More Things Now and Later Under the Sun

Feeling a bit burned-out this evening, so, my work pretty much done, I skipped out on tonight's first public preview performance of The Granduncle Quadrilogy: Tales from the Land of Ice to rest at home, fix my photos from Tuesday night's dress/tech in Photoshop, and write a post about more things going on in which I can also dump a bunch of videos and photos I've been looking at. Most of this has been taken care of, more slowly than anticipated as I've also had to spend time paying attention to a demanding and vocal pussycat (see icon photo). Little bastard.

In any case, tomorrow will be the big opening night for the show, with a party at 10.00 pm afterwards which will also act as The Brick's year-end holiday party with the annual December ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SUMMER FESTIVAL THEME. A Summer festival to follow our previous ones: The Hell Festival, The Moral Values Festival, The $ellout Festival, The Pretentious Festival, and this year's The Film Festival.

Yep, we'll party a bit, then we on The Brick's staff will play a little Powerpoint presentation that's been made up to announce next year's theme (it's a good one!), then we'll party some more.

So come on by to The Brick tomorrow for Granduncle at 8.00 pm (info at link above) and the party at 10.00 pm. Can't make the show tomorrow? Come by for the party and see the show later.

photos by me from Tuesday's dress/tech, with unfinished props & costumes - more of my shots HERE -- official production shots by Ken Stein are HERE

New York magazine had a nice mention of us recently in an article about independent theatre, "Big Ideas, Small Stages." We were very glad to be mentioned and put with some pretty august company, but were a hair taken aback to be described as primarily a "Festival Factory." I guess we are getting a bit heavy on the Festivals - we now have three yearly regular ones, the Summer Themed, the Tiny (which is really the Ontological's Fest but we're a co-producer now) and the Clown Theatre. We've also had two biennial Baby Jesus One-Act Festivals and been a venue for the Havel Festival. We have another potential themed festival coming for late next year . . . not to be mentioned as yet. So maybe the "Festival Factory" tag is indeed deserved. As someone at another theatre I once worked at told me, "New York responds to festivals."

We put a lot of thought into our Summer festival - that is, coming up with the theme. Ideas start being tossed around for the next one immediately after one ends (actually, once one opens). Jeff Lewonczyk has posted a list of some of the festival theme possibilities that were put into play among the seven of us on the Brick staff HERE. Are these serious? You'd think not, but maybe you'll change your mind when you hear this year's final theme . . .

(and 11 of the 26 themes listed by Jeff come from Berit and myself - we have lots of ideas, many of them dubious; B&I had nothing to do with the final one chosen -- the others on staff are good at picking a good one from amongst the many losers)

Saturday night, as mentioned, I'm off doing Trav S.D.'s Beach Blanket Bluebeard - come see, it's FREE! - previous entry has info - but I'm hoping to soon get to the new Greg Kotis holiday play at The Kraine, The Truth About Santa, which stars Greg, Ayun Halliday - his wife and an amazing writer/performer as well, and their two kids, India and Milo Kotis, with others, including Bill Coelius, who, with Ayun and Greg, was part of the NY NeoFuturists group I hosted, knew, and loved so much at Nada back in 1996. I miss a lot about those great days of theatre overload on the LES, but especially watching Greg, Ayun, Bill, Rob Neill, and Rachelle Anthes knock so many great short plays out in that little space.

And on top of that, this play is directed by John Clancy. Info is HERE

(courtesy LP Cover Lover)

Lots of good things have shown up on YouTube recently, and here's some of them - a WHOLE BIG BUNCH of them - behind cuts for those of you who tell me videos make your browser go all wonky . . .

( Four videos of Talking Heads as a trio - 1976 - at CBGB and The Kitchen )

( David Byrne interviews Jeff Koons, Vito Acconci, Jeff Turtletaub, and Chris Frantz in his loft at 52 Bond Street, Summer, 1975 )

( Slinky Cat and Tail-Chasing Cat )

( Pete Drake invents the Golden Throat years before Frampton Came Alive )

( The Thanksgiving Day Parade gets Rickrolled )

( An Icelandic Cult is Joined by a Special New Member )

( Who Does the Singer from LCD Soundsystem Vaguely Sound Like? )

There are so many things to be excited about!

(courtesy my favorite photo blog, the great breadcamesliced)