Review: musicOMH

Richard Patterson reviews A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People at musicOMH:

A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People
by Kevin R. Free, directed by Christopher Burris

On Monday, August 16, my expansive Fringe binge was off to a killer start with A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People, a new play by Kevin R. Free that seeks to blow the lid off of racial stereotypes in entertainment media...

...Bottom Line: MUST SEE

See the whole review!

Review: nytheatre.com

Debbie Hoodiman Beaudin reviews A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People at nytheatre.com.

I am confused.

I have many questions after seeing A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People. What do characters do when their playwright abandons them? Can a playwright ever hope to name his characters, to really represent them? Is a playwright – a black playwright, a white playwright—able to write honestly about his or her characters or do stereotypes always get in the way? What is a "black play"? What makes a play "for white people"? What stereotypes of black and white people do I hold onto with or without my consent? What does it mean when the characters in a play are called Black Boy, Black Girl, White Lady, White Girl, and White Boy?

My confusion is not necessarily a bad thing....

Check out the whole review!!!

Raisins Standing Up: A Fundraiser for All People

Hi fans -

We certainly hope you'll catch both these two great comedies during this year's New York International Film Festival, both taking place at the historic Players Theater.

A RAISIN IN THE SALAD: BLACK PLAYS FOR WHITE PEOPLE

&

STANDING UP: BATHROOM TALK & OTHER STUFF WE LEARN FROM DAD

We’d also like to invite you to join us for a happy hour! We at A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People are hosting a celebration in honor of the opening of our sister show, Standing Up: Bathroom talk & Other Stuff We Learn From Dad (directed by our very own Kevin R. Free!) this afternoon…, August 17th, 2010! So come join us ...to drink and celebrate these two great shows that are making audiences laugh...out LOUD!

Raisins Standing Up: A Fundraiser for All People

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

6:00 – 8:00 pm

The Blue Owl

196 Second Avenue

New York, NY

www.blueowlnyc.com

$5.00 cover
drink specials
fun people
raffle items

All proceeds will benefit the production costs of both shows.

You've probably read on this blog about the fabulous cast and author of A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White Poeple. We hope you have your tickets already to one of our remaining performances. After a packed house last night, tickets to our last two shows are selling fast. Join us next weekend for what promises to be houses full of lots of laughter:

Fri, August 20 @ 9:15

Mon, August 23 @ 5

Tickets & info here

and be sure to catch one of the five performances of the Kevin R. Free directed Standing Up: Bathroom talk & Other Stuff We Learn From Dad starring the one and only Tracey Conyer Lee.

Tue, August 17 @ 2 <------TODAY!
Mon, August 23 @ 10
Wed, August 25 @ 5:15
Fri, August 27 @ 9:15
Sat, August 28 @ 4:45

Tickets & Info here

An Interview with Lelund Durond Thompson (KRF/Daddy)

You have your own theater company, LDTG. Can you tell us a little about it?

Lelund Durond Theater Group (LDTG) was founded a little more than a year ago with a group of friends of mine – we all wanted to establish a company that would not only create new works from new perspectives, but also empower artists, jam, and help each other grow. Our latest project is “Doll Confessions".

How did you come to be involved in theater...or did it come to you?

I was young, in elementary school. One day at the Piggly Wiggly, one of my mom’s friends told her about an audition for my high school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” and I told my mom I wanted to go. I went to the audition (unprepared) and found out I had to dance. I happened to have a tape of BBD’s “Poison” in the car, so I grabbed it, took it in with me and improvised a dance for however long that song is (3-4 minutes?). And I got cast! As a munchkin. That’s where my love for theater began. My senior year in high school, I played Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, which made me feel confident enough to go to college and graduate school to pursue a career in the arts.

What has impressed you the most about working on A Raisin in the Salad... so far?

How great the people working on the show have been – their talent, their spirit – everybody makes it fun, and it makes me look forward to coming to rehearsal. The director is extremely talented and I love the freedom that he’s given us to explore. The intensity of the subject matter makes it feel like we’ve jumped off a cliff with no parachute, but being in the company of these people, it feels completely safe. We’re laughing, we’re discovering – it’s been a great experience.

Do you enjoy doing comedy?

I’m learning to enjoy it. It’s quite a challenge, but even falling feels good because I’m able to look back and laugh at myself when a joke falls flat. I come from such a serious place as a person sometimes, so coming to enjoy a lighter side of me has been fun.

What's coming up for you this fall?

Two major projects: LDTG is going back to work on the Doll Confessions and the producer of SuperStar: with Crystal Nova (a musical I’ve written with two friends of mine) is in the process of finding a theater to mount it. - Also in the fall, I plan to make my Broadway debut while shooting a major motion picture alongside Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep & Morgan Freeman. In the meantime, I’m continuing to wait on the phone call that will make all of that last part happen. www.lelundurond.com

Do you have a favorite YouTube clip at the moment?

YES. Ebony Jenkins. Just watch the clip.

An Interview with Samantha Debicki (Whitegirl)

How did you come to be involved in theater...or did it come to you?

I sought it out. My mom started taking me to shows when I was quite young and at some point, I decided that I wanted to be up there telling stories. I started auditioning for children's theater when I was 9 and got my first taste of rejection -- three consecutive auditions, a callback for each, and no casting. My parents, exhausted by the angst I displayed after each rejection, informed me that if I couldn't handle it, the next audition would be my last. Luckily, the next time around, I was cast -- as Fern Arable in Charlotte's Web -- and from that point on, I was hooked.

You've also been involved in film as a writer and producer in Urbanworld Film Festival. Tell us a little about that.

I first became involved in Urbanworld as an actor. Every year, the five finalists in the screenplay competition present ten minute excerpts of their scripts, and I was cast in the readings in 2007. The following year (2008), I performed in the readings again and was hired to do some editing of the festival's program guide (thanks to the recommendation of my lovely and talented friend Christine Chambers... who also has incredibly good taste).

The next year (2009), one of the producers had to withdraw due to a family conflict; they needed someone to take over quickly and asked me to come on board. One of the responsibilities I assumed was producing the screenplay readings at HBO. I was involved in the whole process -- working with the screenwriters, casting, venue planning and prep, overseeing rehearsals, managing the industry guest list... It was a lot of fun and I have to say, I enjoyed having a degree of creative and logistical control that I'm not used to having as an actor. And when there were some casting gaps to fill in, I promptly exercised that control to cast myself and some great actors I've worked with. This year, I'm back on board as screenplay readings producer and was also a script reader, evaluating some of the submissions.

I love what Urbanworld stands for; the festival seeks to provide a platform for culturally diverse films and to give under-represented voices a forum for their stories.

What has impressed you the most about working on A Raisin in the Salad... so far?

How well we all play together! The atmosphere in the rehearsal room is such that we all feel comfortable taking the plunge and trying new things without knowing if they'll work. Because everyone is pulling his/her weight, we make each other better by extension. And we crack each other up quite a lot... if the audience finds us half as funny as we find ourselves, we'll be in good shape :)

Do you anticipate doing more comedy in the future?

YES. I like that it makes you grope around in the dark -- sometimes things work when you expect them to, other times they don't land like they thought you would, and then there are those moments that you discover are surprisingly hilarious. There's no high quite like making a room full of people laugh until it hurts.

What's next for you?

I'm doing some writing for a webisode series called Travelista TV and several new episodes will launch throughout August. Urbanworld Film Festival runs from Sept 15th - Sept 19th, with the screenplay readings on the 17th. I'll be performing in the Sticky short play series at Bowery Poetry Club in the fall. I recently shot a short film called City Limits (dir. Jeb Banegas) and post-production on that should be finished by December.

Do you have a favorite YouTube clip at the moment?

Anything Dave Chappelle. Here's one:

An Interview with Jennifer Nikki Kidwell (Blackgirl)

So tell us about your clown ensemble, Logic Limited, Ltd?

Logic Limited, Ltd. came out of a clown workshop four of us took with Jane Nichols. After two weeks of intensive clown training, we realized we wanted to stay together to learn more and create more material. Since then (and that was the fall of 2007), we've done several short pieces at venues like P.S. 122 and Dixon Place. We also now boast a full-length show, "Schaden, Freude and You" which premiered last summer at The Brick (and ran there twice) and ran again for one night this past spring at Dixon Place. We just completed a residency at Celebration Barnin Maine and are currently working on video bits and conceiving another full-length show to go up at Dixon Place next year.


How did you come to be involved in theater...or did it come to you? (and what about "clowning"?)

Two phrases I dreaded hearing from my mother when I was little were, "Let's play 'library'" which meant we had to be quiet, and "Do NOT show off!" which meant what it says. When I was almost six years old, my parents sat me down and told me I had a decision to make: I could either become a Brownie (which I had really wanted to do) or I could take violin lessons. I thought about it for maybe five minutes and told them I wanted to take up the violin, which I studied for ten years. Around that same time, I had (and still have) dreams of being a comedian. Involvement in theater -and clown specifically- is a natural extension of all of this.

What has impressed you the most about working on A Raisin in the Salad... so far?

Christopher's and Kevin's (the director and playwright, respectively) trust in my imagination. This script, though fun, is quite dense. And, as I've been delving into it and making discoveries, I have felt complete and utter trust in my choices. It's been not only a safe, but nurturing environment in which to explore.

Do you anticipate doing more comedy in the future?

Aw, HELL to the yeah. Even if a project is not a "comedy" per se, one of the most welcome challenges is to find the joy in the work, no matter how "dramatic" it is. For instance, "Romeo and Juliet" is not only "tragic" but super funny.

What attracts you to continue to do theater on the fringe?

A desire to see how far I will go.

Do you have a favorite YouTube clip at the moment?

Yes, and I have Christopher to thank for it:

An Interview with Director and Cast Member Christopher Burris (Blackboy)

Did you start your career in theater as a director?

I have been acting since I was a kid. I didn't discover directing until college.

You are directing and acting in A Raisin..., which you've done before successfully. How do you approach a play when this is the case?

I don't approach the play any differently. The rehearsal process must be altered slightly because I cannot be fully invested in a scene and on the outside of it at the same time. So, that requires some negotiation, but the approach remains the same.


What compelled you to want to work with Kevin to bring this play to the stage?

I have been an admirer of his work since I first saw him in From My Hometown. We met a while later and in addition to becoming friends developed an artistic connection. It wasn't until he joined the Neo-Futurists that I was able to experience him as a writer. He would often send his new sketches for me to read and I could not get over how funny and smart they were. To me, it just made sense to put them together into an evening of theater. Naturally, things have changed a great deal since the initial conversation, but the core of the sketches remains intact and they are as vital as ever.

This play is about race, representation and identity, and ventures into some potentially uncomfortable spaces. Yet it's also a very funny comedy. How did you balance the two in working with the actors?

Everything is a negotiation. To me, it's about finding as much humor as possible, but never at the expense of the scene's emotional truth. Luckily, this cast has an amazing collective sense of humor so that helps a great deal. There was never the fear of forgetting that this is a comedy. We had a few honest and frank discussions during those first rehearsals immediately exploring the plays racial and political themes and their correlation to our current reality. I believe this laid a solid emotional foundation for the play, upon which we have hopefully built a joke or two.

What would you like to say to audiences who are coming to see the show?

Yes, it is my fault but I am currently seeking help. Thank you for your concern.

And finally, what's your favorite YouTube clip of the moment?

An Interview with Charlotte Cohn (Whitelady)

How did you come to be involved in theater... or did it come to you?

When I was 12, my mom took me to see the film version of the opera La Traviata in Israel. I took one look at the costumes and heightened drama, and said "I want to do that." After years of singing, first in a children's chorus and then opera in Israel and the U.S., I discovered straight theater and fell in love all over again and a bit harder. I realized I wanted to tell stories, not be a vocal acrobat.

Do you enjoy doing comedy?

I enjoy comedy tremendously. There is nothing like getting a laugh on stage. It is also the hardest thing to do and equally scares me to death. But I like a good challenge ;-)

What has impressed you the most about working on A Raisin in the Salad so far?

The cast is amazing! And friendly and creative to no end! It is a lovely group and I'm learning a lot from each and every one of them.

Considering your broad range of experience, what still attracts you to theater on the fringe?

Well, that's an interesting question. I didn't think to myself 'I'll do the fringe or I will not do the fringe'... I liked the project itself, its subject matter and I love Kevin and Chris, and trusted that this will be a fantastic experience. I have followed that instinct in the past, and it's worked pretty well so far. And yes, I am a Fringe 'Virgin'... and I hope this experience will make me want to come back for more. ;-)

What's next for you?

There is LOTS of good stuff coming up!

I will be flying to Canada for a one night only performance of A Night In The Old Marketplace in Toronto, as part of their festival, on Sep. 6th, 2010. This show was written by Glen Berger, who is the co-writer with Julie Taymor of Spiderman on Broadway...

After that, I will be performing my cabaret Simply Complicated - The Elegant Escapades of a Danish-Israeli Opera Singing Tank Commander, first at the Cell Theater here in NY on October 21st 2010 (check back with their website in case the date shifts a bit). I will also have 4 performances of it at Centerstage in Baltimore Feb. 24th-27th, 2011. I've performed at Centerstage twice in the past (once with Kevin R. Free!) and am extremely honored they've asked me to perform!

My husband, Jason Odell Williams, has written several plays, and it looks like three of them will get produced in this next theatrical season. His play Science of Guilt will get a production in Nov. 2010 with a new theatre company 'Fix It So Life', and it will star Anatol Yussef and Vincent Piazza, who are two of the stars of the new HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire', created by Martin Scorcese. His play At A Loss will be produced at the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca, NY in July 2011, and I will star in that one!! His third play, Baltimore in Black and White, is my pride and joy - I directed and produced the play for several readings recently (one of them at Primary Stages), and we are in talks to have a production some time in 2011 (both Kevin and Christopher are actors in this play - and they are both amazing in it!!).

So, yes, my husband is pretty awesome and talented and he's nice enough to let me act in and direct his plays ;-)

What else? Oh, yes... I have a 4 year old. She is 4 going on 13 and is as exhausting as you can imagine but mostly she says really hilarious things and makes me laugh till I cry ;-) (some of my favorite quotes: "Crying means happy on the Tony Awards.", "I want everything that I want!")

Do you have a favorite YouTube clip at the moment?

I'm not much of a YouTuber, but I'd like to adopt the one that KRF put up. Hi-La-rious!!!

An Interview with Nicholas Job (Whiteboy)

So how did you come to be involved in theater...or did it come to you?

I must admit, I joined theater in middle school because of the girls. I happened to be one of about three boys in my Musical Theater Workshop class in 8th grade. From that point on, I've always found new (and more important) reasons to make theater. Nowadays, it's about immediacy and forcing an audience to grapple with large questions in real time, it's also about the shared experience - how each night the audience and actors find a new way to dance to the same piece of music.

You are the artistic director of The Unconscious Collective. Tell us a little about that.

The Unconscious Collective was born out of a group of actors and writers who studied at The Jason Bennett Actor's Workshop here in the city and was co-founded by myself, Penni Tinsley (our associate producer) and Joanna Bowzer. We believed we had a role to play in the downtown theater scene and we're still in the process of cultivating our aesthetic. One of the concepts we're embracing and trying to explore is that the bulk of our creative "talent" lies in our unconscious. Building off the consciousness work we explored through our theater training, we're interested in how our personal process connects to our creative process, how we might use the images and energies in our dreams in our creative work, and how to push the boundaries of expression through a larger "archetypal range."

What has impressed you the most about working on A Raisin in the Salad so far?

The professionalism, creativity and camaraderie of the entire cast and crew. The piece itself. To be honest, I'm still figuring some of it out, but that's the joy of it.

Do you enjoy doing comedy?

Very much so. It's incredibly challenging.

What's coming up for you this fall?

Shooting a short film I wrote, working with the Generations Theater Project, a collaboration amongst many theater artists of different backgrounds with the goal of bringing older generations stories to the stage, and curating four original short plays for Blue Box Productions' 'Sticky' at The Bowery Poetry Club in October and November.

Do you have a favorite YouTube clip at the moment?

Well, I've become fascinated with the Juggalo movement of late (how very Whiteboy of me.)

So this video

and it's parody

have been keeping me entertained.