping drama about a rebellious son and his dying father trying to reach out to each other before it's too late. In this powerful and resonant new play, written and directed by Alex Mace, a family, torn apart by grief and blame, is forced to settle their differences and learn the true worth of family and, whats more, what it means to forgive and let go.

Photos by @Studio5Q

 Meredith Sweeney and producer Bryan Williams shared some insights into the process of presenting this new script.

What first attracted you to this project?

Meredith: Based on the audition notice, I knew it was an original work that seemed to be a small but mighty character-driven family drama in an intimate setting. And who wouldn't want to do that?

Bryan: The complexity of the family situation is both universal and specific.

What was your favorite part of working on this production?

Meredith: I loved being a part of the first production of an original play. The script shines light on the tough and ugly parts of being a family (of being a human) and I got to work with a company of humans who jumped fully into this challenge with such joy and love. Together, we created something brand new and moving that had never been done before and I will always carry that with me.

Bryan:  Watching the growth of the actors as they took the naturalistic dialogue and elevated it to the realm of poetry. Also when the audience learns at the end of the first act that one of the characters died years ago, I loved listening to them explaining to each other their own interpretations of what it mean.

What was the biggest challenged you faced while working on Catch the Sparrow?

Meredith: I found the most challenging part to be the same as the most exciting part- bringing this character to life for the first time with the writer always in the room. I have a profound respect for writers and felt a great responsibility to honor his story. It's exciting to be able to collaborate with a director/writer who is so giving of his time and open to other perspectives... But it's challenging because there are no rules or guidelines to creating something new and you don't want to get carried away and step on toes, cross a line, or completely miss the mark and disappoint the person who is there with you at rehearsals, trusting you with these words.

Bryan: As in any new production, there are changes to the text and these, particularly if they come late in the game, created challenges for some of the actors.

What did you want the audience to walk away with after watching Catch the Sparrow?

Bryan: How richly complex and happy-sad is the story of any family.

What was it like to work with Meredith?

Bryan: Meredith lit up the stage whenever she came on. She is not just a wondrous actor, but a joy to work with. Though she had fewer scenes than the others, her patience and enthusiasm never failed.

What was it like to work with this company of artists?

Meredith: We became our own little dysfunctional/functional family unit during this process. For example, my birthday fell on one of the tech rehearsals. Earlier that morning, I had totally bombed an audition and had just had kind of a rough day, so I wasn't feeling great when the Stage Manager called the cast to the stage for last minute notes. To my complete surprise, the "notes" turned out to be the cast and crew singing happy birthday to me while the director held a candle-lit birthday pie (who needs cake??) Because of the kindness of that group of people, I was able to reboot, refocus, and feel loved in the process. And that's pretty noteworthy.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

Bryan: Giving a young playwright a chance he might otherwise not have had in the immediate future.

Meredith: You know the expression "It's an honor just to be nominated"? Well it is. I mean, I was completely floored. It's very easy to feel disconnected and alone as an artist and actor in this city. For me, receiving this nomination is a reminder that there is a greater and great community out there, that we're all apart of it, that I am a part it. And that is truly an honor.

Check out Isle of Shoals on Instagram @isleofshoalsproductions