The Revival: Meet the Choir and Congregation

Thanks to all of those who have attended the past three weeks of performances for The Revival! The show has been a great success due to all of those involved and our audience members who have spread the good word.

If you have attended the show or your planning on attending our last day of performances, you'll notice that we have both a choir and congregation that play an interesting role in the show.

Take a peak at the videos below to learn more.

The Revival: Judy Bowman, Casting Director, discusses casting the show and tips for aspiring actors

Project Y was honored to partner with Casting Director Judy Bowman to cast our current production of The Revival. Throughout the run, we've received some incredible reviews of our casting choices. See below:

"This is one of the best cast assemble for an Off-Off Broadway show in a long time, perfectly directed by Michole Biancosino...it's certain to win over fans of good theater."

- NY press

"What a perfect play for these times...an enormous tale and fortunate to have a cracker jack cast that is ready, willing, and more than able."

- NY Theatre Guide

We got a chance to sit with Judy recently to discuss casting for the show and she offered some advice for aspiring young actors in NYC.

Tonight's performance is Industry Night dedicated to the New York Theatre community. Visit www.broadwayoffers.com and use code: INDS for $15 tickets.

Actors who attend the show are encouraged to bring their headshots to be submitted to Judy Bowman Casting.

Beyond Gay: LGBT Performances for The Revival

David Darrow (on floor) and Trent Dawson in The Revival

This post was written by guest blogger Joe Basile

At the age of 16, I was lucky enough to see the original production of Angels in America on Broadway starring Stephen Spinella, Marcia Gay Harden, and Jeffrey Wright, among others. At the time, I had no idea what I was about to see. I was enrolled in a college level musical theater program at NYU (or what seems more like camp looking back) for ambitious young theater geeks. After a day full of singing and dancing our little butts off in the hot studios at 440 Lafayette, we got to see some amazing plays and performances in the evening of all genres.

That night I was blown away by the performance. Never had I seen gay characters explored with such depth and nuance. It was an eye opening experience for me, one that would shape my work as an artist in years to come. (Recently, I was excited to hear about its return to the stage at the Signature Theatre Company.) Before that, the only gay characters that I recognized in the media were Jim J Bullock from Too Close for Comfort or John Ritter from Three's Company. One was closeted and the other was faking it. Boy have times changed!

It's been exciting to witness how gay characters in theater, and in film and television have evolved. I've seen more and more playwrights and directors experiment with subtlety and complex issues with gay characters. On the flip side, it's also been fun to watch entertaining romantic comedies like Trick or even Another Gay Movie, that quite simply, are pure eye candy and explore a mood or emotion. I love the diversity here.

Another shift in consciousness over the past ten years or so has been the development of the LGBTQ theater community. It's wonderful to see how the community has grown and united to create organizations to tackle health issues, marriage equality, and human rights all over the world.

Why else is this important? I think whenever you bring people together, questions get asked and people start talking. In turn, silence is broken. Audre Lorde, writer, poet and activist, once wrote:

"What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? For it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence and there are so many silences to be broken."

I can't think of a better non-threatening way to do this then through the structure of a play.

I've been excited to work with Project Y to help promote their current production of The Revival and to help coordinate their LGBTQ evening performance (Thursday, Sept 16th 8pm) and matinee performance (Sept 19th 3pm). Tickets for the Thursday performance can be purchased for $15 when you use promo code: LGBT and when you visit www.broadwayoffers.com.

If you've watched some of our videos about the show, you'll notice that no one describes it solely as a gay play. Yes, there are gay characters but underneath it all is a story about inner conflict, desire, and the role of religion in our lives (at least in my opinion). Something that anyone can relate to.

I hope that you will join us for these performances. If you like what you see, I encourage you to go to the New York Innovative Theatre Awards website and vote for our production to bring the attention of our efforts to the larger New York theater community.

See you at The Revival!

The Revival: Opening Night & Upcoming Events...

Thanks to all of those who attended shows during our previews and opening weekend. We are excited to share that we had sold out performances! Below is a schedule of a couple of themed nights we have coming up. Looking forward to seeing you at The Revival...

Wednesday, September 15th - Middlebury Alumni Night

Thursday, September 16th - LGBT Night (followed by cocktails at HK Lounge).

Friday, September 17th - Actors Theatre of Louisville Night

Saturday, September 18th - Student Matinee Performance followed by a Q and A

Sunday, September 21st - Industry Night

Thursday, September 23rd - Rutgers Alumni Night

Sunday, September 19th - LGBT Matinee Performance followed by a Q & A

For more information and to purchase tickets please click here.

Here are some pics of our opening party at The Lion Theatre after Opening Night..

The Revival: Playwright & Director

Theatre is a collaborative art. A successful production is reliant on the combined efforts of the actors, designers, and of course, the playwright and director.

For our production of The Revival (which opens tonight!), the Project Y artistic and production staff does an amazing job of embracing the elements that truly make a production successful: truth, respect, and passion.

From the first reading to the final preview of The Revival, we've been working hard to create theatre that is dynamic; that engages and challenges the intellect and emotions of our audience. The three elements I mentioned above take us there. They each complement each other and give us all an unspoken blueprint to create a rewarding experience for our audience and our company.

Liam Joynt, Co-Producer of The Revival, recently sat down with our director and playwright to discuss the origins of their collaboration and work.

The Revival: Meet Our Cast

The previews for our upcoming production of The Revival begin just two short days away and we are officially in The Lion Theater at Theater Row on 42nd Street!

For the show, we are fortunate to work with some of New York's most talented and amazing actors that have been seen on both Broadway and Off-Broadway stages, and in film and television.

If you're a soap fan, you might recognize Emmy nominated actor Trent Dawson playing the role of Eli. Trent appeared on As The World Turns, which after entertaining fans for half a century, recently aired its last episode. We're happy to be a part of the next stage of Trent's career.

David Darrow plays the role of Daniel and is a recent alum of The Actors Apprentice Program at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Recently, we got a chance to ask David some questions about the show and his character.

Raymond McAnally, has appeared in episodes of Nurse Jackie and 30 rock as well as Off-Broadway shows here in New York City, he plays the role of Trevor.

Aidan Sullivan plays the role of June. She was in the highly acclaimed production of Fiona Shaw's Medea on Broadway. Which if you missed it, was one of the most emotionally charged productions of the season.

But don't take our word for it! Check out the work of the cast during our run for The Revival through September 25th.

We're offering special ticket promotions through Twitter and Facebook. So become a fan and/or follow us for the latest.

We're looking forward to sharing our work with you....

Talk Back At Us

When we were younger we were often told, "don't talk back." How infuriating was that? Whether we were trying to express ourselves or provide an explanation, it didn't matter, we complied (well, sometimes).

As adults, we changed our habits or as Kathy Griffin says, we got manners: we learned to talk back after people left the room.

With the recent development and popularity of social media in our culture, a new voice has emerged. We can basically say what we feel like without directing any information to the appropriate person. We are beginning to become accustomed to sharing our thoughts in 140 characters or in short incomplete sentences on posts, forums, and comment boxes.

(Don't get me wrong, these are modes of communication that we've embraced as a company and use! We are glad that people are having these conversations and sharing thoughts and ideas. But there is sometimes a desire to dig a bit deeper.)

We see these reviews and posts quite often for restaurants and products, and, of course, theater.

Theater is, at its best, a reflection of life, created by and for a community. And as John Patrick Shanley puts it, "a safe place to do unsafe things." Plays have the power to ask questions and generate dialogue within a community. And what better way to foster the community of a young theater company then by providing direct feedback; to support us in our explorations in creating theater that simultaneously challenges the intellect and inspires the spirit?

By now you may have noticed a light blue box to the right of this post. Our publicist, the wise and astute Karen Greco, discovered this new feature that theater companies are starting to use.

Here's how it works: simply click on the link and you'll be directed to an information form where you can give a theater company feedback on their show. Your name is optional and you are instructed to be "honest, tactful, and helpful."

You are simply asked:

What went right?

What went wrong?

What can we do differently next time to be better?

Do you have any other thoughts?

We think it's a great idea and we're glad to experiment with it for our upcoming production of The Revival which begins previews September 9th.

It's pretty much a virtual "after the show talkback," thus the name.

As always, telling us something is better than not saying anything at all, so use Twitter or Facebook, or this blog, or buy us a drink after the show, but if you're willing, give Talkbackr a try.

What do you think of Talkbackr?

Behind the scenes: reviving an 1840's barn for The Revival

In The Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmond Jones, a set designer is described as having the task to "...sense the atmosphere of a play with unusual clearness and exactness. He must actually live in it for a time, immerse himself in it, be baptized by it. This process is by no means so easy as it seems."

For our upcoming production of The Revival, our illustrious Set Designer, Kevin Judge, does the unimaginable, he makes it all seem easy. It's ironic that part of our play is set in a church. Kevin seems to have baptized himself in the world of the play, and soon enough he will be the priest of the audience, baptizing and transporting us to Hot Springs, Arkansas where the play takes place.

Below is an early sketch that Kevin created for the set of The Revival. With further collaboration with director Michole Biancosino and the rest of the company, some further adjustments have been made to serve the play and make our storytelling more dynamic. You'll have to come see the show to see the final adjustments!

To create the set, Producing Artistic Director Andrew Smith, found theater gold. Through a Craig's list advertisement, he found someone who was dismantling a barn that dates back to the 1840's. On a rainy day last week, Andrew drove up to Massachusetts and removed planks of wood from one side of the barn. He was ecstatic to find the wood in "amazing condition."

The use of this barn wood to build our set truly transforms the stage. Its texture, color, and history tells a story of its own. Jones also mentions in The Dramatic Imagination a vibration that is created with the fusing of all the objects that appear on a set: walls, furniture, props. He describes this fusing as "a kind of embodied impulse."

Yes, the set vibrates, it pulses, and Jones does an incredible job of describing what happens next when the curtain rises: "Everything on the stage becomes a part of the life of the instant. The play becomes a voice out of a whirlwind. The terrible and wonderful dynamis of theatre pours over the footlights."

Don't you love that description? Where else can you experience that for the price of an $18 ticket? In NYC?!

Any thoughts on Jones's description? What do you think are the essential elements to create a good set design?

Rehearsing for The Revival

After a too long break - this blog is back and running to update you
on all the behind-the-scenes happenings as Project Y prepares for this
year's big production:

THE REVIVAL, by Samuel Brett Williams

A Harvard educated son of a Southern Baptist preacher returns to his Arkansas hometown to rebuild his father’s congregation. Under pressure to grow the congregation to compete with neighboring mega-Churches, the young Pastor seizes an opportunity to cleanse a mysterious stranger of his homosexuality, becoming an overnight evangenical superstar. But at what cost?

Featuring Trent Dawson, Ray Macanally, Aidan Sullivan, and David Darrow

Directed by Michole Biancosino

September 9th through 25th at Theatre Row Studios
$18

For full info and link to tickets: www.projectytheatre.org

Thanks for Coming !

We wanted to give a huge SHOUT OUT to all the people who came to
the fundraiser party on Saturday. It was amazing how many new faces
were there, mixed in with some of the tried and true PY clan.

The videos were amazing, the space was totally funky, the jazz was outstanding,
the burlesque was "fan"-tastic, and people were dressed to impress.
We had an artsy hat posse, an imposing tuxedo posse, and everyone else total
swanky.

To all the party-goers: Thank you!

Enjoy these pictures taken at the event!