Experimenting with Katz

Produced by New Ambassadors Theatre Company in association with Julia Botero
Written by David Adam Gill
Directed by John Robert Tillotson

Nominations: Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role - Jacob Lovendahl; Outstanding Costume Design - Julia Kuliya

About New Ambassadors Theatre Company
New Ambassadors Theatre Company is a not-for-profit collective of professional theater artists of diverse and varied backgrounds and life experiences. Through collaboration we aim to empower artists to do their finest work in an environment that fosters inclusion and honesty. A production focused company that inspires, entertains, educates, and ultimately challenges audiences through new works created by company members to celebrate and to illuminate our common humanity.

Photos by Priyanka Krishnan

About Experimenting with Katz
Michael Katz has a problem: he’s just come out of the closet (again), and it’s not going particularly well. First, his mother shows up unexpectedly in the midst of a snowstorm to ambush him with (among other things) the daughter-in-law of her dreams. Then his best friend selfishly decides to start putting her own life above his (and it’s still snowing)! On top of everything, the one person who’s willing to put up with him is the only person he doesn’t want anything to do with (at least that’s what he keeps telling himself), leaving Michael to wonder, is this really the course of true love, or is it some social experiment gone horribly wrong? And why won’t it stop snowing?!!

What first attracted you to working on this show?

Jacob: I absolutely loved the character. From her very first words. Broccoli/Ella is funny, brutally honest, and yet also really loving, and kind. She is confident in herself, and went beyond just being the typical sassy funny drag queen or as she likes to call herself "gender illusionist", to also showing great kindness and compassion and understanding. David, in my opinion, is a brilliant playwright and I remember reading the very first full version of the play, and laughing hysterically, and then crying, and then laughing again, and saying to myself, I am so so grateful to be a part of this, because its pure magic.

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

Jacob:I absolutely love the rehearsal process. The cast had been together through many many readings together, and it was just beautiful to watch us all put the characters fully on their feet. Our director John Robert Tillotson and playwright David Gill, gave us such freedom to play, discover, and try new things, and through that were able to give our most authentic characters, and performances and I am so grateful for that! Also we had the MOST supportive and amazing crew... I just adore them all so much!

David Adam Gill: Watching the actors bring the characters to life. It was a gift.

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

Jacob: My Wig. hahah. She actually had a mind of her own. You know the saying some girls just can't be tamed? Well, neither could my wig. But in all seriousness, the entire experience from start to finish was really really amazing, and every time we were together it was beyond fun.

David: It was the first production I fully produced, so all the things that come more easily with subsequent productions I was learning for the first time. It was daunting.

What was the funniest part of your experience with this production?

Jacob: Three of us shared a very very very small dressing room. And Ella had a fabulous, gorgeous extensive wardrobe including tulle, and a fur coat... and tons of makeup... and tons of jewelry, and hair, and shoes... we basically had to choreograph our changes, it was hysterical.

David: We'd mostly visualized the production as proscenium presented, and had to re-visualize the entire thing once we'd settled on TheaterLab which is (or can be) has audience on two sides of the playing area. That was a challenge we had to rise too.

What is the best thing about working with this company of artists?

Jacob: I absolutely loved this cast. I was so unbelievably fortunate to work with such talented, kind, amazing actors. Supportive, encouraging, open, and the trust and safety we all had in one another was really wonderful.

David: Jacob Lovendahl was the first person ever to read for Ella and I fell in love then and there. He is so talented, and really cared to bring Ella's humanity to the forefront. Julia was a recommendation from my Costumer Shop professor at college and at our first meeting (again) I knew she would see the characters through that special lens that would enable her to dress them - not as characters, but as people. We really lucked out with Julia.

Did you learn anything or discover anything new while working on this project? If so, what?

Jacob: I learned so much from Ellas character. The biggest thing she taught me though was self love, and strength.

What did you want the audience to come away with after watching Experimenting with Katz?

David: That once you get to know someone, you'll realize you have more in common with them than not, and that fear can only thrive in an atmosphere of ignorance.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

Jacob: I am just beyond grateful. There are so many incredible actors and shows out there, and I am honored and humbled to be a part of the theater family, and to have shared this experience with some really incredible, amazing actors and crew. Very very humbled and grateful.

David: I'm thrilled. Again, for Jacob, I never saw anyone else playing Ella. He gave so much love and care to the character - to a character very close to my heart - I think this nomination is so deserved. And as for Julia, she just got it right away, and a good costumer can enhance or really add to the production without pulling focus away from the action, which she 100% did.

Entangled

Produced by The Amoralists

Written by Charly Evon Simpson & Gabriel Jason Dean

Directed by Kate Moore Heaney

Nominations: Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role – Naomi Lorrain; Outstanding Original Full-Length Script - Gabriel Jason Dean & Charly Evon Simpson

About the Amoralists

We are The Amoralists. A diverse collective of uncompromising artists. Founded in 2006, we produce original work that confronts the American condition in all its complexity. Our stories are emotionally charged and character driven, a place where politics and perspectives collide and no side emerges unscathed. Explosive, vital, raucous and raw, we do theatre, no moral judgement.

Photos by Travis Emery Hackett

About Entangled

In the aftermath of a mass shooting in NYC, the black mother of a victim and the white brother of the shooter try to make sense of what happened, each individually grappling with a soul-shattering experience that few understand. An exploration of loss and survival, Entangled is the story of two strangers connected by tragedy in a nation still struggling to see itself for what it is.

The nominees and producer James Kautz give us some insight into developing Entangled.

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What first attracted you to Entangled?

James: The opportunity to explore this very important topic with extremely talented playwrights and artists

Naomi: I am an eternal fan of Charly Evon Simpson's writing and I originated the part of Greta in her previous play Stained.

Gabriel: I was commissioned by the Amoralists as part of their 'Wright Club. I had been working on a musical, OUR NEW TOWN, with the Civilians which was about a fictional shooting on a college campus and so the crossover to the Amoralists Ricochet project was easy.

What was your favorite part of this production?

James: The creation process was incredible personal for all involved - and sharing it with our audience - the conversations in the lobby and the house after the show - was our favorite part of the production. The conversations were heartfelt, heated and abundant.

Naomi: I especially enjoyed illuminating the racial politics that exist within the modern day epidemic that are mass shootings.

Gabriel: It was so rewarding to work with Charly over the course of 18 months. Our conversations were incredible. Entangled was the first time I’ve done something so collaborative with a straight play. And I feel the work is a lot deeper and more examined as a result.

Charly: Getting to work along side Gabriel was a true delight.

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

James: Building new plays around difficult subject matter with multiple playwrights takes time and care - and scheduling was by far the most difficult part of this process. Our two playwrights exploded with popularity and productions in 2018/2019.

Naomi: The subject matter was extremely difficult and the monologue style of delivery had its challenges but I believe in Charly's writing and the importance and urgency of the story being told.

Gabriel: Charly and I both had rolling world premieres through the National New Play Network going on at the time and so finding the time to get together was tricky. We eventually settled on writing the script via a Google doc which we both edited and offered comments on and then we followed up with phone conversations.

Charly: Co-writing a play when you are barely in the same place at the same time was a huge challenge for us and really affected how we wrote the play.

What did you want the audience to take away with them after seeing Entangled?

James: I wanted them to have a greater need, ability and urgency to discuss gun violence (and violence in general) in our country and a deeper compulsion to change the status-quo.

What was the most unique or noteworthy part of this production?

James: Our two playwrights wrote this play over the course of two - three months through phone calls, emails and a shared google doc. They’re warriors at the top of their craft.

Naomi: Entangled was one of my most unique & noteworthy experiences I've ever had because of three main things: One, I've never been in a play were I never spoke directly to my scene partner. Two, we had an extremely sparse set consisting of only two chairs and a projector and lastly, I've never been in a show with literally no props whatsoever. The story and connection with the audience was all we had.

Gabriel: When Charly and I first began talking about the characters for Entangled--the brother of the shooter and the mother of one of his victims-- we both knew we were attempting an impossible conversation.Rather than forcing a more theatrical conflict on characters who were already traumatized, we decided it would be more honest and ultimately more thought-provoking to explore the characters’ conflicts through soliloquies and instant messages, both sent and unsent. We had many meetings and phone conversations, but ultimately created the play together on a Google Doc with Charly writing for Greta and me writing for Bradley. That process allowed us to respond to each other in real time, leaving notes and ideas for each other along the way. By accident, we also discovered that the writing process we were experiencing for the play ultimately correlated almost seamlessly to the structure and experience of the play we were creating.

What was it like working with this company of artists?

James: They risk being vulnerable - really vulnerable

Naomi: They are fearless. They enjoy challenging the mindset of their audience and I think that's vital in order to amplify the empathy and humanity we have as a society.

Gabriel: With the entire project, we had 18 months to talk, think, try things. It was an amazing experience to have a company get behind and stage your first draft and to work on crafting that draft during rehearsal. Typically there is a lot of development along the way and in my experience, sometimes the play can lose its force that way.

Did you gain any insight or learn anything new throughout this process?

Naomi: Most definitely. I realized how unnecessary props, sets or even lights are to telling a story. The connection to the story and relying that story to the audience is key.

Gabriel: Work with Charly as much as possible!

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

James: It’s an incredible honor that we’ve been recognized for contributing something noteworthy to NY’s Indie Theatre community.

Naomi: Working on this show was especially difficult. It was one of the hardest plays I've done this season (specifically due to the style and lack of traditional play elements) and this nomination is a reminder that the intense emotional life that I brought to Greta was recognized and appreciated.

Gabriel: It's really a true honor to have our experiment and collaboration recognized with this nomination. I'm very grateful!

Charly: I love that I get to share this nomination with Gabriel. The writing process for this play felt a little crazy at times, but it is nice to know that Gabriel and I found our way and the story we were trying to tell came alive.

Shadows, a dance musical

Produced by Go Joe Enterprises
Book by Randall David Cook
Music by Edison Woods, Maxim Moston and Karen Bishko
Directed by Joey McKneely

Nominations: Outstanding Choreography / Movement - Joey McKneely; Outstanding Original Music: Karen Bishko, Maxim Moston, & Edison Woods


About Shadows, a dance musical
When a married woman starts an affair in her NYC pied-à-terre, she discovers it is haunted by spirits. Trapped by their own violent past, the spirits try to stop this affair from escalating. Past informs the present as the cycle repeats itself to a dramatic conclusion.

How far will you go to keep the one you love?

Photos by Jay Michaels

The nominees and producer Jay Michaels discuss their experience of creating this new concept musical.

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What first attracted you to this work?

Joey: The show was an opportunity to create a new form of a musical. Trying to create something fresh using dance as a major form of narrative was the big attraction.

Karen: I was attracted to this show because it's a script about a passionate affair between two unhappily married people. I remember hearing an interview with Sting once where he talked about how love triangles are brilliant for songwriting. I thought I could get stuck into this.

Maxim: My writing partner Julia Frodhal came to me with this project and I loved the idea of melding dance and drama.

Jay: Joey McKneely and Randall David Cook created the project

What was your favorite part of working on Shadows...?

Joey: My favorite part was collaborating not only with my fellow creatives, but with our extraordinary cast of actors and dancers. To see how passionate they all were from the get go was a real treat to experience.

Karen: The people. What a wonderful team.

Maxim: Seeing the actors and dancers put it all together after years of looking at a page or a sound file.

Jay: Watching it come to life

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

Joey: The most challenging part was trying to get it right. Once an audience comes into the theater, they let you know what's working and what's not. With the limited time we had, it was really a push to try to make the changes to the show and discover how we could improve our show.

Karen: Being sent home to write a song overnight. There was a hole in the script, which I pointed out and then got nominated to fill. By then I knew the amazing actor and voice that I was writing it for (John Arthur Greene) so it was a different and better experience. Also rewarding because John loved the song when I took it to him the next day.

Maxim: Multiple directions were explored, which meant multiple cues and some brilliant cues needed to be discarded.

Jay: Producing it. Independent theater is far more "hands-on" than Broadway (which McKneely is used to) and needed a lot more care and attention. It became that much more satisfying as all facets could have your signature.

What do you think the funniest or most ironic part of the production for you?

Joey: Wow...being the producer, director, choreographer, conceiver, set/tech supervisor, delivery driver, janitor and anything else that needed to get done during this process was the most exhausting yet inspiring thing I have ever attempted to do.

Karen: Our dress rehearsal was a disaster. Everything went wrong. Ballerina Irina Dvorovenko, possibly the most graceful woman I've ever met, couldn't shut the french doors on the set. She ended up slamming them so hard that the whole set nearly fell over. Randall David Cook (the book writer) and I nearly died laughing. I still laugh every time I think about it.

Maxim: Melding of "high art" and comedy reminded me of On The Town.

Jay: The musical is a Gothic ghost story that took place in a 100 year old building and the theatre is over a century old (which McKneely didn't know when acquiring it) so the whole picture was "supernatural."

What was the best part of working with this company of artists?

Joey: The best thing about these artist is that they all believed in the show. They gave they're all every day. I am so grateful for their time and commitment to the show.

Karen: No egos! Everyone was just a team.

Maxim: Their total dedication.

Jay: Brilliance and mind-reading. Amazing talent and knowing what "works"

Did you gain any insight or learn anything new from this experience?

Joey: Yes, I discovered being a producer is way harder than directing/choreographing a show!

Karen: I learned so much, especially from Joey McNeely. He worked so hard and he pushes everyone and they respond. I also really learnt, quite simply, to work from someone else's script. Randall would give me extra notes about exactly what he thought the song should say, I'd put my twist on it and somehow it worked.

Maxim: I actually like dance.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

Joey: It is a huge honor to get this nomination. For all the hard work and sacrifice I made just to get the show on stage, it feels like a little slice of heaven is saying "don't give up, keep going!" It is an enormous gift.

Karen: I'm over the moon to be nominated for this award because I knew this show was different and special and I've worked hard on the songs for years. They're not traditional musical theatre songs at all and it's lovely to be recognized for them.

Maxim: A true honor.

Jay: Validation for the work; acceptance by the community; an honor.

Friendly’s Fire

Produced by The Rising Sun Performance Company in Association with the Theatre at the 14th Street Y
Written by John Patrick Bray
Directed by Anna Hogan

Nomination: Outstanding Set Design - Daniel Hogan

About Rising Sun Performance CompanyRising Sun is committed to the principle of ensemble process and performance through the collaboration of a resident company of theatre artists. Their goal is to provide a safe artistic home which stimulates risk-taking without limits of genre or agenda and where all the artists stand together to create vivid stories.Their mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships, and contributing new works and revitalized pre-existing work to the national canon. They believe in preserving a history of performance and the integrity of theater that can not be found in any other medium today.

Photos by David Anthony

About Friendly’s Fire
Friendly's Fire shows us to what lengths one man will go to preserve the sanity of his friend - a veteran who lost his brother in service to our country.

Daniel and Producer Akia share their thoughts on Friendly's Fire.

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What first attracted you to Friendly's Fire?

Daniel: I have previously worked with several of the artists and producers of the show, and I was thrilled to have the chance to collaborate with them again.

Akia: We have had a long working relationship with the playwright John Patrick Bray, he presented this work to us many years ago and the timing was never right. We finally had the right venue, the right team and the political climate also influenced our timing of the work

What was your favorite part of working on this production?

Daniel: I really enjoyed discussing the concept of the show with the director. She is my sister, and I have had few chances to work with her. Friendly's Fire was a chance to develop a cohesive vision together!

Akia: The venue at the 14th street Y was spectacular, they were great champions and partners. Our creative design team was amazing and this show elevated our work on many levels

What was the most challenging aspect of this experience for you?
Daniel: The world of the show is deeply complex and spans different dimensions and states of consciousness. It was challenging to create levels of reality in a minimal theatrical setting.

Akia: All of the complex design and technical elements the script required . Our lead actor also ruptured to his appendix during the run. Fortunately we had an understudy who was ready, who went on with one full rehearsal.





What was the quirkiest part of this production?

Daniel: The script itself is quirky, charming, whimsical, and dark. I didn't realize how much of it resonated with me until i was watching the actors in dress rehearsals.

Akia: We had a dancing Russian bear, a flying helicopter (YES A FLYING HELICOPTER), a skateboarding Santa and a fighting bee.

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

Daniel: Each artist was able to come together to tell this story.

Akia: The sheer challenge of space/storage/budget. Daniel did so much with so little it was amazing! He worked so closely with the director and team to bring alive the complicated different locations.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

Daniel: I have worked extensively in regional theatre for many years where I designed mostly large-scale musical theatre. This show was a return to the essence of design, style, and concept, and I am glad that others enjoyed my work.

Akia: We are excited to have this nomination be for design, as this work really challenged us in so many ways. Visually this has been the most beautiful work we have done to date

The 11th Dimension

Produced by ETdC Projects' Lab in association with Roi Escudero & Valentin Ewan

Designed and Directed by Roi Escudero

Nomination: Outstanding Performance Art Production

About ETdC Projects' Lab

ETdC Projects' Lab was founded by conceptual performance artist Roi Escudero creates post-modern immersive works for the stage. Their immersive dramatic spectacles and postmodern performance-artwork is inspired by cultural storytellers and the mystique of the fantastic and vérité. Hand-make the visual elements: sets, costumes, masks and life-sized body puppet characters, utilizing recycled materials and found objects as well as multimedia video are hallmarks of ETdC Projects’ productions and used to exaggerate everyday reality and blend together fantasy, magic, myth and natural phenomena.

Photos by James Ewan

About The 11th Dimension

“Sometimes to get to paradise you have to journey through hell.” Through their travels across space and time, the existential heroic beings of light, the Bubulinos, struggle with the ephemeral and physical troubles of mankind’s present, striving to keep their “divine child” pure. In their quest to rescue the Bird of Truth, the Bubulinos guided by Antonin Artaud, traverse The Inferno of today’s world and arrive to the true paradise of life. The 11th DIMENSION is a post-modern vérité tale inspired by The Theory of Everything, Antonin Artaud, Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of “a body without organs”, and Dante’s 9 Circles of Hell. It was created for the stage by award winning conceptual-performance artist Roi Escudero. This performance-art piece blends magic realism and surreal humor with a persuasive visual art collage containing nostalgic music hits. Roi uses her background in visual arts and theatre to create immersive works on stage.

What first attracted you to this subject matter?

Roi: I was challenged by Artaud’s words: “No one has ever written, painted, sculpted, modeled, built, or invented except literally to get out of hell.” His words inspired me to create a performance-art piece merging Artaud’s brilliant madness with Dante and his Divina Comedia.

What was your favorite part of working on this project?

Roi: Enjoying a space to rehearse thanks to the generosity of The LIT fund and The Times Center NYC, and experimenting and collaborating with other artists in the creative process.

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

Roi: Merging my Bubulinos contemporary vérité tales with the brilliant madness of Artaud and the poetic universe of Dante was a strong effort of knowledge that challenged my imagination.

What did you want the audience to take away from your piece?

Roi: I hope that they leave the theatre with questions and a heart in peace, with space for love, sensibility and tolerance.

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

Roi: I love sharing this nomination with my phenomenal co-producer Valentin Ewan and the talented artists at ETdC Projects’ Lab, our guests and sponsors. Each one of them were precious in the creative process and production of The 11th DIMENSION: Ioan Ardelean, John Cencio Burgos, Lia Barcellona Tamborra, Richard Stevens, Ruben Celiberti, Jack Placidi, Cesar Valderrama, Antonio Miniño, David Stalling, James Ewan, Horacio Gerpe, Karina Alexander, Carter O'Brien Ford, Gabe Garcia, Shennie Shaw, Dinyasia Crum, Sean Phillips, and Patrons of the Arts Joan and Frederick Nicholas, founder and former Chairman of the Board of The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Los Angeles, CA. Much thanks also to: The Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation, The Indie Theater Fund, The League of Independent Theater, The Times Center and Planet Connections. IATI Theater, Erez Ziv, FRIGID New York, Marcina Zaccaria, Randi Berry and Patricia Herrera-Latin-Media. Gracias IT Awards! Merci Artaud and Grazie Dante.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?

Roi: This nomination means a lot to me, “toda una vida de trabajo”. Thank you IT Awards for recognizing performance-art for the stage as a “whole.” Performance-art is an achievement of my lifetime. My work is a platform for other artists to collaborate and experiment with imagination. I dedicate this nomination to the Dreamers. I know by experience that it is not easy to achieve the American Dream. As an immigrant and as a citizen, I love the Americas from South to North. Muchas gracias IT Awards for the nomination!

The Art of Acting: A Master Class with Fozzie Bear

Written, Performed, & Produced by Larry Phillips 
Directed by Ben Liebert

Nominations: Outstanding Solo Performance & Outstanding Original Short Script – Larry Phillips

About The Art of Acting: A Master Class with Fozzie Bear
You have been invited to attend a Master Class on Acting taught by the legendary Fozzie Bear.

What first attracted you to The Art of Acting...
Larry: Always wanted to do a solo piece.

What was your favorite part of working on this project?
Larry: It was a small rehearsal room. 3 people; me, the director, and the stage manager.

What was the most challenging part of this experience for you?
Larry: Being alone.

What does receiving this nomination mean to you?
Larry: Anytime someone recognizes your work it's thrilling

 
Larry Phillips has written and appeared in: Koalas are Dicks (Theater 80), The Weekend Will End (Theatre 54), Must Win (14th St. Y), Last Chance for Mama (LaTea), The Rise of Mediocrity (Hudson Guild), The Other Harvey (Theatre 54), Secondary Pitch (The Bridge), Arbuckle Syndrome (Hudson Guild), Fistful of Cake, Pocketful of Miracles (Wild Project), Learning to Skip (The Bridge). The New York Theater Festival has nominated him three times for Best Play (winning once), and a nomination for Best Actor. He has also been nominated at The Planet Connections Theatre Festival for Best Play (Comedy) Best Script (Comedy) and won Best Lead Actor in a Comedy.