Posted by Fetch
Thu, 23 Mar 2006 20:23:00 GMT
One of the most exciting things about picking a new project is the possibility of working with old friends in new capacities. On our upcoming project, The In-Betweens of Holly M, we get to collaborate
with two talents we’ve known for years, but never had the opportunity to work with at On the Leesh.
PG Kain is the writer of Holly M. Currently living and working in NYC, PG teaches at The New School and NYU. We’ve worked with PG through various theater companies since 2000, but we’ve never had the opportunity to produce one of his scripts.
Frequently, projects don’t come together until you find the cast. Holly M was no exception. Brian Patacca and Jessica first met at Northwestern University, and he soon became one of our favorite
actors working in New York City. We’ve been searching for the perfect role for Brian to play, and when we read the character of Danny, we knew that we had found it. Brian most recently completed
shooting Pastoral, an independent film on location in the Adirondacks. He has appeared on As the World Turns, All My Children; and VH1’s Games People Play where he won the grand prize in the
actors’ game show. Off-Broadway Brian shook his groove thing nightly in the runaway disco hit, The Donkey Show.
Stay tuned for information on how to view this infectious new series.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:44:00 GMT
Recently our very own Matthew Rashid and Philip Kain recorded their first podcast. Available exclusively on www.mattrashid.com , (soon to be featured on itunes), the show highlights the two men’s rapport. Matt and Philip bounce ideas off each other illustrating their clever wit, expert timing and brilliant delivery. On the show Matt and Philip talk about their challenges in the world of commercial auditions. The first episode discusses their “lack of commercial appeal.” If you are a working actor in NYC, this podcast will definitely make you laugh. Matt and Philip have acted together for On the Leesh in the Opposite of Fear and Sin.
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:32:00 GMT
We’ve been so busy lately that all our entries have been about projects we’re working on. I want to take a brief moment to mention a show that our friends are producing that you should all check out. What Women Talk About is an unscripted hour long comedy centered on the friendship of four women living in Manhattan. Directed by Wayne Parillo and Hugh Sinclair and acted by Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg and Lauren Seikaly, this show is like nothing you’ve seen before. The premise is simple – four best friends talk about their lives, but what makes WWTA so much fun is the fact that it’s serial. Subjects that happen in earlier shows effect where the next show heads. Not only does it allow us a unique way to get to know these characters, but we become invested in their lives. We keep coming back to see what will happen to Bonnie, Sophie, Jean and Sara. If you’re not in Manhattan, you can check out the show on iTunes as a podcast. If you want to laugh at something original, and creative, this is one to see.
The show runs through May 2nd at the Kraine Theater in NYC
For more information please visit – www.whatwomentalkabout.net
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:30:00 GMT
We just found out that What are the Odds? will be screened as part of the Short Film Corner at the 2006 Cannes FIlm Festival. Between traveling to The Boston Underground Film Festival, to the Sarasota Film Festival and to Cannes, we won’t be home in New York for much of the Spring. We eagerly await to hear from the festivals that have our applications. We hope that we’ll be traveling throughout the rest of the year in celebration of these beautiful films.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 08 Mar 2006 22:39:00 GMT
The Second screening of What are the Odds was SRO at the Durango Independent Film Festival on Saturday Night. Ten minutes prior to show time, the box office was sold out and the had to turn people away. The response to the film What are the Odds? was overwhelmingly positive. People loved the play on color, the cleverness of the script, and the playful editing style. The biggest reaction that we heard was towards the adorable characters that Jessica and Christopher were expertly able to bring to life.
The Durango Independent FIlm Festival changed management this year, but we never would have guessed that they pulled the event off in a matter of months. During the entire festival we were treated like royalty. The staff at DIFF went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. They arranged our travel and accommodations and even gave us a hospitality box when we arrived filled with local treats. Our biggest treat was when a stretch SUV limo came to the General Palmer Hotel to take Julie and I to the airport. Turned out the luxury cruiser was only for us. When does that happen for short film makers?
We saw a lot of great films in Durango. Our favorites were Spin, by Jamin Winans (www.doubleedgefilms.com ), She She She’s a Bombshell by Ben Levin (www.benlevin.net ), and A Run to Jay’s: Tournament of Champions by Brett Spackman (www.runtojays.com ).
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 07 Mar 2006 16:39:00 GMT
What are the Odds? opened the Durango Independent Film Festival on Wednesday night as part of the Short Block #1. The evening was a complete success. “By the time we got there, people had already been lined up for an hour,” producer Alicia Arinella said. The theater quickly sold out with an energetic and excited crowd. “What are the Odds? screened really well. People caught on to the humor of our film and were taken by the adorable tribute it pays to New York City.” The Festival runs until Sunday night.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:05:00 GMT
So here we are again – We survived another blizzard, the weather has gone mad, we are desperate for any sign of the spring ( the real spring not this weird global warning mess) and once again we are feeling that urge to create something new. But what and how? Last year at this time we were getting SIN on its feet and since then we have put on 2 plays, a charity event for Our Time, one for Katrina, and hit the festival circuit with What are the Odds? Diana has designed for Mike Myers, Jessica shot an episode of Love Monkey, Julie was lauded by critics and then trapped by Barry Z, Matt made his directorial debut, and Alicia has seen her first film become a festival hotcake. But now here we are all together again, in one place ready and eager to get going on the next thing. But again-what to do? Documentaries are hot this year- we saw some great ones from FUCK to The Danielson Family, ( both on the San Fran festival circuit) to penguins and Murderball- documentaries seem to be the thing to do. So do we? Oh wait- we do fiction. Ok . How about a mockumentary? Give Christopher Guest a little company in his genre? Perhaps a mockumentary on the festival circuit? On young companies in New York? Or maybe a film? Josh Ben Friedman our long time collaborator and friend is back from having his first script Barstool made into a feature- funded partly by HBO films. Do we do his next film? Perhaps a slasher flick? Get into that indie mood with a little violence- we are big into fake blood- after Compliments to Amanda.
Or maybe back to the stage? Another collaboration with up and coming artists? Another themed evening? This time maybe on War or Peace? or birdflu? Or maybe its time to take on another genre. One that is just beginning to emerge. Perhaps a series for …
wait this could be good….
Gotta go. Gotta convince the team that this might be something.
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 21 Feb 2006 03:41:00 GMT
Going around the film festival circuit has been an incredible experience. More than anything, it’s taught me that technology has enabled a single individual with a camera and perhaps not that much cash in their pocket, make a movie that a sold-out audience can enjoy. It feels like movie-making has really gone to the masses. It’s an exciting prospect to think that filming doesn’t only have to be about money and that the quality of the film can be brought back to the quality of your script, director, producer and actors. Each film festival so far: Bare Bones and the San Francisco Independent Film Festival have been very supportive and very guerrilla film-making friendly. I look forward to seeing all that the Durango International Film Festival has to offer!
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Posted by Fetch
Fri, 10 Feb 2006 21:01:00 GMT
Following a documentary called “Fuck” is not a simple task, but it’s just what “What are the Odds?” had to do at the 8th Annual Sanfrancisco Independent Film Festival. “What are the Odds?” premiered in official selection as part of the Kiss Kiss block of short films on Sunday night at the Women’s Building in Downtown San Francisco.
The Kiss Kiss block featured short films about relationships. “We found ourselves in excellent company,” producer Alicia Arinella said after the screening. “We feel so honored to be a part of this festival. We’ve met some amazing film makers and look forward to following their work. The vibe here is so supportive and exciting, Alicia and Bruce run a wonderful festival that we’re very honored to be a part of.”
Along with”What are the Odds?” was the crowd pleaser “Dirty Mary,” written by Danielle Ferraro and directed by Stuart Rogers. Simiarly to “What are the Odds?,” “Dirty Mary” started as a one act produced by Theatre Tribe in Los Angeles. Another crowd pleaser was Michael P Scasserra’s ”A Signifigant Romance in Compressed Time.” This 15 minute film documents an entire relationship through title cards and comedic snippets.
To read more about these films go to http://www.sfindie.com/indiefest06/films/
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:32:00 GMT
Eric Walton is a New York-based performer and writer. He is the creator of Esoterica and worked with On the Leesh for the Sin project.
Fetch: Was there a moment when you realized, this is what I want to do?
Eric Walton: I’ve never had one of those epiphanal experiences that you hear performers talk about with such nostalgia. The desire to perform has always been a part of my personality, at least for as long as I can remember, but in terms of the work I do in ‘Esoterica’, that is to say, sleight of hand, mentalism. poetry, etc., I’ve only been doing that since 2000 and it wasn’t until I had put the show up a couple of times that I began to think of it as something that could actually have a life.
F: As a magician, you have many paths to choose from: mimesis, card tricks, contortionism, levitation, the list is endless…how do you pick and
choose what to study and what to incorporate into a show?
EW: Selecting and developing material for my show is a delicate and grueling process. As you mentioned, the variety arts have many genres and sub-genres and there’s an abundance of material in each, so it really becomes a matter of developing a sense of what will work in the show and complement the other routines in it. The show you saw was the result of four years of development that comprised endless re-writes, staged-readings, show-case and work-shop productions and several fully staged productions and I’m still making changes.
F: In Esoterica you use heightened language throughout, why do you choose to do this?
EW: The use of heightened language in the show serves a two-fold purpose, really. First of all, it helps establish the character as someone who is
educated, articulate and cosmopolitan; essentially, someone who knows what he’s talking about and who deserves the audience’s trust and attention.
Secondly, so much of what I deal with in ‘Esoterica’ is, well, pretty esoteric and I think that it demands language that is in no way pedestrian. The ideas that I address in the show, Destiny vs Free Will,
life after death, the putative limits of human perception, etc., these are all big and important ideas and I think the language needs to support them and relate to them in a way that’s congruent.
F: You incorporate a lot of storytelling into your performance, how important is it to have a narrative structure in a magic show?
EW: Story-telling is an important part of ‘Esoterica’, though the show itself lacks what you might call a strictly linear narrative. What holds ‘Esoterica’ together is a kind of thematic congruity that runs through each routine. I think that any theatrical program needs either a narrative or thematic thru-line in order to stay afloat and be effective and I think a lot of magicians overlook this necessity to their own peril. I believe a theater audience needs to feel assured that they’re on a course, that the
man (or woman) at the helm has a destination in mind and that each moment of the show is bringing them closer to that destination.
F: Are there particular magicians you admire, or who you’ve studied in-depth?
EW: In terms of entertainers outside the realm of
magic, my biggest influences so far have been the late Johnny Carson and the The Post-Modern Master of the Side-Show Arts, Todd Robbins. Carson was an impeccable host who could put anyone at ease and his wit and demeanor
were as charming as any performer I have ever witnessed. Todd Robbins is a friend of mine and is one of the most dynamic and generous performers I
have ever seen.
F: I think your stage character would make a great graphic novel, would you ever expand into other mediums (so to speak)?
EW: As an actor, I’ve worked a lot in media other than theater and would love to branch out into those media and others as a solo performer. In the very first run of the show, we used projections for some multi-media, interactive stuff that was a lot of fun and I’d like to re-visit some of those ides once we’ve got the resources to make it look really good. A graphic novel is a great idea and I’ve played around with that sort of thing a little bit with the image for the ‘Esoterica’ poster, but there’s
definitely a lot of unrealized potential there.
- For more information about Eric’s work and a calendar of shows check out:
http://www.ericwalton.com
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