Outside in the City

As many have already observed, June has been quite a time to be outside and about in NYC! (Perhaps not this weekend as the heat wave arrives but… it was fun while it lasted.) From all the sporting events to parades to the finale of the Broadway and off-Broadway seasons, there have been so many celebrations all around town. While June has often found me travelling for various festivals or conferences, it’s actually been a treat to be home with a little time to explore in my own city for this one. 

This month’s blog will cover some highlights of recent adventures, as well as updates on a few upcoming and ongoing projects:

• Enjoying the various festivities and gorgeous weather around town!

  
  

  

• With the TONY Awards presented earlier in June, the fall-spring theatre season has come to a close. While many of my production highlights from this year come from the off-Broadway and indie side of things, I’m so glad I got to the current Broadway revival of Cats at the beginning of the month. Reimagining the show through the lens of ballroom culture, it’s a brilliant demonstration of how a revival can illuminate a whole new perspective on a show. It’s also just a fabulously fun night at the theatre!

• Speaking of excellent Pride Month activities that don’t end with the end of June, you’ve got a whole additional month to stop by Culture Lab LIC’s Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC gallery exhibit (through August 2). Through photography, portraiture, costume, performance ephemera and more, this exhibition spotlights the craft, discipline, and creative labor behind the transformation and celebrates drag as one of the most dynamic, political, and imaginative art forms of our time. (And if you keep reading, one of my upcoming projects may help you find reasons to visit Culture Lab in July!)

On the summer solstice, I joined a few friends to walk most of the length of Manhattan, north to south. From the parks of uptown to the views along Hudson River Park and ultimately to Battery Park for sunset, this was such a cool way to appreciate summertime NYC away from the traffic and tourists. Among other discoveries, what good timing at the start of the season to check out the incredibly spacious new food hall and rooftop parks at Pier 57 (alongside Chelsea)!

• … Plus of course the usual smattering of catching friends’ presentations, including a recent play reading of Ruby Vega-Romero’s Tiffany Girls from Forager Theatre and a fantastic concert from Times New Rita. 

And what am I working on inside the rehearsal room, you ask? Excellent timing, as we’ll be heading into rehearsals next week for my newest production. Here’s a quick overview of what’s upcoming and ongoing in July:

Upcoming: Frizzled  @ Culture Lab LIC, July 30 – Aug 2

If you caught 8min20sec last winter, this one may sound familiar… I’m headed back to LIC to stage manage another musical by the spectacularly talented Eliana Rubin!

Frizzled: A Magic School Bus Musical Parody is a wild, nostalgic coming-of-age musical blasting the kids you know and love into outrageous and very grown-up scenarios with their favorite frizzy-haired teacher. Featuring a score packed with infectious hooks about getting older, partying it up, and wanting to kiss your best friend, this show is guaranteed to make you laugh. Join the kids from Walkerville High as they take one last ride on that big yellow bus!

(Intended for Audiences 18+)

Ongoing: ETC Monologue Book

We are tremendously proud to have Expand the Canon’s first book out in the world and available for order, spotlighting incredible monologues from plays written by women and gender-expansive writers across history:

Fresh Old Monologues from New-to-You Classics!

Whether you’re an actor or an educator, this is the monologue book you need in your arsenal. With 110 options to refresh any actor's repertoire or expand the canon in the classroom, actors can stand out amongst the crowd in audition rooms and educators can show more students that the classic canon is and always has been for all of us.

Ongoing: Ladies & Fools on Patreon

My own small indie producing banner Ladies & Fools develops and produces projects that center language, spark conversation with comedy, and bring new voices into the canon.

Last year we brought Conceal Me What I Am to NYC Fringe and workshopped our upcoming Joan & Margaret project in partnership with Circle Festival. What’s next? Follow Ladies & Fools on Patreon, and be the first to hear about our upcoming projects! (If you select to follow our page for free, you’ll receive periodic emails from us. If you are interested in setting up a very small monthly donation, rather like a mini membership, you will gain access to fun perks such as behind-the-scenes blog posts and early ticket info.)