Starring Kim Berrios Lin with Peter Ferraiolo and Kate Taney Billingsley. Special appearances by Bavlina Youri and Michael Billingsley.
Created & Written by Julia Rae Maldonado
Directed by Bianca Puorto
For more info, find us on Tumblr and tune in for our next show Thursday, Oct 22nd at 8pm ET on IG Live. Follow @karulasdreamshow to watch and interact!
Starring Kim Berrios Lin with Rocío Mendez and Paula Pizzi!
Created & Written by Julia Rae Maldonado
Directed by Bianca Puorto
For more info, find us on Tumblr and tune in for our next show Thursday, Oct 8 at 7pm ET on IG Live. Follow @karulasdreamshow to watch and interact!
Starring Kim Berrios Lin with Kate Taney Billinsgley and Grant Emerson Harvey
Created & Written by Julia Rae Maldonado
Directed by Bianca Puorto
For more info, find us on Tumblr and tune in for our next show Thursday, Oct 8 at 7pm ET on IG Live. Follow @karulasdreamshow to watch and interact!
Based on the Interactive Zoom play developed by Theatre East, KARULA is coming to Instagram with an all new interactive series! Follow @karulasdreamshow on instagram for updates, to watch the show… and to call into the show once a week for live dream interpretation!!
KARULA’S DREAM SHOW LIVE stars Kim Berrios Lin alongside her faithful sidekick, Captain Bananas. Special guest actors and surprise callers every week. The show is directed by Bianca Puorto.
Eternal gratitude for our sponsors at Greenlight Catnip.
Y Tú, Y Tú, Y Tú, a new short play by JRM, will be included in THE QUARANTINE PLAYS, a Toronto-based festival of new work created during lockdown. The festival is intended to run live and in person in late fall (in compliance with public health guidelines), and will raise money for The Actors Fund of Canada.
JRM is thrilled to be joining the LAByrinth Theatre’s Intensive Ensemble this August where she will be creating new work and collaborating with some of the most exciting theatre artists in New York… including some of her heroes.
JRM’s 10-minute play ‘THE RUNAWAYS’, written for teen actors, is included in the latest issue of HOT ALMANAC along with other great art & activities for all ages. Check out the latest issue here.
HOT ALMANAC is a monthly zine based on the idea of an almanac: calendars, recipes, games and art. For more HOT ALMANAC follow them on instagram @hotalmanac
BACK PAGES is a new ten minute zoom-play written for teen actors, developed and performed for the first time with the Stella Adler Performance Intensive directed by Judson Jones.
The small staff of a high school lit mag fights tooth and nail over poetic differences before publication of what’s probably their last magazine (2F, 1M)
This performance was live-streamed over zoom via Facebook Live on July 23rd 2020. The play is a blend of scripted story mixed in with improvisations with surprise callers selected out of the viewing audience.
KARULA is Kim Lin Bova. Also featuring Paula Pizzi as MOM, Peter Ferraiolo as ‘BOB’ and Yhá Mourhia Wright as DYLAN. Special surprise callers for this performance were Chelsea B. Lockie, Bobby Daniel Rodriguez and Shelby Wong. ‘Karula’s Dream Show Live’ was directed by Bianca Puorto as a part of Theatre East’s 2020 5x5 Drama Series.
A new comedy by JRM written for the ZOOM medium will premiere as a part of the 2020 Drama Series. ‘Karula’s Dream Show Live’ will be directed by Bianca Puorto and feature performances by Kim Rios Lin, Paula Pizzi, Peter Ferraiolo, and Yhá Mourhia Wright and invite audience members interaction.
The 5x5 Drama Series can be viewed on Facebook Live via Theatre East’s Facebook page beginning July 14th. All performances begin at 7:30pm ET. For the first time, this year’s 5x5 features member playwrights from Theatre East’s new Writers’ Room.
There will also be a special, invite only performance of all five plays on July 19th. To make a reservation visit Eventbrite.
The 5x5 Drama Series was founded in 2016 to bring great new plays beyond the footlights and into nontraditional, community spaces like bars, taverns, and rooftops for a unique immersive audience experience. The series consist of 5 short plays with 5 casts, and in previous years has been performed in all 5 boroughs. This year, TheatreEast commissioned five plays specifically for a remote medium. This new and definitely nontraditional venue has resulted in an exciting, creative batch of new work that stretches the boundaries of what theatre can be. Fulfilling one of our core beliefs to make theatre more accessible to all, 5x5 brings the stage directly to the people in the spaces where they gather, learn and relax. Best of all, tickets are available on a suggested donation basis.
Theatre East presents a live remote reading of LITTLE MACHINE
Space... a Martian transport carrying secret government cargo is hijacked by the cutest assassin in the universe. Everybody dies in this sci-fi comedy.
Directed by Bianca Puorto
Featuring Elsbeth Denman, Jeff Gorcyca, Grant Emerson Harvey, Geoffrey Hymers, Laura Kay, Shelby Rebecca Wong, Yhá Mourhia Wright
We're all being responsible by sheltering in place. But that doesn't mean we have to come to a full stop. So we're going to read a play for you! It's short and it's fun and it'll put a smile on your face.
So applaud and praise our front-line workers from your windows at 7pm and join us at 7:15 on Theatre East's Facebook page!
UPDATE: In case you missed it… The full reading is still available on Theatre East’s facebook page!
Based on the short play of the same name, WE THREE is a GirlSOUP film created by Julia Rae Maldonado, Chelsea B. Lockie and Michael Lamarra featuring performances by Shelby Rebecca Wong, Lizzy Jarrett, Yessenia Rivas and Peter Ferraiolo.
For more GirlSOUP follow on instagram: @girlsoupco
‘THE INTREPIDS’, a new original play commissioned by TheatreEast, will premiere as a part of this summer’s 5x5 Drama Series, directed by Chelsea B. Lockie and featuring performances by Emily Verla and James Yuhas. For more information and reservations, please visit here.
The 5X5 Drama Series brings performances beyond the footlights and into non-traditional spaces in all five boroughs for a unique immersive audience experience. Theatre East is an official partner of NYC Pride, and this year's 5X5 Drama Series will feature original, commissioned work celebrating the LGBTQ community as we remember the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Fulfilling one of Theatre East's core beliefs of making theatre accessible to all, tickets are available on a suggested donation basis.
‘THE INTREPIDS’ will share a bill with ‘BATTLE CRY’ by Barbara Blumenthal-Erlich, directed by Caterina Nonis, ‘STRAIGHT GIRL’ by Lilly Camp directed by Judson Jones, ‘TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR, IT’S ANDREA’ by Margie Semilof directed by Christa Kimlicko-Jones and ‘COLOR AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW’ by Travis Tate, directed by Graham Schmidt.
JRM has been a regular at 5x5 since it’s founding in 2016. Plays produced with 5x5 include ‘IN THE BASEMENT’ and ‘WE THREE’. JRM has also been featured as an actor in 5x5: 'DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME’ by Thomas J. Misuraca and ‘JUMPING UP AND DOWN HAPPY TOWN’ by Lori Fischer.
Nicole Stoica, Melody Wilson, Stephanie Fagan, Emily Verla & Tom O’Neill
A new draft of ‘Muses’ received a staged reading at The New Ohio produced by Lizzy Jarrett & Make/Shift. Cast: Melody Wilson, Emily Verla, Tom O’Neill, Stephanie Fagan and Nicole Stoica. Directed by Chelsea B. Lockie.
Presented by Make/Shift and AKIN, the SHE creates arts festival is an all-inclusive celebration of womanhood and gender queerness. The festival runs Tuesday, February 19 - Sunday February 24 at The New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street, #1E).
WE THREE, directed by Chelsea B. Lockie and written by Julia Rae Maldonado will premiere on Wednesday, February 20th at 6:30pm and screen again on Saturday, February 23rd at 1:30pm. Tickets can be purchased here and include all scheduled opening acts for the evening, access to the art gallery, and admission to The New York Premiere of The Clark Doll by Liz Morgan, directed by Tyler Thomas.
For more info on the festival including a list of featured artists visit here. Also please check out The SHE Creates Facebook page.
WE THREE features performances by Yessenia Rivas, Shelby Rebecca Wong, Lizzy Jarrett and Peter Ferraiolo. DP, Michael Lamarra. Editing and Sound by Nestor Bongabong.
Shelby Wong, Lizzy Jarrett, and Peter Ferraiolo
The film is directed by Chelsea B. Lockie, DOP Michael Lamarra. Featuring Shelby Wong, Lizzy Jarrett, and Peter Ferraiolo.
WE THREE was originally developed at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting for the advanced teen New Works Performance Intensive, directed by Judson Jones. It was produced by TheatreEast’s 5x5 Drama Series in 2018, directed by Chelsea B. Lockie.
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting recently featured an interview with JRM, and her work teaching Stella Adler programming with the New York Department of Corrections. Text of the interview is below:
How did you get involved with the studio’s DOC programs?
After I completed grad school in 2016, I was looking for a way to use what I had learned to give back to the community. I was aware of the good work being done by the Stella Adler Outreach Division through other Adler alumni, and reached out to see how I could be involved. The Department of Correction (DOC) programs turned out to be a good fit, and after shadowing former head of outreach, Tommy Demenkoff, for a few months I started to teach my own writing classes.
What do you now? i.e. What populations do you work with? What role do you play?
I teach playwriting classes across multiple DOC facilities. Currently, I work with young men (18-21) in the secure unit at GRVC and adult residents of the new Transgender Housing Unit at Rosie’s, both on Rikers Island.
What is the most rewarding thing about this work?
I get to be a part of my students discovering talents they didn’t know they had, and to be a link to a future they maybe hadn’t considered for themselves. It’s tremendously exciting when the writing work really “clicks” with a student, and I get to watch them grow as artists. But even when writing isn’t really their thing, students look forward to the class and I get to provide a momentary distraction from all they’re going through.
What is the most difficult or challenging thing about this work?
Working in jail is unpredictable. You have to be prepared to adjust your plan on the spot. You can show up and students will have been moved, or facilities will be closed. Students that were in a good mood last week may be in a bad place when you arrive, but you can’t allow yourself to be let down.
How has this work affected you as an artist? As a human being?
Working with this population is so humbling. I’m constantly reminded that great theatre can happen anywhere. It has nothing to do with being accepted by prestigious institutions or the size of your audience. As long as you are getting in touch with your own truth, creating art is its own reward.
Do you feel that you have changed/grown as a result of this work?
Yes – before I started working in jails, I had a lot of strong opinions about criminal justice reform. But I discovered that only by seeing it from the inside can you begin to understand the complexity of the problem. Sometimes, the obstacles in the way of change seem insurmountable. Progress happens very slowly. The best you can do for an issue you care about is to use what talents you have to serve your community.
What is your greatest hope for your students in DOC facilities?
I hope they all continue to grow and to change, and to never give up on their own voices. For those that get to go home soon, I hope that they find strength within themselves to try something new and discover new paths on the outside. For those that may be incarcerated long term, I hope they find ways of coping inside that will allow them to continue to grow in spite of their circumstances… whether that’s through arts programs, education, or whatever gives them true joy.
Anything else you want to add?
I’d like to shout out to all the Corrections Officers and other DOC employees who support (the) Stella Adler (Studio)’s programming, without whom none of this would be possible.
Tickets are now available for 'Wimberley' in the Fresh Fruit Festival!
Two performances only: July 18th at 6:30pm and July 21st at 7pm. at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street. All tickets $18 unless otherwise stated
WIMBERLEY will be featured alongside Kalen’s Ellen by K. J. Dwyer and Red and the Wolf by Ingrid Oslund in Mind the Gap: An Evening of Short Plays.
Very proud to announce that 'WIMBERLEY' has been accepted into this July's 16th consecutive Fresh Fruit Festival of LGBT Arts.
The play will be remounted with its original cast (Josh Trant & Peter Ferraiolo) and directed by its award-winning director, Bianca Puorto.
'WIMBERLEY' will have two performances only, July 18th and July 21st at the Wild Project (193 East 3rd Street). Times and ticket info to be announced.
Bianca Puorto and Michael Blatt won 'Best Direction' at the 2016 Midtown Theatre Festival for their production of 'Wimberley'. A short film of 'Wimberley', also directed by Bianca Puorto, is in pre-production.
For more information on the festival visit http://www.freshfruitfestival.com/
The Stella Adler Outreach Division at Rikers Island provides acting classes to incarcerated men and women. The OutsideIN Program welcomes former Rikers students along with residents and graduates of Phoenix House to continue to hone their craft at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Manhattan.
JRM has been a proud teaching artist for the Stella Adler Outreach Division since 2016.
