#Gheremi Clay

[tiredlilguy]

Mr. Gheremi clay, I am scared plz don’t go too hard today 😭

Me hoping I can just scream into the void without him seeing this lol- I think I’m good, it’s just tumblr

[writemarcus]

Forever and a Day | Across a Crowded Room (2020 edition)

About the show: In Forever and a Day; or, Wild Blue Yonder, boy genius Corey and his smarty-pants best pals Dimitri and Dakota are triggered by viral videos of young black people dying and ultimately go on a journey to discover The Fountain of Youth, also known as The Elixir of Life. Corey and his friends come to the conclusion that by creating the cure for eternal youth and immortality, they might circumvent and combat the rampant violence brought on against young black people. 

The Cast & Crew

Corey as Cartreze Tucker

Dakota as Emma Claye

Dimitri as Gheremi Clay

Corey's Mom as LaDonna Burns

Newscaster as Karen Joy Pangantihon

Director: Dev Bondarin

Concept & Music: Steven Silverstein

Concept, Book & Lyrics: Marcus Scott

Video/Zoom: Micah Joel Nordtvedt

Set list and Vocals

“Forever and a Day” [Dakota + Dimitri, Corey, Newscaster]

“The Elixir of Life” [Corey; Dakota and Dimitri back-ups]

“Holy Grail” [Dakota + Dimitri]

“The Talk” [Mom]

“The Elixir of Life” (reprise) [All]

[stllimelight]

Bright Lights Column: Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars

Bright Lights Column: Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars

By Lynn Venhaus Managing Editor A STAR WAS BORN: It was as if scripted in a movie. You’ve heard of that classic moment in the 1933 movie “42nd Street” when an understudy takes over for an injured diva. Well, it really happened here, right here in St. Louis one summer 46 years ago at The Muny. On Aug. 14, 1972, MGM musical star Ann Miller was playing Reno Sweeney to Michael Callan’sBilly Crockett in

[newyorktheater]

Below are my recommendations for three plays with starry casts “opening” and available only this weekend, two documentaries about theater, and a theater festival that  New Yorkers can see without traveling for the first time in its 73-year history.

Recent worthwhile theater still available include #WhileWeBreathe, Manual Cinema’s The End of TV, , Cuttin Up, Homebound Project 5, and The Line.

Also: check out my calendar of August 2020 theater openings. with loads more offerings, including  two exciting fundraisers this weekend.

  Friday

  The Understudy Play Reading Fridays 7 p.m. Theresa Rebeck’s comedy focuses on Roxanne, who is charged with running the understudy rehearsal for the Broadway premiere of a heretofore undiscovered masterpiece by Franz Kafka. She is rattled when she discovers it’s her ex-fiance who is understudy for Jake, a mid-tier action star yearning for legitimacy. Starring Andrew Kober, Lesli Margherita and Jawan M. Jackson

plus

Two documentaries:

Howard Disney Plus A documentary on Howard Ashman, the lyricist for “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast,” who died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 40.

In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams PBS Great Performances A documentary of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical, as part of the program’s new “Broadway at Home” series. A cool follow-up to Hamilton on Disney+ (still available to subscribers) and the Freestyle Love Supreme documentary on Hulu (ditto.)

Saturday

Edinburgh Fringe Festival Check out first batch of 30 plays on The Space UK

(For a smidgeon of guidance, check out my post, Edinburgh Fringe Festival In Your Home)

Dutchman Play-PerView 7 p.m. A read of Amiri Baraka’s 1964 play that’s a stark, allegorical confrontation between Lula, a white woman, and Clay, a black man, on the subway in New York, featuring the cast of the 2007 Cherry Lane production — Dulé Hill, Jennifer Mudge, and Christopher Meyer.

  Sunday

Ato Blankson-Wood

Antigone in Ferguson Theater of War Productions 8:30 p.m. On the sixth anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Theater of War brings back the most-lauded of its many productions that use Greek tragedy to illuminate current issue.. This live Zoom version follows Theater of War’s usual format; the starry cast will first read Sophocles’ tragedy, four panelists will discuss it, and then the discussion will be open to the audience. The cast features Oscar Isaac, Tracie Thoms, Ato Blankson Wood, Willie Woodmore, Marjolaine Goldsmith, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, De-Rance Blaylock, Duane Martin Foster, Marcelle Davies Lashley, John Leggette, and Gheremi Clay, and the Antigone in Ferguson Choir.

Theater to See This Weekend, Aug 7-9: Edinburgh Fringe, Antigone in Ferguson, Dutchman. Below are my recommendations for three plays with starry casts "opening" and available only this weekend, two documentaries about theater, and a theater festival that  New Yorkers can see without traveling for the first time in its 73-year history.

[writemarcus]

Across a Crowded Room: 2020 Videos

by Doug Reside, Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center

January 15, 2021

Since 2013, more or less annually, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has invited new musical theatre writers, composers, and actors to Across A Crowded Room–a musical theatre incubator where strangers meet and write musicals together.  There is perhaps nothing more clichéd at this point than to note how unusual the past 12 months have been, but early in the pandemic it became clear there was interest in continuing the series in 2020, even in a modified way. Last year seven groups created new 20 minute musicals with the feedback from experts in the industry. The teams presented their final work, not on the stage of the Bruno Walter Auditorium as is the recent custom, but via pre-recorded videos produced for a special Zoom event. Today, we present those eight performances for the world to see. It was a difficult year in many respects, but the quality of the work created this year is among the best I have seen in the seven years of the program. Enjoy the 2020 Across A Crowded Room Playlist!

The Carousel of Inevitability and Certain Foreboding

Book: Gil Varod Lyrics: A. J. Freeman Music: Jonathan Lynch

Jimmy/Timmy: Kelly Autry Donna/Anna: A. J. Freeman Walt: Rick Negron Jimmy Jr.: Kennedy Kanagawa Stage Directions: Jennifer Blom

What's Her Line?

Book and Lyrics: A. J. Freeman Music: Derrick Byars

Dorothy Kilgallen: Bex Odorisio John Daly: Sam Balzac Guest #1: Bill Dyszel Guest #2: Laura Cetti Bennett Cerf: Eric Grunin Arlene Francis: A. J. Freeman The Jingle Gal: Hannah Eakin The Announcer: Jon Hugo Ungar

Also featuring: Jennifer Blom, Anthony Castellano, Caitlin Collins, Jared Corak, Alina Gatrell, Sonya Hayden, Kate Leonard, Ron Passaro, Kathleen Payne, Aliza Rabin, Daniel Sefik, Rachel Sklar, and Ruby Sklar

Garden of Alla

Books and Lyrics by Jacob Iglitzin Music by Natan Zamansky

Alla Nazimova: Amy Maude Helfer Charles Bryant: Daniel Kamlić Natacha Rambova: Autumn Hitt Rudolph Valentino: Anthony Castellano Marjorie Gilhoolet: Juliana Tassos Accompanist: Mary Taft

Rejected

Book and Lyrics by Briana Harris

Music and Lyrics by Andi Lee Carter

Francis X. Flack: Shakira Searle Director Krimsky: Tony Perry Leo Eckman/Half-Bull-Half-Horse: Doug Shapiro E.L. Fincher/Seven-Legged Goat: Joanie Drago Lila Bryne/Three-Legged Cat: Dana Aber Chico: Himself

Directed by Dev Bondarin Audio Mixing by Anthony Spinnato Editing by Andi Lee Carter

Forever and a Day

Book and Lyrics by Marcus Scott

Music by Steven Silverstein

Corey: Cartreze Tucker Dakota: Emma Claye Dimitri: Gheremi Clay Corey’s Mom: LaDonna Burns News Reporter: Karen Pangantihon

Directed by Dev Bondarin Video Editing and Sound Mixing by Micah Joel SFX courtesy of freesound.org/people/RSilveira_88

DoubleDouble

Words by Seth Christenfeld and A. J. Freeman Music by Eric Grunin

Carla: Caitlin Gallogly Carole: A. J. Freeman Jerry: Sam Balzac Tom: Brian Charles Rooney Michael: Sean Doherty

Aramaic translations by Pascale Asmar Photographs by Larry Racioppo (1974)

Feverdreams: Part One (Abridged)

Book by Justin Schwartz

Lyrics by Kara Cutruzzula Music by Shoshana Shattenkirk

Alexander Anderson: Cory Jeacoma Ann Van Vleck: Samantha Massell Sarah Anderson: Sandy York John Anderson, Jr./Hanover: Jackson Knight Pierce Emily: Lindsay Dabes

Video edited by Justin Schwartz

The Subway Enthusiast

Book, music, and lyrics by Kathleen Payne

Roddy: Anthony Castellano Passenger #1/Mom: Laura Cetti Friend/Teacher/Motorman: Jennifer Koontz Announcer/Conductor: Kathleen Payne

Music Arranger and Pianist: Cynthia Hilts

View all posts by Doug Reside

[writemarcus]

”Forever and a Day” (Abridged) was presented at Across A Crowded Room at NYPL at Lincoln Center

About the show: In Forever and a Day; or, Wild Blue Yonder, boy genius Corey and his smarty-pants best pals Dimitri and Dakota are triggered by viral videos of young black people dying and ultimately go on a journey to discover The Fountain of Youth, also known as The Elixir of Life. Corey and his friends come to the conclusion that by creating the cure for eternal youth and immortality, they might circumvent and combat the rampant violence brought on against young black people. 

The Cast & Crew (In Order of Appearance): News Reporter as Karen Joy Pangantihon, Corey as Cartreze Tucker, Dakota as Emma Claye, Dimitri as Gheremi Clay, Corey's Mom as LaDonna Burns

Director: Dev Bondarian

Music: Steven Silverstein

Concept, Book & Lyrics: Marcus Scott