LOVE on the Boards

We dedicated February to our favorite valentine, Indie Theatre, and all the ways that we love it.

There is a great article written by Bill McMahon about how Karen Sternberg and David Ian Lee met and fell in love while working Off-Off-Broadway.

Do you have a love story? Did you meet your special someone while hanging out backstage or in a rehearsal room?

We want to hear about it.

Or share a link to a photo of you and your honey.

How Do I Love OOB?

by Shay Gines

How do I love OOB? Let me count the ways.           
I love OOB to the depth and borough and house size         
My soul is well met with kinship and allies       
For the vision and drive of the muse’s grace.           
I love OOB for miracles conjured in cabarets and cafes       
Most intimate, be it illuminated by Fresnel or candlelight.       
I love OOB gratefully, as the lost granted insight;       
I love OOB joyously, as a production given a critic's praise.
I love with a passion of my enthralled youth       
In my old daydreams, and with grad school faith.       
I love OOB with a love of an audience amused                       
With comedy of threes, -- I love OOB with Uta like breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if Dionysus choose,   
I shall but love OOB for a life exceedingly blessed.               

Special thanks to Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Happy Valentines Day!

I Love OOB Because....

We asked artists working Off-Off-Broadway to tell us why they love their community. Here are some of their answers:

"The community. People who like to play together and support one other's creative efforts. It makes me happy." ~Al Pearsall

"I love that both off and off off productions can, in some respects, take more risks. They can present new material or find innovative ways to present 'classics.'"  ~Jenny Herdman Lando

"Risks that pay off!"  ~Tamara Rose

"I Love Off Off Broadway, especially when my Son's show is on stage !!!!!"  ~ Paul Jerabek

"More diverse voices."  ~ Shawn Harris

"It gives a chance for new works.. As Broadway moves towards producing movies that sold well as films..."  ~ Richard Cameron

"I like the 'anything goes' vibe, which makes finding more diverse POVs/artists easier." 
~ CrossroadsPlays ‏@XroadsTheatre

"Creativity, passion, energy" ~ Arthur Reel

We want to hear from you. Why do you love Off-Off-Broadway.

My Clumsy Encounter with Philip Seymour Hoffman

Contributed by Shay Gines

As someone who worked Off-Off-Broadway and understood the community, Philip Seymour Hoffman was an artist the IT Awards wanted to get as a presenter from the very beginning. Each year we would send the request, and each year his assistant would try to work something into his schedule but – especially after he won the Oscar – he was always busy filming or in production. I just knew, however, that eventually schedules would match up, and we would be able to make it happen.

The only actual encounter I ever had with Mr. Hoffman was at a Starbucks in the Village. It is difficult sometimes for me to introduce myself to people and start conversations, especially if I have an agenda. I feel awkward and inappropriate, which only ends up making the conversation feel awkward and inappropriate. Jason Bowcutt, on the other hand, is a genius at talking with people. He can talk to anyone about anything. He has tried, on more than one occasion, to teach me how he does it, but I simply do not have his skills. So when I saw PSH in the Starbucks I could hear Jason echoing in my subconscious: “Seize the moment. Be confident and just talk with him. He’s a theatre creator just like you.” I screwed my courage to the sticking place, grabbed my business card and approached him… I didn’t so much introduce myself to him as I… orally attacked him.

“Hi my name is Shay (no breath) I’m with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards (no breath) We love you and would really love to have you present an award for us (no breath) oh, the awards are for Off-Off-Broadway (no breath) I know that you are busy and I don’t mean to bother you (no breath) We’ve been talking with your assistant about your schedule, trying to work something out (no breath) she’s very nice and helpful by the way (no breath) it would mean a lot to have you there (no breath) you’re awesome (no breath) oh, the awards are in September (no breath) here’s my card (no breath) we’ve wanted to get you from the very beginning (no breath) we’ll continue to try to work something out with your schedule (no breath) didn’t mean to interrupt you have a good day!”

I pretty much just yelled at him, very quickly, for two minutes, then stuffed my card into his hand and ran away. He was nice. He smiled patiently and shook my hand and nodded and looked confused.

When hearing about the encounter later, Jason asked me, “What did HE say?”

“Um, nothing," I answered. "I didn’t really give him a chance to talk.”

Jason laughed and shook his head, “You probably scared him.”

When I look back on it, it was such an embarrassing, clumsy moment for me. I can’t imagine what he thought was going on. This crazy, six foot tall woman, who maybe knew a little bit too much about his life, just verbally exploded at him while he was trying to buy biscotti and then disappeared.

You’ll be happy to know that I did learn from the encounter and have since finessed my approach when talking with potential presenters.

I was so sad to hear about Mr. Hoffman’s passing because I admired him so much. He was an actor who made incredibly brave choices and had an uncommon ability to reveal a humanity that was fragile and weird and deep and beautiful. I will miss his insight and his work.


Community Prayer & Candlelight Vigil for Philip Seymour Hoffman

"It's important to say that actors can't act alone, it's impossible. What we have to do is support each other." 

                                             ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman

Welcome Aboard

As a part of our 10 Year Celebration, we will be bringing in some new collaborators. To kick off the new year, we are excited to be joined by some truly fantastic people.

Please join us in welcoming them...

ZACK CALHOON (Update Contributor) graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in acting. He has worked as an actor with companies all over New York City. Playwriting credits: Friday at Jimmy’s (Rising Phoenix Rep commission), Blanquita (2014 Semi-Finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference), The Weird Sisters (East 3rd Productions, Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s PlayFest), Breaking Ranks (New Mummer Group), Marlowe, P.I. (Dreamscape), Violence in the Air (Stageworks/Hudson), Mamet Yoga (Atlantic Alumni Workshop), RINO (Resonance Ensemble Play commission, produced in 2012 Brick Theatre Democracy Festival), and Paint (2012 Semi-Finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Winner of the 2010 Georgia Theatre Conference New Play Award) . His plays have been performed and developed by the Naked Angels, Rising Phoenix Rep, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Boomerang Theatre Co., East 3rd Productions, Living Image Arts, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, New Mummer Group, On the Square Productions, and Dreamscape Theatre. He wrote two episodes for the second season of the award-winning web series, Then We Got HELP! (www.thenwegothelp.com) and is the editor of the theatre blog Visible Soul. He is an Eagle Scout and a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America East.

SARAH LAHUE (Judge Wrangler) moved to NYC from upstate New York in the summer of 2013 and was lucky enough to start working in the Off-Off-Broadway community shortly thereafter. She's stage managed shows for Boomerang Theatre Company, Retro Productions, and The Secret Theater, as well as regionally for Albany Civic Theater in her hometown Albany, NY. She holds an MA in Literature from The College of Saint Rose and a BA in English from Hofstra University, both of which she looks forward to not using as she pursues a full time career in theater.

BILL McMAHON (Update Contributor) Bill's Cover is currently in development for an Off-Broadway production.  Random was named a finalist for the 2008 Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award. Missing the 4:55 was named a winner in the 2005 Slippery Rock University One-Act Play Contest. (Parantheticals), a collection of his one-acts that includes Missing the 4:55, received an Honorable Mention for the 2003 Eric Bentley New Play Competition. Bill was also the winner of the Paul Green Playwrights Prize for his full-length play A Winter Beauty, produced by Emerging Artists Theatre Blind Corner, a finalist for the Julie Harris Playwriting Award, was also a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Conference 2002, as well as a semi-finalist for the Dramarama Competition. Bill’s current projects include his three-act epic play World Of Tomorrow, based on the life and work of Robert Moses and his battles with Jane Jacobs, as well as a screenplay adaptation for Hudson Film Group. 

HELENE MONTAGNA (Update Contributor) is a playwright living in New York City.  She has studied playwriting at ESPA (formerly Primary Stages) and at Labyrinth Theater (as a member of their Master Class) and with playwright and poet Dan O'Brien. Her work has been produced at the Kraine Theater, Manhattan Rep and at Roy Arias studios (with John Chatterton).  Helene's work is also produced regionally in Staten Island, her most recent effort being Don't Hang Up, for which she was the recipient of the Staten Island Arts Premier Grant in 2013. She has also been around backstage in theatre for as long as she can remember.  Helene has served in just about every technical aspect of theatre there is... from stage crew to stage managing to sound design.

BETTINA KATIE WARSHAW (Blog Curator) is a writer, performer, manager and collaborator. She has been involved with the Off-Off-Broadway community since 2011, working with the IT Awards, New York Neo-Futurists and FringeNYC. She believes a day without a dance party is a day wasted.