One Producer in the City

Ain't it sweet?

It turns out our first celebrity judge will be none other than Elizabeth Hodes!

Elizabeth is a cake designer here in NYC and was recently featured on this show

And more great celebrity judges are on the way!

Will we see you at On the way down Throwdown?

Info is below. I'm going to go out and buy some cake.

Yum.

Excelsior!

The On The Way Down Throw Down!

Up to 5 independent theatre companies will compete in an event hosted by Small Pond Entertainment with proceeds going to Ashberry Productions.  Each company will create and present a signature hors d'oeuvre that will be tasted and judged by a panel of celebrity judges from both the culinary and theatrical communities.  There will be an Audience Choice Award as well as a Grand Prize Package, which will include numerous resources for theatre companies and which will be bestowed by the judges.

The Throw Down will take place at 9:30pm, after the August 6th, 8:00pm performance of a new play produced by Ashberry Productions and written by Michael Rudez, On The Way Down, at the Access Theatre (380 Broadway, at White Street).  Audience members at the show will be invited to stay for the Throw Down with a one drink minimum or tickets to the Throw Down may be purchased for $5.  All audience reservations must be made by 6:00pm on August 4th by e-mailing . . . . .

The competing companies may utilize a team of cooks and will be notified of the number of diners, including audience and judging panel, by 8:00pm on August 4th.  Judging will be based on presentation, taste, texture, creativity, and the title of the signature hors d'oeuvre.  Competing companies are responsible for all food expenses as well as plates, napkins, utensils, etc.  All food must arrive at the theatre ready to be plated and served; a table will be provided for each competing company to use as a preparation station.

 

 

Ashberry Productions Presents:

On The Way Down

A New Play by Michael Rudez
Directed by Daniel Waldron
 
With Lindsay Wolf *(THE DAUGHTERS at Joe's Pub, PORT TWILIGHT: THE WORKSHOP at Playwrights Horizons), Steven Todd Smith (PICKING UP at the DR2, HALFWAY THERE at New World Stages/Bleeker St. Theatre), and Rocco Chierichella.
 
* Actor Appears Courtesy of Actor's Equity.
Running Time: 70 minutes

Theatre Address:
The Access Theater (380 Broadway at White St, 4th Floor. Nearby subways at Canal Street: 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W, J, M, Z)
 
Performance Dates:
Thursday, July 30th at 8PM
Friday, July 31st at 8PM
Saturday, August 1st at 8PM
Sunday, August 2nd at 8PM
Wednesday, August 5th at 8PM
Thursday, August 6th at 8PM
Friday, August 7th at 8PM
Saturday, August 8th at 2PM and 8PM
Sunday, August 9th at 8PM
 
Play description:
It’s a summer’s afternoon and all eight million New Yorkers have invaded the Hamptons for the weekend.  Why everyone has come remains a mystery, but what is clear is that the situation is becoming too much for three of them to handle. Since graduation from college, Josie, Browning and Stevenson have made the Hamptons their sanctuary. With this now under attack combined with the mounting fear that Josies husband and children are later than expected create a turbulent atmosphere in which one of them pushes the envelope too far, and the audience is left asking themselves: how far is too far to go to save someone's sanity?

Ticket Info:
Tickets are $15 general and $12 for students (with ID) at the door of $12 general and $10 for students (with ID at the door). Can also be purchased in advanced at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Website:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/71137

The Main course

So I know some of you have been waiting all day for this. Here it is. We are going to take what people love about television cooking shows and combine it with a great night out for theatre.

Introducing.....

The On The Way Down Throw Down!

Up to 5 independent theatre companies will compete in an event hosted by Small Pond Entertainment with proceeds going to Ashberry Productions.  Each company will create and present a signature hors d'oeuvre that will be tasted and judged by a panel of celebrity judges from both the culinary and theatrical communities.  There will be an Audience Choice Award as well as a Grand Prize Package, which will include numerous resources for theatre companies and which will be bestowed by the judges.

The Throw Down will take place at 9:30pm, after the August 6th 8:00pm performance of a new play produced by Ashberry Productions and written by Michael Rudez, On The Way Down, at the Access Theatre (380 Broadway, at White Street).  Audience members at the show will be invited to stay for the Throw Down with a one drink minimum or tickets to the Throw Down may be purchased for $5.  All audience reservations must be made by 6:00pm on August 4th.

The competing companies may utilize a team of cooks and will be notified of the number of diners, including audience and judging panel, by 8:00pm on August 4th.  Judging will be based on presentation, taste, texture, creativity, and the title of the signature hors d'oeuvre. 

Competing companies are responsible for all food expenses as well as plates, napkins, utensils, etc.  All food must arrive at the theatre ready to be plated and served; a table will be provided for each competing company to use as a preparation station.

Do you have a company and want to compete?

Email me and I'll make it happen.

Space is limited!

Don't have a company, but can't miss this?

Get your show ticket now! Info is below and space is limited!

Ashberry Productions Presents:

On The Way Down

A New Play by Michael Rudez
Directed by Daniel Waldron
 
With Lindsay Wolf *(THE DAUGHTERS at Joe's Pub, PORT TWILIGHT: THE WORKSHOP at Playwrights Horizons), Steven Todd Smith (PICKING UP at the DR2, HALFWAY THERE at New World Stages/Bleeker St. Theatre), and Rocco Chierichella.
 
* Actor Appears Courtesy of Actor's Equity.
Running Time: 70 minutes

Theatre Address:
The Access Theater (380 Broadway at White St, 4th Floor. Nearby subways at Canal Street: 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W, J, M, Z)
 
Performance Dates:
Thursday, July 30th at 8PM
Friday, July 31st at 8PM
Saturday, August 1st at 8PM
Sunday, August 2nd at 8PM
Wednesday, August 5th at 8PM
Thursday, August 6th at 8PM
Friday, August 7th at 8PM
Saturday, August 8th at 2PM and 8PM
Sunday, August 9th at 8PM
 
Play description:
It’s a summer’s afternoon and all eight million New Yorkers have invaded the Hamptons for the weekend.  Why everyone has come remains a mystery, but what is clear is that the situation is becoming too much for three of them to handle. Since graduation from college, Josie, Browning and Stevenson have made the Hamptons their sanctuary. With this now under attack combined with the mounting fear that Josies husband and children are later than expected create a turbulent atmosphere in which one of them pushes the envelope too far, and the audience is left asking themselves: how far is too far to go to save someone's sanity?

Ticket Info:
Tickets are $15 general and $12 for students (with ID) at the door of $12 general and $10 for students (with ID at the door). Can also be purchased in advanced at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Website:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/71137

Full?

Come back tomorrow for some dessert!

Excelsior!

What happens when you mix food competition and Theatre?

You get an amazing new event.

Intrigued?

There's your appetizer ;)

Come back tomorrow for the main course.

Excelsior!

What's for Breakfast?

News!

I realized this past weekend that I've been so busy with Summer projects, I haven't kept you all updated on what I'm working on. So here goes:

1. Tonight will Mark the 3rd class of PLAE which has really been a great experience so far for me, and I plan on doing another one in the fall. If you're interested, email me at [email protected] and I'll send you more info.

2. Tickets went on sale for our Fringe show, Dancing with Abandon and I hope you'll all come and check that out.

3. Work is continuing on building the buzz for The Cure which will be in NYMF in the fall. Look out for cool events coming your way for that.

4. Hold for the Laughs continues to please audiences and raise money for Independent Theatre every month.

So all in all, still pretty busy. Check out the links and if you're interested in any of these projects, let me know! I can always use more help.

And that's the news for today.

Excelsior!

Wanna get away from the city?

Well, where there's a Will, there's a way.

As a member of the ITBA, I was invited to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

This is a nice way to spend an evening if you are trying to to just leave everything behind. Basically you take a train to Cold Spring where you are picked up by a "Bard Bus" that drives you to a really nice stretch of land complete with Country houses, fountains, and long stretches of grass for picnics. There is also food available for purchase, but make sure you bring cash as they don't accept credit cards. You're not in the city anymore!

There are three shows to choose from including Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

Last night, I saw their production of Much Ado.

I am a pretty tough sell when it comes to Shakespeare, but I have to say that these actors are really talented. The handling of the language is very solid and that makes it extremely accessible for any audience. The standout performances for me where Michael Borrelli as Dogberry and Wesley Mann as a very impassioned Leonato. The entire cast is very good and it was intriguing to see how the cast used the night sky and the field behind them as a backdrop. The audience was also enthralled as I often had to lean forward thanks to the shrieks of laughter of those behind me that were enjoying the comedy a little more than the rest.

One bit of warning though:

If you do Chooseth to go and see this show, bringeth plenty of Off-Bug spray!

The mosquitoes usually arrive in the 2nd act and give a very persistent performance, but all in all it's a nice evening out and they do lovely work, so go and check em out.

Special Thanks to Alona and the folks who made all the arrangements so I could attend.

Excelsior!

Don't fear the reaper

So I was on a rather heated panel last night that was dealing with collaborative producing and the reason it got so heated was that someone on the panel was talking about the "doomsday letters" that are being sent out right now.

Sure. A lot of people have lost jobs and money's tight.

Newsflash: We know that

The discussion revolved around one organization saying that if they did not hit their fund-raising goal, they would have to shut down for a month. The argument was that most organizations do not stop doing what they do entirely because of a lack of funds, and that this particular organization could in fact keep going. I kept quiet and let folks battle it out.

Then I went and had a drink.

Coming back to all of this today, I do have something to say about the letters that are telling us that the art can't survive unless you donate money.

ART SURVIVES NO MATTER WHAT

If we don't get the donations we're expecting, we don't stop doing what we do. We do things smaller. We make our budgets leaner and we keep rolling.

I'm in a lot of debt. I've had weeks where my paycheck from my day job covers rent and there's little left for food, and that's all folks. I still have not shut Small Pond down.

But enough about me. Here's what I have to say to everyone who has or is thinking of sending your "Donate or we shut down for good" email:

You get one shot to prove to me that you're for real. If you don't hit your goal and decide to keep going, that's it. Game over. Don't send me another letter like that ever.

This probably sounds harsh, but if we all send out letters looking like beggars, that's all we're going to be seen as.

I'm  not about to go shaking a tin cup for Small Pond on the subway and I'm sure as hell not going to send a donor letter saying we're shutting down if we don't reach our goal. I don't fear the reaper. I'll do this with $5 in my pocket if I have to. What I will do is send people letters letting them know I'm still pushing ahead doing exciting work and invite them to donate and be a part of that.

Really sorry folks. I don't, nor will I ever, beg.

Oh, and to the reaper...

Bring it.

Excelsior!

With great bloggers comes great responsibility

I know, I couldn't resist the Spiderman reference.

On a serious note. Bloggers have become a force in this industry. We are starting to be seen as "taste makers" in marketing terms, and now that the ITBA has been formed, we are starting to be invited to shows.

As people who may have influence over folks who are deciding what to see, I think we also have a responsibility to recognize that this business is very small and that what we say will be heard and sometimes taken very seriously.

This can be an amazing thing and encourage change and growth in our industry, but this can also be damaging as well and it's our job as bloggers to do our best to strike a balance.

When I blog about a show, I start off by telling everyone that I am NOT a reviewer. I do not have the skill set, I was not trained to review shows, and I do not write reviews regularly.

That said, if I like something, I will blog about it. This doesn't make me a reviewer and that is not my goal in writing about the show. I write about shows that I think other producers should be aware of and that's my position because that IS my skill set.

Blogs are a place where we can express ourselves, but often I have read blog posts that have been damaging to shows because they hit before the press hits, or they spread a rumor that may or may not be true, or they roast somebody who they don't know etc.

Personally, I think it's irresponsible and just as I would not curse in front of my students, I will not say things with the whole community listening that intentionally damage other people.

That, of course, is just MY take

What's yours?

Excelsior!

If Facebook can do it, so can you

In my class last night, one of the participants asked a really great question. I'll try to paraphrase it here:

"I met someone who I'd like to talk to more about my project and he gave me his card, but my weekend was so busy that I did not get a chance to follow up right away and after a few days, I thought he probably wouldn't remember me. Should I still try and contact him now that it's been a week?"

My answer: "Absolutely."

The landscape of contacts and follow ups has changed considerably thanks to sites like Facebook, which encourage you to "friend" that person you went to high school with who you haven't seen in five years.  As a result, emails out of the blue or emails that are long overdue are much more acceptable now.

In an ideal world, we'd all be able to follow up immediately, but sometimes you can't. I really think that no matter what, you still have a chance. I know I have had instances where I forgot to follow up and then found a business card close to a year later and still emailed the person. I don't recommend waiting a year of course, but should you be in that same situation, you may be giving up a great contact by saying it's too late.

So get out that stack of business cards that came from people you missed and follow up.

Hey, it can't hurt right?

Excelsior!

You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people...

You know the rest of the phrase I'm sure. I recently dealt with a number of arguments in the producing side of my career and it led to a recognition of this particular phrase. I do everything I can to be amicable in all situations and I would suggest that being level-headed is always the best way to go. I do think something has to be said for the difference between being level-headed and rolling over.

Not everyone in this business plays nice and sometimes people play a bit rough. As a producer, it's really important to pay attention to this, and know where you stand. On that note, I'm just going to say it:

People will be mad at you.

Producers hire and fire and nobody likes to be fired. Also, nobody likes to be told that something is not perfect or doesn't work etc.

But sometimes, we have to say those things. It's especially tough for me, because I've always been nice, but the more I do this, the more I realize that you can't please everyone, so I do the best I can and sometimes I have to be the bad guy. It's a crazy business in that way, but there we are. Feel free to comment on times where you may have had to be the bearer of bad news. Look forward to your comments.

Excelsior!

Support systems

It's been said a dozen times that the business of producing is built on relationships. Relationships are established based on support. The more support you give, the more likely it is you will have people who can help back you up when you are in need of support.

That's one of the things I love about Hold for the Laughs. Every month we support a different company or project and it helps us build a community. If you're new to all of this, I encourage you to come out and become a part of that community. Info is below:

Excelsior!

Hold For The Laughs 7/15: Christian Finnegan, Baron Vaughn, Myq Kaplan,more

Host:	Hold For The Laughs
Type:	Music/Arts - Performance
Network:	Global

Date:	Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Time:	9:30pm - 11:30pm
Location:	The Sage Theater
Street:	711 Seventh Ave btwn 47th and 48th
City/Town:	New York, NY
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Email:

[email protected]

Description 

On Wednesday, July 15th, Small Pond Entertainment's Hold For The Laughs is supporting a great show on its way to FringeNYC: The Meaning of Wife. One of the actresses, Erin Judge, is also a brilliant comedian from Boston. All the comics on the lineup are from Boston, with the exception of me, Margie Kment, but I did go to Boston once.

Come to the Sage Theatre (711 7th Ave btwn 47th & 48th) at 9:30 for the networking event to meet nice people in the theatre and comedy communities. The comedy starts at 10, and it's an awesome lineup:

Margie Kment hosts:

Erin Judge (The Meaning of Wife, Live At Gotham)

Bethany Van Delft (The Dress-Up Show, Comedy Studio)

Myq Kaplan (Live At Gotham, Winner of New York Comedy Contest)

Baron Vaughn (Comedy Central, Shoot the Messenger)

Christian Finnegan (Au Contraire- Comedy Central, Best Week Ever, Countdown with Keith Olbermann)

Admission is by suggested donation ($10 with reservation at [email protected], $15 at the door), but give what you can. There is no drink minimum.

Thanks so much for supporting indie theatre and live comedy. Please reserve in advance by emailing [email protected]. It helps me know how many cookies to bake. This month, I'm making a kind you haven't tried before, and trust me, you don't want to miss it.

Hope to see you Wednesday!


More about The Meaning of Wife premiering August 2009 at FringeNYC:

Erin and Ailin have been friends (and sometimes, ahem, more than friends) since college. Now in their mid-twenties, these two women both find themselves in the unexpected position of being somebody's wife. Ailin also HAS a wife (which is pretty confusing for people's grandmothers), while Erin has a husband, matching towels, and a huge white dress that she has justified holding on to by doing this show. The Meaning of Wife is part sketch comedy, part public relations campaign, and all way too much information about Erin and Ailin. In the wake of Proposition 8, this funny and brutally honest piece explores what marriage looks like in some of its newest manifestations (read: gay ones) and its most traditional (read: a white dude and a white chick), and what every kind of marriage has to teach us all about what it means to be a wife.