INFECTIOUS OPPORTUNITY

My friend and former roomate from college James Comtois is putting on his 17th NYC production, INFECTIOUS OPPORTUNITY, at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn as part of their Antidepressant Festival. It’s about a screenwriter who fakes being HIV-positive to boost his career. Whooa. Read it again. Yes, that's what it's about. This may be the show that sinks to lower levels than the Bush Administration. Brilliant. Here is a podcast about the show. Once I go see it I'll let you know my thoughts. There are only four shows, so make sure you get tickets early and don't miss this opportunity.

Kink

A talked about how one of the characters' world become reality, and it is told through s techno song - well you can listen to the song on Grahame's music blog - Please check it out and leave a comment if you like it.

Grahame made that song in over the weekend, and it was his first song in two years - you can see that the previous music file he posted was from 2007! I guess he hasn't lost his touch because the song is pretty amazing. If fits the tone of the scene perfectly - I don't want to give too much away, but you'll understand when you see the show in June.

Seduction/Tango

Myla Flores and Kena Anae dance the Tango in Twin Towers, a play by Damian Wampler and directed by Angela Astle.

"This is one of the many seduction scenes in Twin Towers. Trevor has returned from the war and is determined to put everything back the way it was. The dance is flirtatious and spontaneous and both characters feel a rush of memories return. Patty took my vision and brought it to life. Kena and Myla understand the characters so well that they are in character throughout the scene. I love the way this turned out and I can't wait for people to see it." - Damian

Realization

"What is it called when you make your dreams into reality?" Realization. When the world inside your head becomes the world around you. Or, when what you make the images in your head appear in front of you, thus putting them back into your head, but through a different lens. In Twin Towers, we get a glimpses of what is going on inside his head, a rarity I was was not confined only to theater. But what it is called when you actively work to make your nightmares a reality? This is what happens to one of the stars of the show when he realizes he has nothing to loose by revealing his true character.

We needed a way to show the explosion of the inner world onto reality, and we chose to do this with music. I asked my friend Grahame if he could write a dark song that would encapsulate the emotional state of the character. Grahame has been writing some compelling and intelligent techno, and I thought he'd be a great person to write the song. He asked me for some inspiration and I sent him some links to songs by Alien Vampires. Pretty dark stuff.

Kill The Authority - Alien Vampires

Soon I'll post what Grahame came up with for the scene!

The artistic process is the same- we have worlds in our heads, and they have to get out. Soon, we find ourselves face to face with the person we had in our heads. What happens when other people can hear the voices inside your head? The great thing about art is that once you make it, it isn't your anymore - art has legs, and immediately runs away with the audience (thank God!). It is the viewer who carries it to new places. I can't wait to hear what you think about the show. - Damian

Kena and Myla talk about their tango...

Go to the official website: www.twintowersplay.com

Patty talks about the Tango

I described to Patty, our tango choreographer, my goals for the dance and some background about the characters. She took the ideas and ran with it! Patty speaks...

Kena on Music in Twin Towers

Twin Towers has music, but it isn't a musical. Kena speaks about his musical training and the song he sings at a critical breaking point in the play.

Lauren is the Devil

"When I first read the script I was unsure why I was cast as the Devil, the role was obviously written for a male actor. During my rehearsal I was able to openly discuss my concerns with Angela, and we had a wonderful brainstorming session about how to make the character work for me. We made some interesting discoveries and I'm looking forward to continuing the work." -Lauren Kelston

Learn more about Lauren at www.twintowersplay.com/lauren_kelston

Adam Samtur, Stage Manager

Our fearless stage manager (middle) is also a playwright and co-founder of Just Ask Productions. I just caught his recent show at the The Red Room. I can't pronounce the title of the show, but luckily if you go to buy tickets, just give the cashier an odd look and you'll get a ticket to What('s) Happen(s)(ed)(ing) in the Elevator...

The title says it all - every scene revolves around events that take place just before or just after a fateful meeting in an elevator. The work plays with time, giving us snippets of life out of sequence, as if we were glimpsing fragments of human life through a telescope on Mars. Indeed, one of the characters in this ensemble cast may actually be from Mars. I liked the range of characters - the play (I can't write out the title) is a document of sorts that catalogs the variety of life on our planet, including the ethnic, glass and gender differences. Most importantly though, the show is fun! You'll see a pornstar cum novelist cum columnist blossom on stage (no pun intended), and a restaurant manager on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Go see What's(s) Happend (ed)('s)... damn, just go see the show!

Patrica on Esther

DAMIAN: Patricia auditioned for the role of Olivia Walker, but I immediately knew I wanted her to play Esther Forde. She had the powerful yet nuanced quality I envisioned for Esther when I wrote the play. I wasn't sure how Patricia would react when we offered her the part - here are her thoughts on the role:

PATRICIA: I was truly surprised when I was asked to read for the role of Esther. I had to redirect my thoughts and how I was to prepare for the role. I am grateful for this opportunity to challenge myself as an actress as study and prepare.

Esther is very strong and I love that about her, and how she leans on her faith. She reminds me of several women who I've grown up around.

Learn more about Patricia at http://www.twintowersplay.com/patricia_gibson/

Kena speaks about Trevor

Footprints

I finally found the image that inspired the promotional shot we are using for Twin Towers. This aerial shows you the footprints of the Twin Towers buildings. When I first saw it I knew that Trevor's bandages would have that shape. It should look like that in the play as well. See you in June!

Parallel Lives

"Jamal and I seem to lead Parallel Lives. I feel like Damian may have had me in mind when he wrote this script. Growing up in the Bronx in a single parent household can be tough for any child, but like Jamal I was always surrounded by great people and have been blessed to have friends that I truly consider to be family. Jamal had Trevor and whenever adversity surfaced they picked each other up and kind of figured life out together, becoming strong men. When I think about this situation, one of my best friends Enrique "Reeks" comes to mind . We where born two days apart, attended the same High School and college and I confess that we've experienced some of the best and worst moments together. In middle School I had my first crush. (I will call her Jessica) It was definitley a heavy and sad case of puppy love. I can remember being so scared to even say hi sometimes. Jessica and I where in the same class and I knew that she liked me but I also knew that she liked another boy. It was a tough situation for me because at that age I was more of an introvert, the sparks never flew (well maybe for a date or two) but we are still friends today and in my mind some parts of me still fights the attraction, but we are definitley friends and Jess is happily in a relationship (with the same dude...) How fun is life !?! Jamal, shares a similar circumstance with Trevor and Olivia in Twin Towers. Come and see how his situation pans out June 12th..."

-Jason Hurt on TWIN TOWERS

Tango

Here is a behind the scenes look at the production of TWIN TOWERS - Our tango Choreographer Patty working with one of the stars of the show, Kena Anae.

Myla on Olivia

Hi! I'm Myla and I play Olivia Walker in the play Twin Towers.

In one scene, Olivia says "Love is Eternal" and I think she truly believe this. She views her love as eternal - she wouldn't stop loving a person even if it doesn't work out for them to be together. Olivia's love is charged with the very essence of love. And in the sense that God is love, then it is most definitely Eternal. "Love is Eternal" -Olivia doesn't just say it, she lives it.

I can relate to her on that- especially with relationships. Love
always remains - even through a complex or difficult circumstance, or even after it has long been "over", there will still be Love. It may evolve, but it's essence cannot disappear.

Bulk Tickets

This is a stack of letters I am mailing out to schools and organizations about bulk tickets. The regular ticket price is $18, but groups of 10 or more will be discounted at $15 each. Groups of 20 or more will be discounted to $12 a ticket.

To purchase bulk tickets, contact planetjennb@gmail.com

Schools who buy bulk tickets can invite an actor to their school for a talk back. Cool!

Broken Wings

Trevor Forde is played by the Bronx born actor and singer Kena Anae.

The Message is the Medium

My classmate and talented photographer Robert Herman gave a profound speech today about the nature of photography. He said that digital photography has changed the way we interact with images, and, "for the first time in history, we can't believe what we see." Not only that, but because this new approach - suspicion of all forms of images, moving or still - we must swim in a state of perpetual suspended disbelief. Where does that leave us? Constantly in a dream world, where, Robert says, "we must reinvent our own imaginations and learn to be comfortable with our own happiness."
I'm an artist who works in two mediums to get my message across - photography and theater. I choose my medium based on what I feel will be the most effective way to get my vision in front of "as many eyeballs as possible". Twin Towers has a story tell, and theater is the ideal medium. In theater, we know there is no manipulation, no special effect, no photoshop. In a sense, theater is the antithesis of film and digital photography - while special effects strive to become more and more realistic, black box theater asks the audience members to put in more, to participate, to make the leap into imagination on his or her own. The more the viewer has to contribute to the special effect of internalizing the characters and story, the more powerful it becomes. Less IS more!

Cast Websites

Learn more about the talent in Twin Towers by going to their personal websites.
http://www.twintowersplay.com/cast/


Kena Anae www.twintowersplay.com/kena_anae
Jason Hurt www.twintowersplay.com/jason_hurt
Patricia Gibson www.twintowersplay.com/patricia_gibson
Myla Flores www.twintowersplay.com/myla_flores
Quatis Tarkington www.twintowersplay.com/quatis_tarkington
Lauren Kelston www.twintowersplay.com/lauren_kelston

The June 7th Fundraiser

www.twintowersplay.com/fundraiser

Tango in Twin Towers

Twin Towers uses fighting, music and dance to illustrate the relationships between the characters. Its much more interesting that way! Here is a scene from Tap with Gregory Hines that inspired the Tango scene in Twin Towers. In Tap, the characters are clearly in love. In Twin Towers, things aren't that simple. Put Tap on your Netflix que if you haven't seen it already.

Our Fight Coordinaor

Diego Villada was born in Jackson Heights, NY and raised in Miami, FL. He is an aspiring professor of theatre and specializes in movement and stage combat.
In NYC, Diego is the resident fight director at 3-Legged Dog Media & Theatre Company. His choreography was featured in their spring production of Rod & Cables by Alison M. Keating.
Diego has trained in stage combat all over the United States. He is member of the Society of American Fight Directors and is an apprentice of prominent fight director Rick Sordelet.
Diego is an alumnus of both the University of Evansville and Virginia Commonwealth University.

This is our Capoeira choreographer, Christopher Langer, in riverside park. Twin Towers has three different choreographers - Tango, Capoeira and martial arts. This speaks to the different levels of relationships found in the play. We are lucky to have Christopher on board. Not only is he a great dancer, but he brings his generosity and attitude to the production as well - we actually met at a New York Cares event in the Bronx where we taught Capoeira to kids in a shelter. I believe that people should use the skills they have to help make the world a better place, regardless of what those skills are. You might have to be creative to figure out how to put your talent to use, but you will find a way! Thanks Christopher, for your inspiration.

Gun Control

One major character in the play is Trevor's gun. We see guns on TV and in movies all the time, but in a stage production it is quite different - you can hear the movement of the slide, smell the oil, and experience the horror of having a gun pointed at you. Finding a gun for the play was almost as challenging as finding an African American man who can dance, sing, and do Capoeira! It turns out, New York City has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country - even carrying a theatrical dummy gun is illegal. I had a hard time finding a realistic looking water gun in NYC! Luckily, I found a theater prop rental house that will supply us with this item, and a letter that will keep me out of jail if I get caught with it. Have your checkbooks ready just in case I do need to be bailed out!

Cast and Crew

It took us three casting calls and long deliberation to finally decide on the following cast members. We spent an entire month searching for the actors, and I was amazed at how talented and dedicated everyone was. Everyone who auditioned was talented. Ultimately, certain personalities spoke to us and fit our vision of the characters. Thank you all for your participation in Twin Towers.

Cast:
Kena Anae Trevor Forde
Jason Hurt Jamal Jones
Myla Flores Olivia Walker
Patricia Gibson Esther Forde
Lauren Kelston Female Ensemble
Quatis Tarkington Male Ensemble

Crew:
Damian Wampler Writer/Producer
Angela Astle Director
Patricia Zeccola Tango Choreographer
Diego Villada Fight Choreographer
Eli Taylor Sound Designer
Andy Fritsch Light Designer
Enzo Marcehse Publicist
Christopher Langner Capoeira Choreographer
Stephanie Williams Blood Effects
Adam Samtur Stage Manager

A Weekend of Theater

This weekend I went to see two shows, "Paper Angels" , directed by Victoria Linchong, and "Pretty Theft", directed by Twin Towers' own Anglea Astle. Both shows explored contemporary social issues in a concrete setting. "Paper Angels" deals with racism, unlawful internment and the nature of identity (are we more than what is written on our documents?) while "Pretty Theft" deals with idolization of the female form, the lack of justice for the rich and privileged, and the loss of innocence - to name a few. Paper Angels closed this weekend, but the University Settlement Performance Project has a great Spring Lineup, and I'll keep you informed as to what Direct Arts plans next. Pretty Theft runs through May 17th, check out the review in the New York Times.
Both productions made me realize how talented and creative the directors were, brining together all the costume, sound and lighting resources available to them. Paper Angels uses live music to accentuate some of the dramatic moments - I particularly liked when, during one conversation that takes place in Chinese, an ominous drumroll rises from nowhere as the Angel Island interpreter tells the lead character of her husband's suicide. The multimedia flashforward to present day San Fransisco, with live music and projected images, is also quite powerful. In Pretty Theft, the the female ensemble characters are all dressed as ballet dancers, mirroring the world inside Joe's head. Other characters have touches of pink beneath their clothes. The dancers are used in all the scene transitions, reminding us of the world we are in. Both plays use the space and the bodies of their actors with intent. In Paper Angels, the men and women are divided, the men inhabiting the left half of the stage, the women, the right. Both directors took the script and realized it in a unique way, leaving me thinking, "I never would have done it that way." I can't wait to see what Angela has in store for Twin Towers.