My Broken Brain @ MITF

For the last few weeks I've been working with my friend Michael Hirstreet on his new solo show My Broken Brain, which performs July 17th-19th at the 10th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival. The play chronicles Micheal's childhood in New Jersey, growing up with his "jesus-loving" Mother and dealing with five brain hemorrhages. But, it's a comedy. More info on Broadway World or visit the MITF Official Site.

Bushwick Goes Gay

Gay pride is coming to Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The Annual Bushwick Pride March is on Saturday, June 20th at noon. Meet at Make The Road NY's Bushwick offices, 301 Grove Street. Barbecue at the Children's Grove Park after the march. Should be a fun day!

Directions at:
http://www.maketheroad.org/participate_directions.php.

Also, a special gay pride edition of Really?, the only queer night in Bushwick. NEW LOCATION - Tandem is just 2 1/2 blocks from Northeast Kingdom and the Jefferson stop on the L train. This gorgeous new space will provide more room for dancing and mayhem. With Go-go dancers, pinatas, ukelele sing-a-long, drink specials and the hottest dance traxx and gay anthems by DJ Paleboy.

Details at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=90858383686

Visit the new Really? blog at:
http://reallyqueer.blogspot.com/

Thanks and hope to see everyone at these events!

Announcing VOTE! @ Fringe NYC. We're Casting!

VOTE!, a musical I've been working on with the wonderful writers Ryann Ferguson & Steven Jamail, will perform in August at FringeNYC! I spent parts of February & March in Bloomington, Indiana working with students from Indiana University on a workshop production and we're ready for New York City.

We're casting. Details below:

VOTE! The Musical
FringeNYC 2009
AEA New York International Fringe Festival Code
AEA/non-AEA (Pending Equity Approval)
Stipend

Director: Ryan J. Davis
Book & Lyrics: Ryann Ferguson
Music: Steven Jamail
Choreographer: Rachelle Rak
Casting: Daryl Eisenberg Casting
Auditions (by appointment): June 29-30
Rehearses: Mid-July/Aug 2009, flexible schedule
Performances: Festival is Aug 14-30 2009, show times pending

More Info At: www.votethemusical.com

SUBMIT VIA E-MAIL ASAP

SYNOPSIS: At GVHS, it hardly matters who will lead student council. But try telling that to candidates running and people who love them (or hate them). For them, the rest of their lives hinge on who can get the most votes.

NOTE: VOTE! The Musical, a cartoon masquerading as live action show, offers a sharp, campy look at elections and the moral dilemmas they produce. The bright, energetic score drives fast from the onset of the campaign to the voting booth. It is HAIRSPRAY meets YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN meets ELECTION. Substance disguised as cuteness. All heart disguised as satire. All students should actually be 18-25 years old.

SEEKING:
[MUFFIN PASQUINELLI] 17 y.o. Caucasian female. Stunningly beautiful. The valedictorian of GVHS, Muffin has a secret she has finally admitted to herself: she’s really just not that smart. She's only running for president because her mom wants her to attend law school, but secretly – in her heart of hearts – all Muffin wants to do is be a flight attendant! LEAD. HIGH F - BELT/STRONG MIX

[MARK] 17 y.o. Caucasian male. An evil nerd who has been pushed out of everything he feels he deserves by Muffin. He's very ambitious. He loves power and is distracted by very little else. Now, he decides to exact revenge when MUFFIN goes after the one thing he really wants - Student Council President! LEAD. MUST HAVE STRONG FALSETTO.

[NIKKI] 17 y.o. African American female. A super politically-correct African-American Role Model. But she is not an advertisement for her ethnicity. She struggles with how much she wants her race to define her. LEAD. BELT/MIX.

[TRISH] 17 y.o. female. MUFFIN's yes man, always in the shadow. All that changes when she discovers that while she’s good at being a side kick, she’s even better at being a villainous side kick. LEAD. CHARACTER BELT

[MS VENORA FOWLER] Late 20s-40s African American female. GVHS’s sassy, whimsical, government teacher. With a soft spot in her heart for Denzel Washington, David Justice and Tyson Beckford, she also has a talent for creating mnemonic devices and telling it like it is. LEAD. BELT/STRONG MIX

[MIKE] 20s male. Slick, buff snowboarder, boy band type. CAST: LANDON BEARD.

[BRODY] 18 y.o. male. The dumbest, hottest jock there is and current student council president. SUPPORTING

[ANGELICA] 17 y.o. female. The dumbest, hottest blonde cheerleader there is and Muffin's follower through and through. CAST: TRACY WEILER

[NATHAN] 17 y.o. male. A serious minion to MARK. Puts up with all of Mark’s schemes, echoes his agenda. Overly invested in everything Mark does. Secretly pines for MUFFIN. Lots of physical comedy. SUPPORTING. STRONG TENOR.

[ENSEMBLE] 17 y.o. males and females. Jocks, nerds, and the precious ones in between. Several featured roles. Must be able to dance. Please submit Non-Eqs as well!

Free Performance Gage, Part One Tonight @ 7!

For the last week, I've been in rehearsals for a reading of the new pop/rock musical Gage, Part One. It's a cool show, with a great cast. We perform tonight at the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Ave. Email GagePartOne@gmail.com for complimentary tickets.

Details from Broadway World:

The new rock musical Gage, Part One receives its first reading on Wednesday, June 10th. Featuring a rock score by Ryan Mercy, lyrics by Christopher Barnes, and a book by Cameron Cole, Gage buzzes with a youthful energy and features an equally electric cast. Performers include Logan Lipton (Wicked, Cupid and Psyche), Kevin Greene (Grease: You‘re the One that I Want, A Tale of Two Cities), Auri Marcus, Kevin T. Curtis, Heath Calvert (Good Vibrations), Desiree Rodriguez, and Jessica Waxman.

The performance is directed by Ryan J. Davis (White Noise, Broadway Beauty Pageant).

Gage, Part One takes the genre of the superhero origin story and turns it completely on its head.

Ben is obsessed with comic books, so obsessed that he has been writing them since he was a teenager with his best friend and artist Noel. It is no surprise then that when Noel saves a stranger's life on the subway by pushing her out of the way of an oncoming train, Ben begins to believe that Noel is a true superhero. Thus begins the origin of Gage, a vigilante who can stop time by use of a special watch. Once a mere fictional creation of Ben, Gage is now brought to life by the real-life good-doings of Noel. Gage faces plenty of evil and danger but is finally forced to confront his greatest nemesis, Ben, when it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

Gage, Part One is presented Wednesday, June 10th at 7:00 PM at the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Aves. Email GagePartOne@gmail.com for complimentary tickets.

Also, a nice article on Playbill. Hope to see some of you tonight!