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.
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.
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!
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.
On Sunday I got a chance to shoot a promotional piece for another upcoming show called Paper Angels. The play is set on Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West Coast, and confronts issues of race, detention and immigration. We shot this image and three others in an antique shop in Chinatown called Sinotique (12 Mott street) where the owner Jan was able so supply us with everything necessary to recreate the formal portraits of the time period. We used real images as a reference and the final images were rendered in photoshop to look faded.Casting Call for Twin Towers, Sunday, April 12!
Non-AEA Actors for Twin Towers performing at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity this June
Category: Performers
Description: Twin Towers Play (Damian Wampler, Writer/Producer and Angela Astle, Director) will be holding auditions for Twin Towers on Sunday April 12, 2009, at New Perspectives Theatre Company, 456 W. 37th Street, Ground Floor Office. The first appointment will be scheduled at 1:00 and the last will be at 4:00pm.
All roles are available. Please submit head shots AND resumes via email ONLY to Casting@twintowersplay.com. Auditions are by appointment only, via email.
Esther Forde: Proud, wise woman, mid 60’s; grandmother to Trevor, but has raised him.
Trevor Forde: Iraq war veteran, Esther’s adopted grandson, mid 20s. Trevor’s character MUST sing, Tango, and perform capoeira dance.
Jamal Jones: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Trevor’s best friend from grade school, mid 20s. Jamal MUST be able to sing and perform capoeira dance.
Olivia Walker: Young woman and mother, early 20s. Trevor is the father of Olivia’s son, but Jamal comes over every night to read to him. Must be able to sing and dance Tango.
Male Ensemble Actor: 20s-35, must know capoeira dance. Characters include a Thug, an Army Captain, a Blind Preacher, and Trevor’s Psyche.
Female Ensemble Actress: 20s-35, must be able to move well (specifically capoeira training is helpful). Characters include Trevor’s Psyche and the Devil.
African American Actors especially encouraged to apply, but all ethnicities welcome.
Job Start Date: 5/1/2009
Job End Date: 6/28/2009
Salary: Stipend
Company: Twin Towers The Play
Register for the audition- Angela Astle: Casting@twintowersplay.com
Last night I shot some publicity pictures for another show called Truth or... Consequences. It was written by Brianne Hogan and Carla Lopez, and deals with some of the same themes as my show. You can see all the show listings at the Planet Connections Website. 
Here is a sketch I made before shooting the image for the play. W is for white, B is for black. I had to sketch it out because the idea was so complex I needed to know that it would work. This is not usually the way I shoot. For me, photography is about 'discovering beauty in unexpected places', about finding things by accident, about showing the world something I had unearthed. This way of shooting is completely different, but I have to say I enjoyed the process. While making the image in photoshop some of the elements I had in the sketch really didn't work so I changed them. But all in all, the finished product looks much like I had sketched in my mind.
I just got the performance schedule for Twin Towers, which will be at the Robert Moss Theater in 440 Studios at Astor Place and Lafayette.
