Curious Frog Theatre Company

Closing of Two Gents is Sunday at 4pm!

2011-09-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

It's a double bill for tomorrow, Sunday Sept 4th! At the beautiful Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, right off the 6 train.

At 4pm we have our closing performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona, followed by a 6pm showing ofJulius Caesar. Both shows are free. Bring a blanket or low chair, a picnic, and a sense of fun!

DIRECTIONS: Take the 6 train uptown to Pelham Bay Park. When you exit, go over the pedestrian overpass and come down into the park. Take a right along the path, then a left and keep going. You are looking for the South Meadow Picnic Area, and we are very close to the Dog Run. If you get lost, ask folks where the running track or tennis courts are, since we are just up and over the hill to the right of those spots.

Call our hotline at 646-450-2878 if it looks like rain to be sure we are still going on!

Read our review of Two Gents: http://nerd-girlsromanticsandtime-travelers.blogspot.com/2011/08/retro-two-gents-is-great-outdoor-fun.html

Watch our trailer for Julius Caesar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bca2rITXiL0

VOTE for our shows, actors and designers to win the New York Innovative Theatre awards!

Two Gents: http://www.nyitawards.com/oobshows/show.asp?showID=2100

Julius Caesar: http://www.nyitawards.com/oobshows/show.asp?showID=2101

Julius Caesar, Directed by Robert J. Dyckman, Stage Manager: Shira Segal

Nicholas Urda*: Brutus

Renee Rodriguez: Cassius

Robert J. Dyckman*: Mark Antony

James Ware: Julius Caesar

Emilio Aquino: Decius Brutus/Octavius Caesar

Angela Sharp: Calpurnia/Popilius/Messala

/2nd Commoner

Krystine Summers: Casca/Lepidus/Strato/1st Commoner-Musician

Kimberley Wong: Portia/Soothsayer/Pindarus

/Citizen 2

Manuel de la Portilla: Marullus/Lucius/Caesar’s servant/Publius/Citizen 1/Cato

Al Patrick Jo: Metellus Cimber/Lucillius/Citizen 3

D. Carlton: Flavius/Artemidorus/Soldie

r 2/Citizen 4

Shae Orrick: Trebonius/Volumnius

Holly Dortch: Cinna/Titinius

Kevin Russo: Caius Ligarius/Octavius’ Servant/Soldier 1

Two Gents, Directed by Renee Rodriguez, Stage Manager: Gae Song

Krystine Summers: Launce/First Outlaw

Emilio Aquino: Proteus

Justin Maruri*: Valentine

Angela Sharp: Julia

Bushra Laskar: Silvia

James Ware: Duke/Antonio

Umi Shakti: Lucetta/Third Outlaw

Robert J. Dyckman*: Speed/Eglamour/Second Outlaw

Lola: Crab

*Actors appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association

Fight Director: Rocio Mendez

Costume Designer: Samantha Guinan

JC Music Director: Manuel de la Portilla

Dramaturg: Angela Sharp

Volunteer Manager: Bushra Laskar

2G Props Designer: Blair Khoker

JC Props Designer: Shira Segal

Assistant Stage Managers: Margo Bayroff, Julia Rella, Erin Magner

Weapons provided by Michael Hagins

Find out more at www.curiousfrog.org and Curious Frog’s page on Facebook.

Two Gentlemen of Verona and Julius Caesar are Equity Approved Showcases.

CONTACT: Reneé Rodriguez, Executive Director

646-450-2878 / renee@curiousfrog.org

www.curiousfrog.org

Manhattan This Weekend: Central Park's Cherry Hill, and Inwood Hill Park

2011-08-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

This Friday, Aug 25th, we continue with Julius Caesar. PLEASE NOTE this performance will start at 6:30pm, a change from previous start time.

This performance is actually a debut for our company at this particular venue: Cherry Hill in Central Park. Enter from W. 72nd and CPW for easiest access to this hidden spot, and head toward Bethesda Fountain and go up the hill next to it.

Picnic fare can be picked up at Columbus Circle’s Whole Foods if you are up for a walk, but we especially love Westerly Market esp. since they just renovated! Organic produce and packaged vegan and omnivore goods will allow for a unique, delicious dinner. Don’t forget to ask for napkins and plasticware at the cash register, and tell them Curious Frog sent you!

On Saturday, Aug 26th, at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan, we think the rain just might hold for our DOUBLE BILL! The comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona, plays at 4pm and Julius Caesar is at 6pm. Both shows play at Inwood Hill Park’s The Peninsula, which is located next to the Nature Center and the baseball diamond on the marsh. You’ll enter at 218th St. & Indian Road, and walk down the wide road and over the little bridge.

For this location, we always love to recommend Indian Road Café right there at the corner of 218th St. & Indian Rd, and everyone always says, “What a find!” Indeed they are! Just know that sometimes the wait can be long, so give yourself an extra 30-45 minutes to not just wait, but to make it a full, leisurely day of fantastic dining and beautiful surroundings during a Shakespearean play—or two.

As always, look for our chalk arrows on the sidewalks and pathways to lead you to us! Telltale sign that you have found us would be the streamers and balloons to say farewell to Valentine for his trip away from Verona!

See you tomorrow and/or Saturday! Bring a blanket or low chair, and sunblock and a rain jacket. Remember to check our phone line at 646-450-2878 if it looks like rain. We’ll let you know by 2 hours before curtain whether it’s a go.

Looking forward to seeing you there.
Curious Frog

Two Gentlemen of Verona - Opening Weekend 8/11-8/13

2011-08-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Curious Frog’s FREE summer Shakespeare opens in Queens with the comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona. We’ll be bringing you back to 1983 for some fun in the feathered-hair world of shoulder pads and converse shoes.

Join us for our preview tomorrow, Friday 8/12 at 6pm on Astoria Park’s Great Lawn, near the water. When you get off the N/Q train at Ditmars Blvd in Astoria, walk down 23rd Avenue until you reach 19th St. If you enter from where 19th St meets 23rd Ave, go down the hill and you should see us there. Telltale sign would be the streamers and balloons to say farewell to Valentine for his trip away from Verona!

We perform again, same spot, for our official OPENING the next day, Saturday 8/13, at 4pm. Remember to bring a blanket or a low chair and plenty of hydration!

Looking for good picnic fare? We recommend Fresh Start for amazing and unique organic sandwiches, produce, and little tubs of picnic fare—fowl- and vegan-friendly. When you get off the N/Q train at Ditmars Blvd in Astoria, walk down 23rd Avenue and it’ll be on your right, at 29-13 23rd Ave. We love their acai drinks especially!
http://www.fsorganic.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=1961778F542C42DFB0792E3A61287F8E.

Or, since you are in a Greek neighborhood, Agnanti will totally make you say “Opa!” with their truly authentic fare, at the corner of 19th St and Ditmars Blvd. Here is their menu and phone number, so you can order ahead and not be late for our play. Their tzatziki is to die for! http://agnantiastoria.com/food-delivery-TW/Agnanti-Astoria-NY-Metro.5745.r?QueryStringValue=I5M2V/XGHxxBZMTsXCncyg==

Coming on Sunday at 4pm instead? Sure! We’ll be at Queensbridge Park in Long Island City on that day. Easy to get to as well, since the entrance to this smaller river park is at Vernon Blvd and 41st Ave. The F train will bring you to us, then walk toward the East River, or use www.hopstop.com to find your way from wherever you’ll be starting out from. This particular venue isn’t as close to our favorite dinner haunts as usual, so try to bring your picnic fare with you so you can munch away while you laugh at our antics!

See you this weekend! Remember to check our phone line at 646-450-2878 if it looks like rain.

Family Problems are Universal

2011-07-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on Curious Frog's Production of Rope of Sands by Toni Seger

ACTOR'S PERSPECTIVE....

As an actor, auditioning can feel like a full-time job. Soon after I wake up in the morning, I read all the casting notices in my email inbox. Once that's done, I make some phone calls, search jobs at the Actors' Equity building, and then of course, prepare for auditions.

Most of the time, I see roles that are specifically marked for white actors, while other times the following message is placed as a footnote: “Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to attend.”Such a notice would give an actor reason to believe that the casting director is interested in assembling a diverse cast. I, along with other performers of color, respond accordingly and audition for these parts.

Months pass, however, and when these roles are finally cast, they usually go to Caucasian performers despite the call for actors of all colors. I respect the vision of the people who made these decisions – the playwright, director, producer, casting director and others – and no one should be forced to cast a show in any way other than how they see fit.

On the other hand, I applaud the theatre companies that take risks in casting. I believe the rewards for these risks include the advancement of art in showing the universality in human problems and experiences.Additionally, non-traditional casting enables underrepresented performers to show the range of their talents in works from William Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams and beyond.

I am thankful to Curious Frog Theatre Company for the opportunity I had these past couple of months to perform in the play Rope of Sands by Toni Seger. Director, Renee Rodriguez had a vision to cast this upper-class family as interracial even though the play had been performed previously with Caucasian actors.Ms. Seger enthusiastically agreed and was so supportive of the production.

My character Peter is the kind of role I have wanted to play for a while – a young professional, educated, sophisticated, but with deeper layers of alcoholism, family strife and an out-of-this-world ego.

While I take pride in the roles I've played previously (which include parts in everything from comedies to slave dramas), the diverse casting of Rope of Sands is very contemporary and necessary in this age of Obama.There are affluent African American and multiracial families dealing with the same troubles as successful white families and while this play never explicitly says that, it more importantly shows it.

The lack of mention of race brings to mind the film, Things We Lost in the Fire, which stars Benicio Del Toro and Halle Berry as husband and wife. In that film, the ethnicity of the family is never brought up. Similarly, my biracial character in Rope of Sands never says, “Hey Dad, you're black,” or “Hey cousin, you're white,” but what this play does highlight is that this family's troubles are relatable to families of all ethnic backgrounds.

I thoroughly enjoyed bringing Seger's work to life under the direction of Rodriguez as well as working with my fellow cast (Barry Phillips and Angela Sharp) and the talented crew.

I hope more theatre companies will follow the “leaps” Curious Frog has made in its mission of non-traditional casting. I believe that is the way forward.

-DeSean Stokes

"Forsake thy cage, thy rope of sands..."

2011-07-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

PLAYWRIGHT'S PERSPECTIVE....

Thoughts on Curious Frog's production of Rope of Sands

by Toni Seger

At the time I wrote this play, I never would have imagined it being produced with a mixed race cast, but it works beautifully and adds layers for the audience to ponder. The bias I wrote about was financial. Meredith makes less money than her uncle and cousin and all of their communications with her are colored (small pun intended), by that bias. Adding the element of race, however, compounds the questions it raises. The fact that race is never mentioned in the script also works well. There’s no reason why it would, in this case, when the focus is the effect of a family suicide that is not race based.

As I got to know Renee Rodriquez, I wondered if she might want to approach the claustrophobic suburban world in which Rope of Sands exists with a mixed race cast, but I assumed Meredith would be the character with dark skin. Renee turned the tables on me by making Meredith white, with all the ironies that choice brings, and the beauty of the casting illustrates that an unconscious bias can appear in any form.

I’ve created a lot of characters, but Meredith is one that’s always stayed with me. When I write, I become the conduit for the passions of my characters and I let them speak for themselves (which makes alcohol helpful because it loosens their tongues and they start saying things they’d normally sit on). I created Meredith for all the folks who wish they’d said the thing they didn’t dare say, at the last family gathering they didn’t want to attend…

Frustration is a good dramatic driver for me and frustration is the underlying emotion that drives Rope of Sands. It’s the frustration of people who desperately want and need to connect with each other, but keep failing at it without realizing the role they play in sabotaging things.

I’m thrilled that the feedback has been so enthusiastic and I’m very proud of this production. I’m also very moved at the seriousness and commitment with which everyone involved approached it. A playwright could not hope for more than to have their work treated with respect by the talented people tasked with interpreting it.

Amantrya: A Sad Goodbye

2010-08-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have quite a celebration planned this Sunday. We will be closing a tremendous show. Our Midsummer Night's Dream: The Scavengers will perform for the last time at Inwood Hill Park. Afterward we'll perform a great ritual in the world of theatre: The Cast Party.

This particular event, for this particular play, will be a difficult one. It is rare to have experienced what I believe this cast did--a collaboration of perfectly combined actors, a synergy beyond that one normally feels, even with the best of casts. Our reviewers have been incredibly zealous in their praise, and our audience have posted laudatory comments all over their and our Facebook walls. It's that good of a show. Biased or no, I'll stand behind that statement 100%.

In spite of the varied levels of experience on stage, the obvious truth is that there is so much talent up there it's humbling. At least, it always has been for me. There were times during our rehearsal period when I was thankful I had plenty of experience behind me, because this was a cast deserving of a knowledgeable leader. It was a joy to educate, guide, and be inspired further by this group of individuals.

Imagine, if you are an actor, that you've been told to come to callbacks memorized and wearing clothing you don't plan to ever wear again. And then imagine being that actor, arriving with folks you don't know, being taught how to safely beat the crap out of each other and roll all over the dirty ground, and then told, "Aaaand....Go." Over and over and over again.

Or that you are handed a script, assigned some roles, and then told you have 10 minutes to show this scene, and hey, use the park's tree leavings and such as your props. Good luck, see you in 10.

Now imagine you are the director, staring at folks who are already good enough--and pretty much ready--to open the damn show. All before it's even cast.

But that's not what's hard to say goodbye to. And the thing is, I truthfully already had to say goodbye before we opened. Three weeks of rehearsals were what I really had to let go of. Actors who for the first week, took to the words of my adapted script and the language exercises and analysis, sitting on their butts; then for two weeks, tumbling around in the dirt and grass of several parks every single humid day; then for the final week, fairies meet and remember lovers who meet and remember mechanicals--14 people newly re-introduced, but this time with a whole lotta imagination behind them, to execute and show off and bring together. Oh, and then to add in "the forgotten scenes"--those moments here and there, large and small, which needed all the actors at once and were only visited and created 2-3 days before opening.

THAT'S what I found hardest to say goodbye to. I was singing on my way to rehearsals every single day. My step was light, my laughter easy. And I had to let go of 3 hours spent every day this summer, directing pure magic.

So I think I always knew we had a great show. Better yet, I suspected and found out we had an amazing ensemble. When you know who you want to cast, but can't decide where to put them because they'd each be brilliant in 2-3 different roles.....well, that's a freakin' FABulous problem to have.

Our lovers are certified combatants; and how often I've heard from folks that it's the best "lover's scene" they've ever seen in any Midsummer shows you how dynamic these actors (Angela Sharp, Alex Gould, Brandi Bravo & Andrew Sanford) are, especially with the choreography of Rocio Mendez. I mean come on, when you have a badass fighter like her allowed free reign, you're gonna see some pretty cool stuff.

Our fairies (yes, yes, they're pretty close to naked--and in perfect shape) do their own brand of tumbling and magic...nobody can take their eyes off of this Puck because she's mesmerizing; and I swear if my Oberon adds one more back-handspring-flippy-twisty-aerial-impressive acrobatic move to the sequence we already have in there, I'm just going to have a heart attack for his safety. But, of course, it's all in regular stride and easy as pie for that guy--whose acting moments also deepen with each show.

These mechanicals have forever endeared themselves to me. A motli-er crew you've never seen, and the interrelationships are fabulous, funny, and truly inventive. I daresay I've never seen a better Quince, and our Bottom is always one of our audience members' favorites in the show, and our Flute brings out some of the audience's heartiest laughter. But I think the truth is, it's hard for me to decide if our very stout Snout is my favorite, with his sporadic glimpses of frivolity; or our wide-eyed Snug, esp once she dons the cutest Lion's mask I swear I've ever seen. And I have a particular fondness for our Starveling, who in her simplicity has created the most memorable Moonshine I believe I'll ever experience--complete with an adorable hop on her final exit.

So, this will be a bittersweet closing for me--and I suspect for all of these actors as well. Oh, sure, we all have our next projects lined up and ready to plunge straight into; but if we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that while we are always looking forward, this will have been an experience we'll always look back on and wish we could relive even just one of the many priceless, honest, unforgettable moments we created together.

And so I say "Amantrya" to this cast I love so well, bidding them farewell...if only for a short time. Because now these folks are high on the Curious Frog's list!

Assisting the Maids

2010-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Now that spring is here I find myself dining outdoors with friends quite often. Why, just the other day I found myself catching up with a friend while having brunch al fresco. I was telling him about my experience so far working on this French play called The Maids and he gave a little laugh. I asked "what’s so funny?" and he mentioned how Genet was an interesting playwright. Yes, as anyone who knows Genet’s works will attest to...but that got me thinking about how interesting this particular production actually is.

When you think of this classic French play written by Jean Genet, the team I'm working with is not the one that comes to mind. I think what makes this production of The Maids so different from some of the works we often see in the city is that it’s not about the people themselves, but rather about the characters and script. You have two actresses cast as sisters who look nothing alike, but you wouldn’t know that in rehearsals, an exquisite Madame who is in fact a man, and this drama is all coming together under the skilled direction of a woman with great comedic timing. This is a multicultural and female-dominated production, which is what makes it so exciting.

Now this is my first time working on a Curious Frog production, and the company’s mission of hiring people in roles that you wouldn’t normally hire them in is to be applauded. I myself am half Asian and you really have to go deep into the team’s bench to find someone who is a Caucasian male. Nothing against Caucasians or males, I myself am half and all male, but it’s interesting because we’re all minorities, and that’s not the relevant thing to the production. In rehearsals we’re constantly working on the minds of the characters and on the workings of the play. Yes, we’ve seen men in women's clothing and unfortunately time and again minorities as maids, but as French sister maids who dress up as their Madame in order to perform a ceremony in their attempt to overcome oppression? I think not! It adds more layers to these already interesting characters.

I will say as the assistant director of this production I’ve been put into the rare position of learning more about the female mind due to often being the lone male in the room. Now that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make for some interesting rehearsals. Just the other evening I listened in on a discussion about the milkman which turned into which hunky male celebrity he was in their minds. Even though the team is diverse culturally it seemed clear that all the ladies could agree on the hotness of George Clooney.

So that little laugh that my friend gave about the interesting-ness of the playwright is just a smidgen of how interesting seeing the show will be. This is a unique team putting together a production of a very interesting play from a very interesting playwright making the performances of The Maids not to be missed.

- Don Etheridge, Assistant Director

Curious Frog Theatre Company's production of "The Maids" opens April 24th and runs through May 8th in a loft in Chelsea, 7:30pm curtain Wed-Sun. www.curiousfrog.org to learn more about the production. Tickets sold through Brown Paper Tickets.

A Long Way to Come a Short Way Correctly: Picking Our 2010 Season

2009-10-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

In early September, what was last year two people deciding what plays we should do, this year became eight people plus 23 submissions. And so with our multiplied voices sitting in a large room with gluten-free brownies and brown bag lunches, we voted for our top picks quickly, then debated that short list for another three hours. One of us was in London, one of us was texting from a set of all-day auditions, and six of us were trading a microphone around as we spoke to ensure that our London member heard everything.

Our resident stage manager, Laura Gomez, shares: "We had been instructed to pick our top six favorites, which was a difficult process because we had 22 intriguing and widely differing proposals to choose from. The discussion that ensued was critical, passionate, and even heated at times….Everything from amplification in the parks to venue suggestions were hashed out. But most importantly, we had to ensure that the plays chosen for the upcoming season were in line with the Curious Frog mission statement. We had to make sure that we weren't simply throwing actors of colors into roles for the sake of using them, but that we had a well-thought-out idea of what message we would send by using these actors."

Marie Morrow, Curious Frog’s resident movement director, notes that “what's so special to me about this particular group of artists is that we are varied in our given vocations, and we all bring a very different perspective on any given choice of material. It was important for all of us to weigh in, because when we combine someone who is a thinker, and someone who moves, and someone who feels, and someone who plans, etc... that is when a season that is well-rounded and intriguing can be built.”

In June, I had put out a listing through various channels, asking for submissions for our 2010 season. We knew we wanted a spring ticketed show, a fall ticketed show, and then of course our free summer Shakespeare tour in the NYC parks. For most of us, it was the first time going through this process, and for the company, it was definitely our first go at breaking down the variety of proposals we received.

This being New York, and in spite of the fact that we encouraged traditional titles with unique concepts, we received a lot of new plays. While we were open to them, we quickly realized that none of these particularly fit our mission. We found ourselves debating that point, as well as the quality of the written proposals themselves, continuing into venues, budgets ... the whole shebang. A few times we had a play everyone wanted to do that only one person passionately stood against, and we had plenty of times where enough people were able to articulate why a title should be included that the disinterested were swung in favor.

Our long-time publicist, Patrick Doolin, shares: “I remember a few submissions that didn't excite some of us at first, but after reading the proposals and moving to the scripts with fresh eyes, we recognized new potential in each one. Likewise, there were some works that excited us initially that proved to have limited potential once we carefully considered them against our mission. Selecting the season made us put our money where our mouth is: if we want audiences to see plays with a new perspective, then we have to challenge our own perspectives.”

In the end, we knew we wanted Tracy Francis to direct with us and though we liked her submission very much, we didn't love it. We asked her to look at our short list of titles we thought she'd be interested in, and she ended up very excited about Albee, who had come up several times in the meeting as a possibility. So, we start our April 2010 with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which thrills us to no end. Multicultural casting inside of these iconic characters and a truly unconventional performance space (stay tuned to find out) ensures that the entire company is thrilled with working on this gin-soaked favorite.

I was personally surprised and delighted that my own proposal for the summer Shakespeare was well-received and enthusiastically chosen. My adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is sure to be an extremely robust, physical romp in the NYC parks' trees ... and are those faeries we see? It will also be our first show that will feature more of our company members ON the stage, instead of behind it.

But imagine how especially excited we are to have a second ticketed show this year. On October 9th, we'll open Naomi Wallace's Slaughter City. Director Jillian Johnson brought us a proposal that truly fit into the spirit of what we do. Her proposal also engendered a lengthy debate amongst the Frog members: if we already have prescribed multicultural casting, is it really upholding our mission statement to cast multiculturally in roles where it isn't normally done? Our resident properties designer, Chelsea Chorpenning, reacts: “When I read the proposal for Slaughter City I was struck by its emotional intensity, visceral design and focus on issues that echoed Curious Frog’s mission statement. It presents a challenge to the normal theatre experience and is written by a woman, which is what CFTC is all about. There are many plays that would have been great additions to our next season, but in the end, it came down to our mission to provide a stage for non-traditional performance that made us choose such a dynamic line-up for our 2010 season.” At the end of the day, after some time spent with Ms. Johnson over a cup of coffee, I will tell you this--the importance of showing the diverse faces of our country’s blue collar workers in such a raw, unconventional setting encapsulates the essence of what Curious Frog stands for. We are thrilled to bring this expanding work to our patrons, and as always, can hardly wait to hear the feedback on such an explosive work.

And, as Laura says, "[a]fter several hours of debate and collaboration, the Curious Frog Theatre Company's 2010 season was born and I am anxious to share the exciting news with my friends and all our Frog fans!" I'm with you, Laura.

- Renee Rodriguez

To learn more about our season, and to be informed of our special events and features around these exciting directors and productions, join our mailing list at www.curiousfrog.org.

“It is not what they profess but what they practice that makes them good” - A Greek Proverb

2009-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

I used to hate it in elementary school when teachers assigned us to do a project on our family heritage. The Italian kids would come in with some amazing pasta dish, the Chinese kids with their kimonos, the Russian kids with those nesting dolls that fit into each other. And then there was me, about 1/4 Irish, and then 1/8 of each German, Scottish, French Canadian, Austrian, Native American, and English, with not a clue of what to bring to school. It seemed everyone had a cool culture that they were a part of with souvenirs to show, songs to sing, and food to eat. The coolest cultural thing my family did was wear green on St. Patrick's Day.

To curb this feeling of not belonging to a particular heritage, I went to Fairfield University, in Connecticut, also known as a “small, rich, Catholic school,” or “J.Crew U.,” or quite bluntly, a school for “white kids only.”

But then, I moved to NYC. All my friends were suddenly very different from me and very proud of their heritage. Again, I felt that uncoolness I experienced as a second grader. I felt average for being straight-up plain American. And now I'm miraculously included in this theatre company whose mission is to diversify casts and blend cultures. There's Larissa from Brazil, Nick from Hong Kong, Leo whose parents are straight off the boat from Greece, Lauren from St. Louis, who is pretty much my first black friend, Renee with her inherited Latino feistiness, Sergio who speaks Spanish at home with his family. And then there's me...who wears green on St. Patrick's Day.

But I've since grown out of those feelings. If an elementary school teacher asked me to do a project on my family heritage now – I'd tell her to go check out Plutus. My new family and my new home is here in New York, and my new culture is a blend of my life as a working actor in the most diverse city. Because here I’ve found that I’m not just average. I’m not just defined as a white girl. I am actually the manifestation of what our city - and our company - represents. I am a melting pot of many cultures. I am diverse.

Just as each actor and crew member brings a different culture to the table, I am bringing those seven different cultures from my ancestors, and my newfound New York City culture. In embracing that, I can really go to the extremes with cultural references in our adaptation of Plutus. It has been so much fun to make Greek references in Astoria Park. They loved it when I mispronounced “mousaka” (yes, on purpose, only because I honestly, truly, cannot pronounce the word), and told a character “Voulusette,” which means “Put a sock in it!” And the predominately Latino audience in Inwood Park roared with laughter when Sergio’s guitar-playing character breaks twice to complain in Spanish.

Curious Frog is a company that accurately represents New York City – the company is a melting pot of cultures, comprised of a cast and crew who represent ideas from all over the world traveling to all corners of the city. How fitting for a NYC theatre company to represent the dynamic of its city's population and history. We are able to take risks with our work, to expose people to cultures other than their own, and to truly embrace collaboration in its most diverse potential.

The awesome thing about our summer "traveling troupe" is that we perform in the different boroughs of the city - playing to audiences of different races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds. Every park has its own unique culture, and here we are an ensemble of many different cultures, working together. I can only hope that every park recognizes this collaboration - and maybe they too will branch out into a new park as we have done.

I have been feeling so truly, uniquely American lately that I might not wear green this St. Patrick's Day...

- Jodie Pfau plays Cario in Curious Frog's summer family show, Plutus, which closes Saturday, September 19th at Queensbridge Park in Queens. www.curiousfrog.org for details.

There's Something About Plutus

2009-09-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

I spent the bulk of the summer in rehearsals for an outdoor production of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy, Plutus, and it seems that wherever our cast rehearsed, a crowd was never too far away. Over the course of the summer months I came to the realization that there was, in fact, something about Plutus that drew and continues to draw people in. Maybe it was the lure of the instruments we played or the attention-grabbing fight scenes, but nearly every rehearsal we found ourselves in performance for a crowd of interested spectators.

For me, the most important "crowd" we drew was at an early evening rehearsal in Central Park. Jodie Pfau (who plays the role of Cario) and I were working on scenes with our director, Whitney Aronson, when we attracted the attention of two young girls, one white and one black. The girls appeared to be around seven or eight years old and as Jodie and I (one of us white and one of us black) rehearsed, the two girls sat watching--captivated. The similarity of our pairings was impossible not to notice--Jodie and I even joked that the two girls could have been the two of us 15 years prior. As we continued to rehearse, I couldn't help but think of myself as I looked into the wide eyes of one of our young spectators.

When I was a child, the idea of becoming an actor was very far away for me for a number of reasons: I lived in St. Louis, MO and not New York City; I was black; I was too young; I didn't know where to start; and I rarely saw anyone who looked like me actually on a stage--and never in a classical theatrical production. Who knows whether the young black girl who sat and watched our rehearsal that day wants to be actress; it really doesn't matter. What she and her friend saw during our rehearsal is exactly what I love best about Curious Frog Theatre Company. Curious Frog gives its collaborators freedom to break the rules and make new ones. Similarly, I expect and hope that watching us rehearse for those few minutes gave those little girls the courage to do the same in whatever it is that their young minds can imagine.

For me, doing a Curious Frog production pairs the joy and challenge of performing outdoor theater with the satisfaction that comes with introducing young people to something new and exciting that may not have been part of their world before. Many of the faces in our audiences have held the same wide-eyed wonder and excitement of that 8-year-old little girl, and after the shows we are thanked for introducing someone to outdoor theater, to Greek comedy, to the classics.

Every weekend my fellow actors and I push our voices, push our bodies, endure sweat, dirt, and inclement weather to bring the fantastical world of Plutus to life. In that world, anything is possible: an economy can crumble in a matter of days, the blind can see, slaves are superheroes and gods are guitarists. By depicting that fantasy world we have in turn pulled a new reality into focus for the young people in our audiences. In between the adapted words of Aristophanes is the message that the possibilities for those young children of color are limitless. And the privilege of delivering that message is worth all of the sweat, dirt, and thunderstorms in the world.

--Lauren Ashley Smith

Lauren Ashley Smith has performed in two Curious Frog productions: "Comedy of Errors" in 2007, and now "Plutus", which can be seen the next two Saturdays at 4pm. For more info, please go to www.curiousfrog.org.

A Female Mercutio

2009-09-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of my fellow cast members confided in me that when he first found out Mercutio was "being played by a girl", he was pretty pissed. I actually felt startled by his admission; what had seemed daring to me a few years ago when I thought of playing the role had since become entirely acceptable in my mind. Even after we were deep in rehearsals, the male cast members had a hard time talking about Mercutio and Tybalt without saying "he" instead of "she", even as they were looking at the me or the actress playing Tybalt. It was fascinating and unexpected from an artistic bunch.

I'm aware that it is uncommon for a female to play the role, but it's also never felt like an unacceptable choice, like, say, a female Romeo. In my world, Shakespearean characters which are not tied into a heterosexual romantic relationship with another character could easily be played opposite gender. And in most cases, that would be as a female instead of the usual male. Think Jacques, Touchstone, Tybalt....

The tradition of females playing ostensible male roles is usually most easily applied to Shakespeare's clowns--Feste in Twelfth Night, Ariel in The Tempest, Fool in King Lear--but females playing other traditionally male roles is surprisingly resisted fairly often. A female friend told me she had asked to play Mercutio as her thesis role and the director refused, and ended up casting a male in the role. And certainly there are problems with being cast in other dream roles; while I fervently want to play Brutus in Julius Caesar, what do I do with the role of Portia, Brutus' wife, if I still wish to present a heterosexual relationship? Clearly other factors would need to change in that situation. And while I'm cool with all-male and all-female Shakespearean casts, I've never had a wish to be inside of that experience, but rather remain a supportive patron of those productions.

With Mercutio, some factors changed anyway. Unlike Brutus, Mercutio has no such defined romantic relationship. As soon as I started studying the script as a female Mercutio, I wondered if it would work for her to be romantically involved with Benvolio or in love with Romeo, or even both. I saw that there was room for it, if I was careful not to encroach on the obvious main thing about the show--the love of Romeo and Juliet. But why shouldn't Mercutio have feelings of her own, if my job as an actor is to be sure they don't interfere with the story line itself?

Nick, the actor playing Benvolio, early on decided to take advantage of this close friendship between these three (Benvolio, Mercutio and Romeo), with a woman in the middle. Since we went contemporary with concept anyway, he wanted to explore the idea that Benvolio had feelings for Mercutio that were stronger than he was letting on, mimicking the experience many of us often have today as male/female friendships become more and more prevalent. As we explored this in rehearsals, it was fascinating how different the scenes would go depending on how covertly or overtly he played those things, and how much I chose to recognize it or even take advantage of it. What an exciting rehearsal process that was for me; to work with the varying degrees and realize how that was informing my character and the friendship between the three, and indeed the play. After one rehearsal where Benvolio and Mercutio were almost constantly touching and holding hands and focused in to each other, Leo (Romeo) commented that it made his Romeo feel more isolated, more alone in his feelings and search for love--a strong application to a quality of that character that is usually ignored.

My own use of the text and subtext was great too, and even now as we perform I find the subtleties change every time. Some days my battle of wits with Romeo, and my Queen Mab speech to him, are filled with longing and need, even as I'm not revealing it outwardly to him. Other days I feel so platonic and then the touches of love for him rip through me searingly, much more than if I just let it show. It's made me realize that I have truly settled into the choice that Mercutio wants him as yearningly and secretly as Eponine wants Marius in Les Miserables. Ahhh, drama.

In the end, you commonly only hear from those who enjoy the work, with the rare exception of those who so disliked it that they wish to be heard as well. And so, the fact that the response to my female Mercutio has been tremendous is uplifting...and we haven't had a searing letter of disapproval sent to the company....just yet....in spite of the fact that I tumble, cartwheel, and am tossed around by my boys in a short skirt with red skivvies underneath. It's jolly good fun playing this role--it's one of the most challenging roles I've ever played because of the language, the brevity of the character, the antiquated wit I need to deliver; and the physicality of the role; and the combat; and the warring feelings inside of this character; her strength; her confidence; her vulnerability--and I forgot that she was written as a guy in the first place just a few days into rehearsal.

But then, I guess that's because Mercutio's not a guy. She's me.

I highly recommend all Shakespearean actresses ask to play this role as often as possible. It's a hell of a thing. And I freakin' love it.

From Athens to Verona, From Prospect Park to Pelham Bay

2009-09-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

A wise and venerable mentor of mine once said, “Performing Shakespeare and the classics is like lifting a one-hundred pound dumbbell, and after that everything else is like lifting a five-pound potato.” Bearing this inspiring and somewhat curious metaphor in mind I thought, “Bring on the dumbbells.”

It is no secret that the life of an actor is in many ways effortful, hard-won, and often dispiriting. I am reminded of the Chekhov short story, ‘In the Graveyard,’ where an embittered and dying actor visits the grave of the man who encouraged him to be a bit player many years earlier.

‘It was through looking at him and listening to him that I became an actor. By his art he lured me from the parental home, he enticed me with the excitements of an actor's life, promised me all sorts of things -- and brought tears and sorrow.’

Despite the long bouts with idleness, wondering when the next project will come, and the occasional reminder from mom and dad at Thanksgiving that you should have in fact gone to law school, the actors of longevity will tell you, there actually is a reason that we keep putting ourselves through this. After all, the saying in show business goes, “Nobody ever quits, they just give up.”

As a person of color there are impediments that I must face, both socially and personally. This is certainly no revelation and this categorically does not entitle me to anything I haven’t worked for. So perhaps you can imagine some of the bottlenecks with the career path I have chosen. It now occurs to me that I shouldn’t have mocked my high school guidance counselor.

Now enter Shakespeare. With all due respect to Oxfordians, I would argue that Shakespeare’s plays have opened up a world of thought, imagination, and consummation. And more importantly, Shakespeare saves me the discouragement of thumbing through every audition publication and seeing that I don’t ‘fit’ the role. I can accredit this to the basis that his productions are almost always done with colorblind casting. DOUBLE SCORE!

You can imagine my elation when I received the call to play both Benvolio and Paris in Curious Frog’s production of Romeo and Juliet.

“I’ll do it,” I declared. It was soon after my agreement that I was told, “And we’d also like you to be in our other production, the Greek comedy, Plutus.”

“But soft, two plays? And at the same time?” Remember the dumbbell reference I thought. Remember the dumbbell reference!”

“Okay, I’ll do them both,” I cried. Shakespeare and the Greeks? Does it get any better? All I really remember from the ancient Greeks is that they believed that their words held up pillars, which in turn held up the universe, and if your words weren’t spoken with enough resolve, purpose, and courage the universe would essentially collapse in on itself. Insert pressure here.

My attempts to not sound trite will fundamentally fail because nothing could prepare me for what lied ahead. There was the amicable tug-of-war between both directors as to when I should rehearse for their play. “To be Greek, or to be Elizabethan. That is the Queens or Manhattan question.” The generally low-pitched N train ride to Astoria for R & J, which introduced me to the beauties of Astoria and Off-Track betting I had forgot about living in Manhattan. There was a tremendous sense of community, family, and people in this part of New York, which often seems untapped. And who can ever forget the cast huddled around an air-conditioner battling a New York July, doing text work and scansion?

Then of course there was the other side of the Subway Series. Rehearsing for a twenty-five hundred year old comedy written by Aristophanes, who himself once wrote in one of his plays through his Chorus, "producing comedies is the hardest work of all." Rehearsals for this play often led me to a swanky upper-west side apartment, mostly due to remorseless rain. The slapstick comedic bits, underlining themes still relevant today, and the screaming…oh the screaming. “The people living next door are going to burst into this apartment and crack skulls,” I kept thinking to myself. Luckily for us, it never happened.

All of this rehearsing, running to and fro, and sweat led to the baptism of something I’d actually never done, performing in the park. There are few things in life more humbling and rewarding then performing in a park. First, there is the responsibility of gathering an audience. For without an audience there is no story to be told. Then, there is the unrelenting heat. Not to mention the animated running, bouncing, hurdling, and leaping in this heat, all while having to constantly change costumes. And lastly, there are the constant barrages. Shakespeare’s English battled plague, famine, and the French. Aristophane’s Greeks fought in the Trojan, Persian, and Peloponnesian Wars. Our wars though not as bloodthirsty, I would argue were just as dramatic.

I challenge any actor to attempt to perform in the midst of speed boats, Harley Davidson motorcycles, mosquitoes, the Acela Express, the occasionally aloof and apathetic soul wandering through the middle of the play, house music from an event that requested their park permit on the same day, and did I mention mosquitoes? All posed to be great tests, but forced all the actors to heighten their focus. I found the old Geraldine Page quote to be especially relevant: “If we could only listen to each other on the stage like the animals in the forests do-as though our lives depended on it.” I am convinced without a doubt that at some point Geraldine Page performed in Brooklyn.

There are no substitutes however to the fulfillment and wonderment you feel after a performance. The mother stopping with her children and informing them about what is going on, park goers enthusiastically promising to come back next week, applause somehow drowning out that Acela Express, and the reminder that this is in fact how Shakespeare and the Greeks meant for their plays to be done; unapologetically, dynamically, and with allegiance to nothing but the story. There isn’t a thing I would change. I think that Shakespeare would be appeased by the fact that his sword fights are still meticulously carried out, his words are savored, and people of all walks of life are still passionate about his stories. And I think the Greeks would be thrilled to know the universe is still being held up. It is with all this I take the N train back home, exhausted, clothes muddy and tattered, but some how with a smile from ear to ear. It’s because for the rest of the ride I can defiantly answer that burning question, “Ah, that’s right. That’s why I do this.”

---Nick Maccarone

6 Actors - One Classical Play

2009-08-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it feels a bit crazy. Romeo and Juliet has at least 28 characters listed in its original Dramatis Personae. We do it with six.

I mean, hey, I've done this before. Last year Curious Frog did Much Ado About Nothing with 8 actors. You cut a lot of characters, you cut a lot of scenes, and when all is said and done you stare at the script for a really long time, mapping entrances and exits and costume changes, and try to figure out who can come bouncing back on as a different character and be able to maintain those same characters throughout the whole play. You think you've got it, then you encounter a scene where you've got an actor on stage with both her characters at the same time--back to the drawing board.

But we had 8 actors, then took it down to 6, and this year we also did something different: The adapter became part of the cast.

Hard work folks. Really hard work. What's funny is, it's actually not the character changes themselves that are the hardest part. Once you've done all the scansion, the text analysis, the backstory on your multiple characters, you can actually walk off stage in a happy state as one character, change costumes, and walk back on right away in an angst-ridden state as another character, and really truly be there. That's what rehearsals give you.

What they don't give you is the madness between. You have 10 seconds, maybe less, to rip off a blouse and pants and flats, throw on a skirt and boots and do a hair style change, grab your props for that scene, and run on, being in the right moment for that character.

It's exhausting.

Our Romeo and Juliet is contemporary: My Mercutio is a goth girl, my Lady Capulet is a cold, pre-occupied CEO who is a single parent to Juliet. Our friendly, cynical Benvolio runs off stage to rip off his t-shirt and throw on a regal polo and blazer to become the celebutante, romantic Paris. Our Tybalt races off in anger to tear off her bracer and throw on a floral blouse and scarf and come back on as Juliet's BFF Nurse. Our Friar ambles off to tear off his linen shirt, clogs and sunhat and drop off his basket o' herbs to throw on a royal emblemed jacket and dress shoes and comb his hair to become the Prince Escalus, governor of the city. And our Romeo and Juliet run off stage to grab props, prepare for the next scene, and watch as their cohorts schizophrenically change before their eyes.

Madness. In so many ways. And we love it. And our audiences have too.

And listen, having women play the quick-tempered, skilled fighers Mercutio and Tybalt (as woman) is phenomenal in itself. But asking six actors to pull off an iconic play is truly a feat.

We enjoy it. Hope you do too.