MEET THE 2019 NOMINEES: Assassins

Produced by The Secret Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim 
Book by John Weidman
Director: Lauren Shields
Musical Director: Morgan Morse

Nominations: Outstanding Director – Lauren Shields; Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role – Evan Teich (see post); and Outstanding Production of a Musical

About the Secret Theatre
The Secret Theatre strives to provide New York City and surrounding communities with inexpensive, but high-caliber performances, to expand the horizons of patrons young and old alike who would normally not venture outside of the main borough. As a venue for assorted live entertainment, particularly classical theatre, as well as new works, comedy, and musicals.

Photos by Jakub Djeko

About Assassins
Nine individuals who have attempted a presidential assassination tell their stories in this revue-style musical of humor, drama, history, and fiction. Assassins is an illustration of very different people who have made extreme choices for varied reasons.

What about directing Assassins was most attractive for you?

Lauren: We all have a shadow side of ourselves that lurks deep in our consciousness. The consequences of the impact on us by our culture and our own individual tragedies can make us do reprehensible things in desperation. Some act on it, while others do not. No one person or set of experiences can be seen as black and white. I wanted to show audiences a deeper side of the humans that are seen as villains to so many of us.




What was it like to work with The Secret Theatre?

Lauren: This company dedicated so much of their time and passion into this project. They spent hours researching and working before they stepped into the rehearsal room. It made the rehearsal process powerful, moving and inspiring. I could not have had a better team.

Make sure to check out The Secret Theatre on Twitter - @secrettheatreny

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.

Founder's Award

In honor of it's fifteenth year, the the New York Innovative Theatre Awards presented a very special award, the Founders Award.

This award, which is bestowed in recognition of significant contributions to the Innovative Theatre Foundation, is not given out every year. In fact it has only previously been presented three times.

In the first year of the awards, it was presented to Paul Adams, Artistic Director of Emerging Artists Theatre Company; in the fifth year, it was handed to Akia Squiteri, the Company Manger of the It Awards and Artistic Director of Rising Sun Performance Company; and in the tenth year, it was presented to arts advocate and patron Donn Russell.

This year the award was presented to two people who have been stalwart members of the Indie Theatre community and an important part of the development of the organization: Publicist and Founder of Kampfire PR, Katie Rosin Green and actor and writer, Christopher Borg.

"Both Katie and Christopher have been dedicated members of the Indie Theatre community. For the past 15 years we have been incredibly lucky that they have shared their passion and skills with our organization. We were honored to be able to recognize their contributions to the It Awards and to the community as a whole," stated Nick Micozzi, Co-Executive Director of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards.

Katie has been a wonderful and thoughtful partner and we are so grateful to her for her many contributions to the It Awards. She has worked with a slew of incredible artists and helped promote so many Indie Productions including: IT Award recipient Children of Eden; GLAAD Award Winner, She Like Girls; IT Award recipient Elizabeth Rex; and Drama Desk Nominee, (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story. She was also instrumental in the launch of the Broadway musical Brooklyn and the National Tour of Mother Load. She was on the publicity team for the comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, and his movie Comedian. Check out her website: www.kampfirefilmspr.com

If you have met Christopher, you will not forget him. He has a huge personality and an even bigger heart. He is a performance artist, writer and director, who has shared his talents with many Indie Theatre companies including: Emerging Artists & TOSOS with whom he received 2 OOBR Awards, and nominations for a GLAAD Media Award and an HX Award for directing the celebrated Bernadette & The Butcher of Broadway. Borg, (as he is affectionately known) was also a member of the NY Neo-Futurists where he co-created the autobiographical (NOT) Just A Day Like Any Other which received the 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Ensemble as well as the critically acclaimed experimental docutheatre piece Locker #4173b.

The New York Innovative Theatre Awards has has benefited many times over because of their generous and steadfast contributions. Thank you Katie and Christopher for your years of dedication and all you do to help elevate our community.

Celebrating 15 years and the 2019 Award Nominees

New York, NY: On Monday, July 29, 2019, The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, announced the 2019 nominees for the annual Off-Off-Broadway awards. The It Awards have celebrated the vibrant and creative theatre community for the past 15 years.  The official announcement took place at (Le) Poisson Rouge by six celebrated artists and producers from the community including: Jazmyn Arroyo, Jennifer Betite Yen, Iyvon Edebiri, Chris Ignacio, Ashley Rogers, and Erez Ziv. 

This year’s nominees include 147 individual artists and 64 productions presented by 73 theatre companies. Over the past 15 years, the It Awards have honored over 2,600 artists, 750 productions and over 725 Indie Theatre companies.

“It's remarkably nourishing to receive recognition from the larger New York Indie Theatre community, which feels like a continuation of the work we started with our production,” said Alexis Roblan who is nominated for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script for Red Emma and the Mad Monk.

“Fifteen years is a big milestone for our organization, and we are making the most of it. We are looking forward to sharing some amazing surprises over the next few months,” said Executive Director Shay Gines.

The 2019 New York Innovative Theatre Awards Ceremony will take place in September. Watch our twitter account for details to be announced soon @nyitawards.

Press photos and information about the event are available at www.nyitawards.com and from our press agent Katie Rosin at 917-512-2626 and pr@nyitawards.com.

List of the 2019 New York Innovative Theatre Awards Nominees Follows:

 
2019 New York Innovative Theatre Awards Nominees

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

Alex & Eugene
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Aja Downing, Reggie Herold, Katherine Leidlein, Joseph M. Mace, Rori Nogee, Noah Pyzik, Jae Shin, Anna Stefanic, Brittany Zeinstra

Hamlet (What Dreams May Come)
Ript Theater Company in association with The Secret Theatre
Lindsay Alexandra Carter, Ade Otukoya, Chauncy Thomas, Nathan Winkelstein

The Maids
The Seeing Place Theater
Erin Cronican, Christine Redhead, Gaia Visnar

Plan G
Randomly Specific Theatre
Allan Hayhurst, Lauren LeBeouf, Tiffany May McRae, Sarah Misch, Larry Phillips, Forrest Weber

Spring Awakening
Gallery Players
Taylor Bloom, Aaron Braden, Harrison Bryan, Jacob Anthony Cain, Brendan Charles, Osborn Focht, Nick Godfrey, Gaby Greenwald, Nathaniel Gregory, Mikaela Kafka, Raquel Kahn, Isabella King, Thomas Kuklenski, Nicole Lopez, Gaby Mank, Tyler Moscaritola, Mariela Flor Olivo, Amanda Starr

Who Am I This Time? (And Other Conundrums Of Love)
Wise Fish Theater Collective in association with Martina Bonolis & Meghan Ginley
Zach Gamble, Meghan Ginley, Robin Johnson, Kent Koren, Franco Pedicini, Isabel Shill, Stephen Zuccaro


OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Amie Cazel
Pregnant Pause
Good Pilgrim

Kim Katzberg
Dad in a Box
Eat a Radish Productions

Larry Phillips
The Art of Acting: A Master Class with Fozzie Bear
Larry Phillips

Laura Sisskin Fernandez
You Hold a Pole Everday
Playful Substance

 
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE

Bruce Barton
Hamlet
Hudson Warehouse in association with Susane Lee

Daniel Burns
She Calls Me Firefly
Parity Productions in association with New Perspectives Theatre Company

Connor Chaney
The Harrowing of Hell
American Theatre of Actors in association with Collectio Musicorum, Inc.

Desmond Dutcher
Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

David Leeper
Stupid Fucking Bird
Stripped Scripts

Jacob Lewis Lovendahl
Experimenting with Katz
New Ambassadors Theatre Company in association with Julia Botero

Federico Mallet
Eight Tales of Pedro
The Secret Theatre

Scott McCord
The Head Hunter
One Shot Deal


OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE

Maybe Burke
Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank & Emma Orme

Adiagha Faizah
You Wouldn't Expect
American Bard Theater Company

Melissa Glasgow
A Chorus Line
Gallery Players

Meghan E. Jones
Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

Meredith M. Sweeney
Catch the Sparrow
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.

Jo Vetter
The Poor of New York
Metropolitan Playhouse

Yokko
Shinka
Ren Gyo Soh


OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE

Adam Belvo
The Brutes
spit&vigor in association with Jay Michaels Arts & Entertainment

Harrison Bryan
Spring Awakening
Gallery Players

Braeson Herold
Worse Than Tigers
The Mill in association with New Ohio Theatre

Milo Longenecker
The Fantastical Dangerous Journey of Q
Rebel Playhouse in association with 14th Street Y

Vinnie Penna
Twelfth Night
Boomerang Theatre Company

Olivier Renaud
Stupid Fucking Bird
Stripped Scripts

Evan Teich
Assassins
The Secret Theatre

Ronnie Williams
Man Frog and Other People
Necessary I. T. E. M. S. Project


OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE

Heather E. Cunningham
Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

Naomi Lorrain
Entangled
The Amoralists

Lori Elizabeth Parquet
Operating Systems
Flux Theatre Ensemble

Mahima Saigal
Queen
Astoria Performing Arts Center

Lisa Strum
whatdoesfreemean?
Nora's Playhouse in association with The Tank

Shannon Marie Sullivan
Worse Than Tigers
The Mill in association with New Ohio Theatre

Gaia Visnar
The Maids
The Seeing Place Theater


OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT

Shiloh Goodin
Spring Awakening
Gallery Players

Eddie Gutierrez
A Chorus Line
Gallery Players

Alex Johnson
Alex & Eugene
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.

Joey McKneely
Shadows, a dance musical
Go Joe Enterprises

Shoko Tamal
The Tempest
The Secret Theatre

Yoshiko Usami
Shinka
Ren Gyo Soh


OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

Adam Knight
Stupid Fucking Bird
Stripped Scripts

Katie Lindsay
Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank &Emma Orme

Lauren A Shields
Assassins
The Secret Theatre

Sara Thigpen
Twelfth Night
Boomerang Theatre Company

Owen Thompson
The Tempest
The Secret Theatre

Yoshiko Usami
Shinka
Ren Gyo Soh


OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

Annie Garrett-Larsen
And Then There Were None
The Secret Theatre

Asa Lipton
Alex & Eugene
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.

Anthony Logan Cole
The Tempest
The Secret Theatre

Kia Rogers
Operating Systems
Flux Theatre Ensemble

Kia Rogers
Real
Rodrigo Nogueira in association with The Tank

Cha See
Honors Students
Tavine Productions


OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

Michelle Beshaw
Duke Oldřich & Washerwoman Božena, the True Story
GOH Productions in association with Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre

Sarah Marie Dixey
Hamlet (What Dreams May Come)
Ript Theater Company in association with The Secret Theatre

Julia Kulaya
Experimenting with Katz
New Ambassadors Theatre Company in association with Julia Botero

Marissa L. Menezes
Once Upon a Mattress
Gallery Players

Ben Philipp
Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

Yunzhu Zeng
Where Is My Maple Town
MapleTown Production Company


OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

Matthew Carlin
Worse Than Tigers
The Mill in association with New Ohio Theatre

Jack Cunningham & Rebecca Cunningham
Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

Gabriel Firestone
Whirlwind
Jordan's Play Lab in association with Rebecca Crigler & Barn Owl, LLC

Lily Guerin
The Year of the Solar Eclipse
Kyoko & Ezra

Daniel Hogan
Friendly's Fire
The Rising Sun Performance Company in association with the Theatre at the 14th Street Y

Matthew D. McCarren
Goodbody
The Crook Theater Company

Tim McMath
Cannibal Galaxy: a love story
Between Two Boroughs Productions


OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

Beata Bocek
Duke Oldřich & Washerwoman Božena, the True Story
GOH Productions in association with Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre

Margaret Montagna
Queen
Astoria Performing Arts Center

John Salutz
Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank & Emma Orme

Aj Surasky
Worse Than Tigers
The Mill in association with New Ohio Theatre

Jeanne Travis
Honors Students
Tavine Productions

Fan Zhang
Cannibal Galaxy: a love story
Between Two Boroughs Productions


OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE DESIGN

Hao Bai, Eric Marciano & Ildiko Nemeth 
for Projection Design
Electronic City
The New Stage Theatre Comapny

Yana Birykova 
for Projection Design
Cannibal Galaxy: a love story
Between Two Boroughs Productions

Magnus Pind Bjerre 
for Video Design
The Neurology of the Soul
Untitled Theater Co. No. 61

Raquel Cion, Maia Cruz Palileo, & Kim Katzberg
for Video Design
Dad in a Box
Eat a Radish Productions

Sarah George & Sonya Plenefisch
for Properties Design
Whirlwind
Jordan's Play Lab in association with Rebecca Crigler & Barn Owl, LLC

John J.A. Jannone
for Video Design
The Female Role Model Project
Transforma Theatre, Inc.

Keo X-Men
for Graffiti Design
This Is Modern Art
Blessed Unrest


OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC

Karen Bishko, Maxim Moston, & Edison Woods
Shadows, a dance musical
Go Joe Enterprises

Beata Bocek
Duke Oldřich & Washerwoman Božena, the True Story
GOH Productions in association with Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre

Luis D'Elias
Eight Tales of Pedro
The Secret Theatre

Joe Jung
A Midsummer Nights Dream
Smith Street Stage

Teresa Lotz
Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank & Emma Orme

Francesco Santalucia
MacBeth
First Maria Ensemble


OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

Eliza Bent
The Beyoncé
Adjusted Realists

Kathleen Jones
Pregnant Pause
Good Pilgrim

Kim Katzberg
Dad in a Box
Eat a Radish Productions

Teresa Lotz
She Calls Me Firefly
Parity Productions in association with New Perspectives Theatre Company

Larry Phillips
The Art of Acting: A Master Class with Fozzie Bear
Larry Phillips

Carrie Robbins
The Dragon Griswynd
Days of the Giants LLC


OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL FULL-LENGTH SCRIPT

Emily J Daly
#yourmemorial
Pigeonholed

Gabriel Jason Dean & Charly Evon Simpson
Entangled
The Amoralists

Tori Keenan-Zelt
Truth/Dare
Project Y Theatre Company

Dorothy Lyman
In The Bleak Midwinter
Stuffed Olive, Inc. 

Alexis Roblan
Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank & Emma Orme

Madhuri Shekar
Queen
Astoria Performing Arts Center


OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE ART PRODUCTION

The 11th Dimension
ETdC Projects' Lab in association with Roi Escudero & Valentin Ewan

Arkham
Part of the 10th Annual H.P.Lovecraft Festival
Radiotheatre in association with Theatre At St.John's

Befuddled 101
Amnesia Wars Productions

Electronic City
The New Stage Theatre Company

The Harrowing of Hell
American Theatre of Actors in association with Collectio Musicorum, Inc.

now my hand is ready for my heart: intimate histories
LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club In Association with Mount Tremper Arts


OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Assassins
The Secret Theatre

Caroline, or Change
Astoria Performing Arts Center

A Chorus Line
Gallery Players

Into The Woods
Theater 2020

Red Emma and the Mad Monk
The Tank & Emma Orme

Spring Awakening
Gallery Players


OUTSTANDING PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

36 Juniper
Wrong House Productions

In The Bleak Midwinter
Stuffed Olive, Inc.

Queen
Astoria Performing Arts Center

Shinka
Ren Gyo Soh 

Whirlwind
Jordan's Play Lab in association with Rebecca Crigler & Barn Owl, LLC

Worse Than Tigers
The Mill in association with New Ohio Theatre


OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

And Then There Were None
The Secret Theatre

Hamlet (What Dreams May Come)
Ript Theater Company in association with The Secret Theatre

The Maids
The Seeing Place Theater

Mary, Mary
Retro Productions

Stupid Fucking Bird
Stripped Scripts

The Tempest
The Secret Theatre
SAVE THE DATE
15th ANNUAL NEW YORK INNOVATIVE THEATRE
AWARDS CEREMONY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER16, 2019
LOCATION: TBD


The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. www.nyitawards.com


Sponsors: Kampfire Films PR www.kampfirefilmspr.com; Kyden Machine Inc.  www.kydeninc.com; and contributions by Donn Russell www.donnrussellnantucketprints.com


For More Information, press pack, photos, EPK of previous Awards Show, please contact Press Agent: Katie Rosin 917-512-2626 or pr@nyitawards.com.# # #

It Awards Manifesto: We Are All in This Together

The atmosphere of 2017 has been challenging, to say the least, with the word "divided" used as a near constant drumbeat. The New York It Awards wishes to stand as a bulwark against this negativity and malaise. As an advocacy organization dedicated to celebrating indie theater, we reiterate our dedication to this art form. Theater is always vital to culture as a way to communicate and express what it means to be human. Art reflects and reveals aspects of life and humanity. We gain relief, release, and respite from art as well as catharsis in living through the events we see on stage, hopefully gaining some level of understanding about our own lives and those of people and perspectives we may have not encountered before. As human beings, we are drawn to story, and as artists we share our stories in a manner of daring and vulnerability. 

 

Art is an act of love.

As artists, we let our audiences know "you are not alone". And in this time of challenge and rancor, where our society increasingly feels unmoored, more than ever it is important to remember you are not alone. We are all in this together. Over the coming months, the It Awards will engage in initiatives to remind you of these simple truths and that you are part of a valuable community across all the disciplines of theater, including its audience:

 

• We will be sharing our stories of what theater means to us and why it is important
• We will be sharing stories from artists across NY indie theater answering those same questions
• We will invite you to share your stories on our Facebook page and our blogs' comments section

 

We are excited to take up the gauntlet of positive, loving action toward ourselves, each other, and our community. Please join us.

Freelance Money Talk, and Nothing But Love

By Kia Rogers

Freelance was not new to me, but the landscape of NYC, navigating theatre jobs was and is still challenging.

As a female designer, I do feel like I have to dress the part, carry myself in a way appropriate to each situation. For instance, when negotiating for fees, I always ask myself “what would my male colleague ask for?” Yes, this is the world we live in. Not, “what am I worth, what amazing talent do I bring to the table....” Would I like this to change? Absolutely. How do I think it will change? By us talking about it, sharing fee information and fee regulation. Don’t feel shame! Talking about money is difficult since we live in a society that often perpetuates secrets and the fear of knowledge. How many of you have taken a freelance job (or any job) and been told not to discuss what you are being paid? Reasons I have been given over the years to keep my salary private:
#1 - Not everyone is getting the same amount, we don’t want them to feel bad
#2 - You are the only one on “contract”
#3 - Actors Equity only allows us to pay folks “this amount” but we’ll just give you two checks to make up the difference.

Dirty Little Secrets
I gave myself this rule: Don’t work on a show that doesn’t pay everyone equally. How do I know about the fees? I ask, politely, but I ask. I understand that there are productions out there that want to produce, and do so on a shoe-string budget. Produce! Love your work, your company, this is your art. I say this with all heart, I don’t want to come across as wagging my finger at anyone, just know that I am not the designer for you. A while back, I stopped taking gigs that paid under what I could afford to take on. (Here is the golden nugget I want to share with all freelancers) Yes. I said “afford to take on”, my monthly budget is ~$2800, that includes rent, utilities, phone and internet, groceries, health insurance (thanks Obama!), Metrocard and basic living expenses. This is my choice, to live by myself, pay all the bills, by myself. Simple math folks, I don’t have a trust fund, my jobs don’t pay into a retirement fund, or my health insurance. Getting paid with 1099s means as freelance, I have to save from every check or risk owing thousands at the end of the year. I look for work to clear about $800 a week, which keeps me in the black. Do I get $800 a week from designing? Sometimes, but not on the showcase code, and rarely with Off-Off Broadway shows. How do I survive? I pick and choose the jobs based on many considerations:
#1 - Do I love working with these artists?
#2 - Do I love this script?
#3 - Is there life for this project/with this company/with these artists after this production?
#4 - Do I want to develop a relationship with these new artists?
#5 - Does the budget allow for equal pay for everyone involved?
#6 - Do I have the monetary cushion to take this on?
#7 - How much time is needed for this project?

It’s freelance, I make all the choices, do I make bad choices? Ha! I don’t like to say “bad choices”, a choice always leads to growth, so no, I never make “bad choices”! I love my life, my choices and this theatre community.

There were many folks along the way who shaped my theatre passion, pointed me in the right direction, and I am so grateful to all of them. I took the lessons they taught me, and made them my own.

Special thanks to Flux Theatre Ensemble and Rising Phoenix Rep, where I am supported artistically, valued as a creative partner/member and always striving for equality. Thanks to New York Innovative Theatre Awards for supporting this blog, asking me to share, and always bringing down the house with their awards parties!!!...you folks have made a vibrant, loving, hard-working and amazing community I am proud to support and be a part of.

Kia Rogers - Lighting Designer - Off Broadway: Angeles/Almas at BAM Fisher, Made In Heaven at The SoHo Playhouse, Passage through Light and Shadows at Theatre at St. Clement’s, Pressing Empty at Danspace, Sistas The Musical at St. Luke’s. Regional: Thieves by Charlotte Miller in LA. Selkie by Sarah Shaefer in San Francisco. International credits: Associate Lighting Designer for Slutforart/98.6 in Gothenburg, Sweden with Muna Tseng. Tours: The God Box Project with Mary Lou Quinlan, Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca and Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Awards: Outstanding Lighting Design for Jane The Plain with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards 2014. Kia has been a creative partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble based in New York City since 2010 - http://www.krogersld.com/.

Methods of an Addicted Costume Designer

Contributed by Viviane Galloway

The other day I went to the website of an OOB theater company that had received a tremendous amount of press for a recent production. Being a fellow costume designer, I wanted to see who had designed the costumes for this production. It didn't surprise me that none of the posted reviews of the production mentioned any of the design elements—set, lighting, props, costumes, sound--but it shocked me that nowhere on that website did the theater company itself mention who had designed their productions. There were plenty of beautiful production photos and headshots of every actor, but it was as if the designers didn't exist or were of little consequence to the ultimate success of the production!
 
 
Now, I happen to know that this particular theater company actually thinks very highly of its design team. But it occurred to me that if this oversight could be made by a theater company itself, that there may be a lot of people, both in the audience and working in theater, who are not quite sure what we designers really do. Because space is so expensive and so scarce in this city, we don't have the experience of seeing each other every day at the theater. I can't run up from my costume shop to pop into rehearsal. I talk to the Stage Manager mostly by email. It takes me longer to bond and earn the trust of the actors. The irony is that although I love what I do because of the community, I actually spend a large portion of the process on my own. So, what exactly do I do? Well, let me tell you. . .

I spend a LOT of time on research. Just living in New York is research! Every day I walk by amazing architecture, see new art and the latest fashions, commute through culturally diverse neighborhoods. You see pretty much everything in New York if you keep your eyes open. In addition we have all the museums, the Historic Society, and the largest library system I've ever used. I usually bombard my director with a plethora of images from all these sources and more. With an average production schedule of four weeks, things are usually moving too fast for me to do renderings, but I'll sketch things out, or I develop a look-book for each character (especially if I will be shopping for costumes and can't be sure I'll find exactly the same thing as what I may have sketched.) I read the play a lot. I read it out loud for myself, I make notes, I close my eyes and go through different scenes in my head. At rehearsals I talk to the actors about their characters, and observe their style—how physically active are they? Are they connecting with their costumes or feeling constrained by them? I love to bounce ideas off the actors when I can—if they are excited about my design then I know I'm on the right track.

I am a whiz now at planning my production schedule around major holidays. Many of the big thrift stores have sales on those days. Also, when I shop I keep my eye out for the colored tag that is discounted that day. I'm fun to travel with: “Yes, I'd love to go to Rhode Island with you this weekend, if you don't mind stopping at all the thrift stores in that area.” Most indie-theater companies don't have the luxury of keeping a lot of (or any) costumes, but I have a storage unit, which allows me to hoard costumes. So I usually spend a day or two going through my own stock.

And I spend a lot of time just building costumes and pulling everything together in my studio at home. Construction, alterations, trim. . . this usually all happens in a matter of days. I lug everything to rehearsal, do fittings, watch rehearsal if I can, and then I take everything back home and do more alterations, add more trim, and on a rare occasion, start all over!

Given the fast pace, tight budgets, and crazy logistical issues involved with independent theater, life can get stressful. Every time I design a show, at some point—usually about a week before First Dress—I go into my husband's office in tears, and I say . . . “I'll never finish. . .” “I'm too old for this. . . .” “Don’t ever let me do this ever again. . . “He makes the appropriate sympathetic and encouraging remarks, but I swear that when I leave to go back into my studio I hear him chuckling. He seemed startled the first and second time I did this, but after a while he has learned that soon I'll be on that high again from seeing my costumes on the stage, seeing how they work with the set and the lighting and hearing from the actors how they feel in them. Then the show goes up and I find out if my costumes really tell the story that I wanted them to tell.

That is why I do it, because my art is my voice, my way of telling a story, of expressing myself and how I feel about a particular issue or situation. The fact that I get to do this within an amazing community of artists, and the opportunity to collaborate with so many really talented artists and make lasting friendships, makes it all worthwhile.----------------------------------------------------------

Viviane Galloway is a New York based costume designer. Her credits include Pygmalion and Mother Courage (Jean Cocteau Rep.); Mrs. California , Dear Ruth, The Baltimore Waltz and The Butter and Egg Man (Retro Productions); and The Tempest, Happy End, The Cradle Will Rock, Candide and A Little Night Music (Theater 2020). Viviane has been nominated for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards for Outstanding Costume Design for The Desk Set (Retro Productions, 2010) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theater 2020, 2013). Viviane also frequently designs at The 52nd St. Project, a program that works with kids to create original productions, and would encourage all of you to get involved as well!!! www.costumegal.nyc

Opening Doors

Contributed by Stephanie Willing

As a child I knew I wanted to be an actor, but not in an all-encompassing “This is my dream!” kind of way. I also wanted to be a marine biologist, a writer, an equestrian, a ballerina, and when I was very young, either a unicorn or a dinosaur--whichever happened first.

My early acting career was uneventful but satisfying. When I was handed my first script at Bible camp with highlighted lines, I was ecstatic. Later when I auditioned and won the part of the (I now realize) caricatured Jewish innkeeper’s wife in the Christmas play, I was triumphant. And when I played the Virgin Mary in sixth grade with a pillow tied under my robe with my father’s leather belt, I was happy. I dropped that baby weight with a slip of the belt loops, but I never dropped a line.

And then I stopped acting because I still wanted to be a dancer/writer/martial artist/
equestrian/ecologist. As the eldest of four in a household of specific and limited means, I was told, “Pick one.” I chose dance and stuck with it for the next twelve years, all the way through college, thanks to scholarships. Then, like many artistic and nerdy folks, I went to work for a couple years in a used bookstore, saving money and glorying in the dusty pages of potentiality. One day, while shelving a tray of battered romance novels, I knew in my bones what I had to do. Go to New York and be an actor/dancer/stage combatant!

While still in Texas searching Craigslist for jobs and auditions in NYC (I’d never heard of Actors Access or Backstage), I clicked on a “volunteers needed” ad for something called the IT Awards. I responded, emailed, confirmed. It seemed like a good place to begin my reconnaissance; I figured I could meet people, learn the names of the theater companies, and see what kind of work was being made. I found short-term housing in the Bronx, booked a one-way ticket, and flew to New York City. My first week in town I was an usher at the 2008 New York Innovative Theater Awards.

That was the year that the Vampire Cowboys swept with Fight Girl Battle World. I only saw screenshots of the cast and costumes, but I was in love. I was in awe. I said, “I need to know these people.” Again googling, I found The Saturday Night Saloon and signed up for the Rabid Vamps Fight Studio (the VC’s stage combat and choreography class). Through the Saloon, I met the folks behind Gideon Productions, Nosedive, and The Brick.

My first acting opportunity came through those connections, and I was cast in The Ninja Cherry Orchard with a huge bevy of actors that blew me away. Since then, almost entirely, every part I’ve played or production I’ve choreographed has come through a connection that began in 2008, even down to the man I married.



Stephanie Willing (left) performs with the Vampire Cowboys in the
Opening Number of the 2010 IT Awards

Just like my two years in the bookstore, I had found a group of passionate nerds who always had room for one more, and just like that, Indie Theater became home. I can directly trace my path in NYC theater from that single moment standing at the back of the auditorium at the IT Awards manning the doors. If you were there that night, you probably didn’t see me. You saw your friends, the wonderful people of our community that I had yet to meet. But when I held the door open for you to walk into the auditorium, I was also opening all the doors I’d walk through for the next eight years.
 

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Stephanie Willing is a dancer/actor/choreographer/stage combatant/voiceover artist, so the childhood dream is working out so far, but she’s still working on the marine biologist bit. She received a BA in Dance from Texas Woman’s University and studied Fight Choreography with Qui Nguyen of Vampire Cowboys. She is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Upcoming projects include fight directing for Flux Theater Ensemble’s production Rizing, opening May 2016. She will also be performing as Joan of Arc in MTWorks’s production of David Stallings’ Anais Nin Goes to Hell in October 2016.