TIME CHANGE - the Brunch makes way for OBAMA

So: either we can do our Obama-themed brunch in direct conflict to BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA, who will be appearing ten blocks away from our theater...

OR - we can shift the curtain time. So let's do the latter.

NEW TIME for the COLUMBRUNCH OHIO: 7pm

Yes, that makes it more of a Pancake Dinner Ohio, but that doesn't quite have the same ring.

So spread the word - 7pm CURTAIN.

Thanks!

Reservations: 614-448-3394

Strange New Yorkers Want to Serve You Breakfast PANCAKE DINNER!

Where do you go to see hot-off-the-presses new plays from NYC's best young playwrights? Downtown Columbus!

The New York Times says "Dont' worry about the future of theater as long as Youngblood is around!" - and now Youngblood is coming to Columbus to premiere six new short, funny, poignant plays about politics... and to serve you pancakes!

The Youngblood Sunday Brunch - which Time Out New York calls "a toothsome tradition!" and goes on to add "Youngblood knows how to throw a party!" - is touring for the first time. See all six plays, with a hot Brunch Buffet (pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, pastries, fruit salad - from Spinelli's Deli!) all for $20!

Use the code "Friends of Youngblood" when you make your reservation for 25% - just $15 for the plays and Brunch!

CALL 614-448-3394 for reservations!

UPDATE: new curtain time 7pm! Doors open for pancake dinner at 6:30pm

A Postcard from Columbruch Ohio!

Youngblood goes BATTLEGROUND - introducing ColumBrunch Ohio!

Youngblood was scheduled for our regular first-Sunday-of-the-month Brunch performance, this one a politically themed event called "Ba-runch Obama." (Yes, yes, we know). But upon receiving an impassioned plea from a YB alum to come volunteer in Ohio, we decided that rather than stay in New York preaching to the choir, we'd take the brunch on the road.

So this Sunday, November 2 - COLUMBRUNCH OHIO! Youngblood will do our first ever touring production, presenting the Brunch at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Avenue, Columbus, Ohio).

New plays by Jesse Cameron Alick, Eliza Clark, Dorothy Fortenberry, Mira Gibson and Patrick Link will be on the program, with a cast of New York actors along for the ride, plus some local Columbus talent.

Here is the Columbus Dispatch's coverage so far - the full lineup and a preview piece.

For reservations, call 614-448-3394. Performance is at 1pm on Sunday, 11/2 - doors open at 12:30pm for the brunch buffet.

Many of the playwrights and actors will be staying in Columbus after the brunch to do volunteer work for Election Day. We'll hopefully be blogging the whole event right here at the Youngblog - stay tuned.


The Van Fleet Theater at the Columbus Performing Arts Center - the new venue for the November Sunday Brunch!

The Reviews are In!

(Miguel Govea and Kelli Lynn Harrison in Justin Deabler's RED BLUE AND PURPLE)

The reviews (and our officially sanctioned pull quotes therefrom!) are in for THICKER THAN WATER 2008.

Time Out New York: "Entertaining, witty, deadpan-sweet... easily earns your affection. Sharp doses of grief leavened by abundant humor. Enough to fuel several full-length plays."

New York Times: "Persuasively sincere. Blessed with tuneful songs and fine performances."

nytheatre.com: "Never a dull moment. A good supply of belly laughs, plus poignant moments and sharp insights. Full of biting political and social commentary. Fresh and bold, affectionate and full of life."

flavorpill: "Showcasing the young and the talented, filled with youthful humor and clever character portraits."

Tickets available at THEATERMANIA - use code "FOYB" for special discounts this weekend (2/14 - 2/16) only!

Youngblood Winter Retreat

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Click on the pictures to read the captions.

Schatz On Schatz On Sendrow On Sendrow

Video evidence of the birth of something very special? Matt Schatz and Michael Sendrow sing "Strunk And White (Rules Are Shite)" at February's COUPLES BRUNCH:

Schatz On Schatz – Prostates?

The "Mighty Mighty" Matt Schatz, featuring Ken Mendell, sings "Prostate Song" at the February COUPLES BRUNCH:

THICKER THAN WATER 2008

youngblood and Ensemble Studio Theatre present

THICKER THAN WATER 2008
an evening of new short plays and musicals by the members of youngblood

written by
Delaney Britt Brewer, Justin Deabler, Amy Herzog, Courtney Brooke Lauria, Daria Polatin, Matt Schatz, Michael Sendrow and Emily Chadick Weiss

directed by
Abigail Zealey Bess, Michael Goldfried, Marlo Hunter, Alexa Polmer, R.J. Tolan and Jordan Young

featuring
Steve Boyer, Geneva Carr, Lucy DeVito, Julie Fitzpatrick, Miguel Govea, Jenny Greer, Kelli Lynn Harrison, David Hurwitz, Debbie Lee Jones, Thomas Lyons, Lance Rubin, Maureen Sebastian and Grant Shaud

Runs THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS, February 7 - March 1 at 7pm
additional performance on SATURDAY, MARCH 1 at 2pm
Tickets available on Theatermania.com
or by phone at (212) 352-3101

Tickets are $18; $10 for students/seniors

For more information, visit the Youngblood website at
www.youngbloodnyc.org/schedule.html

ALSO COMING IN FEBRUARY FROM YOUNGBLOOD

UNFILTERED workshop productions of two brand new full-length plays

THE CURIOUS DISTANCE BETWEEN WHO I SHOULD BE FUCKING AND WHO I LET FUCK ME
by Jihan Crowther
directed by May Adrales
Six strangely connected people search through genetics, identity and inappropriate sex looking for love and simple kindness.
Wednesday February 20, Sunday February 24 and Tuesday February 26 at 7pm

A BETTER BABYLON
by Michael Lew
At Berkeley in the 1960s, two Chinese-Americans must choose between following their consciences or following their dreams.
Monday February 18 and Wednesday February 27 at 7pm

AND ONE-TIME ONLY SPECIAL EVENTS!

YOUNGBLOOD ON YOUNGBLOOD - the youngblood writers, live in concert, performing their OWN writing and songs!
Friday, February 15 at 10pm

LACK OF ETIQUETTE - Standup Comedy for People Who Get It
Saturday, February 23 at 10:30pm
Featuring youngblood's own Ed Murray!

We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Its Ass

Congratulations to team Youngblood for the stunning victory in this year's BATTLE OF THE BARDS! Emily Conbere wrote a stirring deconstruction of the Odysseus legend, in the form of a brand new musical recasting Odysseus as a struggling playwright. Nine minutes, five great performances, a dude in a dress, an out of tune guitar, and some shameless pandering later, the celebrity panel of judges gave us the win!

Also big congrats to all the other Youngblooders in the BATTLE - Mike Lew writing for Ma-Yi Writers Lab (winner of the audience choice applause-o-meter award!), Sharyn Rothstein writing for New Georges, and alum Ross Maxwell writing for Partial Comfort. All in all, four of the seven entries were written by Youngblooders. And our quest for world domination continues (if by "world" one means "the off-off-broadway new theater scene").

What Is Thicker Than Water?

Thicker Than Water is an annual theatrical event that in the past has staged the brilliant works of many of Youngblood’s most talented playwrights, such as: Amy Fox, Amy Herzog and Amy Christopher Snipes. I mean, Kevin Christopher Snipes.
You know what I mean.

Anyway, the plays are always great, at least the ones I’ve seen have been. This year’s crop of new works should be no exception.

(The following is courtesy of broadwayworld.com, where you can find this article and also something about Tony Danza):

Youngblood and Ensemble Studio Theatre will present Neglect by Sharyn Rothstein and Thicker than Water 2007, the eighth collection of new plays by members of Youngblood, E.S.T.'s company of emerging professional playwrights under the age of 30. Performances begin on Saturday February 10th, and continue through Saturday, March 10th at E.S.T. (549 West 52nd Street).

This year’s Youngblood series presents a repertory schedule of Neglect, a full-length play, in rep with Youngblood’s signature Thicker Than Water, this year featuring one-act plays, shorts and a song cycle, all having their world premiere. Descriptions of the shows follow:

Neglect, by Sharyn Rothstein, will be directed by Catherine Ward and star William Jackson Harper and Geany Masai. "During a heat wave, in an inner-city Chicago neighborhood, an elderly woman opens her home to the young man next door. Together they try to escape the heat and their own loneliness, but an unexpected betrayal leaves each irreparably changed. A heartbreaking new drama from a rising young writer, featuring two star-making performances," press notes state.

This year’s Thicker Than Water includes three one-acts, three shorts, and an original song cycle – the company’s largest, most ambitious production yet.

Bike Wreck, by Qui Nguyen, directed by John Gould Rubin
"A rookie to the world of Chinese food delivery learns the rules of the game."

Group, by Annie Baker, directed by Alex Timbers
"An aspiring author tries to quit her writer's group. Neurosis ensues."
And The Baby Makes Three by Courtney Brooke Lauria, directed by Melissa Kievman
"A young wife, traumatized by miscarriage, gets advice on how to cope from her home appliances."

Rob by Sam Forman, directed by Marlo Hunter
"Dumped for an obnoxiously attractive, compulsively masturbating actor, a young singer-songwriter desperately tries (and fails) to restart his life."

Triage by Sharyn Rothstein, director TBA
"A man watches his wife choke to death in a hospital lobby while the American medical system points and laughs. A comedy."

The Roosevelt Cousins, Thoroughly Sauced by Michael Lew, directed by Moritz von Steulpnagel
"A historical short about a young FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt at a polio clinic in Georgia. Drunk."



Songs: The Jamal Lullabies by Emily Conbere, directed by RJ Tolan
"Four high-school girls eulogize the no-account drug dealer they loved, in song."

Neglect previews February 10th and 11th at 7pm. Opening night will be February 12th. Performances will continue Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 5pm from 2/21 through 3/10. Thicker Than Water previews February 17th and 18th at 7pm. Opening night will be February 19th. Performances will continue Thursday and Friday at 7pm and Saturdays at 3pm, through March 10th. Tickets will be $18, and can be purchased by calling 212/352-3101 or at www.theatermania.com.

A Remembrance: Curt Dempster (1935 - 2007)

I was warned to fear the Gypsy. For those unfamiliar with the term in its theatrical context, a “Gypsy” is a dress rehearsal for Curt and other members of the EST staff to attend so that they can evaluate the progress of the theater’s current production to make sure it is fit to open the following week. Curt, I was informed, had a reputation of being a particularly harsh critic – so much so that one member of EST affectionately rechristened the Gypsy “How Long Until Curt Makes You Cry?” The most frequent advice I was given before the Gypsy of my play A Bitter Taste was, “Bring a box of tissues.”

I knew as I sat down for our Gypsy rehearsal that things would not go smoothly. A bout of the flu had meant a lost week of rehearsals for the cast. Nor was there – for various and temperamental reasons - an excessive amount of love and devotion amongst our actors. They were under-rehearsed, under-prepared, still fumbling through lines and generally adrift. Two hours later, after sitting through the most painful dress rehearsal of my brief career, I watched the actors wheeze across the bloated finish line that marked the end of what had once been my play. Curt politely thanked the actors for their time and talent; he then took the director, the co-artistic director, and me into his office to talk.

If Curt had wanted to cancel the opening (which was less than a week away), he would have had my full support. I had, by this late point in the game, lost most of my faith that my New York theater debut would be a successful one. It wasn’t simply the lost week of rehearsals and the unsteadiness of the actors that dampened my hopes. It was the fear that this unsteadiness that seemed to permeate the production stemmed from the fact that no one seemed to understand what my play was about - and no was getting closer to figuring it out. To explain it in the simplest terms: I thought I had written a battle to the death; I was getting something closer to a very intense thumb-wrestling match.

“What is this play about?” Once we were all assembled in Curt’s office, that was the first question he asked. No threats. No warnings. No catalogue of flaws of what he’d just suffered through. Just a simple question, “What is this play about?” My heart stopped because I thought he was being literal. I thought we had failed at the most basic level of storytelling and he had not understood the plot (even though he’d seen a workshop production a year earlier at Carnegie Mellon University). A moment later I realized Curt was not talking about plot. He was asking – as all good theater practitioners do – what we were trying to communicate. Before we could answer, Curt proceeded to tell the room what my play was about.

Playwrights – particularly fledging playwrights looking for their first production – can spend a lot of time explaining or defending their work to people. But in Curt’s office that day, someone other than me did the explaining. More importantly, he got everything right. Everything I felt was important in the play, everything that needed to be communicated to the audience – he understood it all. And it didn’t take him more than five minutes to impart this to those gathered in his office. What he was essentially saying was “Kevin’s play is about X, Y, Z and what I’m seeing is A, B, C.”

The production had gotten off track, and Curt knew it. He knew it wasn’t just line flubs and missed blocking that was standing in our way. He knew what he had just seen wasn’t my play, but some spiteful doppelganger posing as my play. The production had strayed from the play. (His wittiest observation that I recall concerned the role of the underage male prostitute, “This kid lives on the street, and you’ve got him dressed like he orders his clothes from L.L. Bean.”) Curt might not have been saying anything new to the people assembled in his office. But it served as a wake-up call. We had five days before we opened and a lot – a lot – of work to do to get this play back on track. It wasn't just Curt lighting a fire under our asses, it was Curt reminding everyone in that room that there was already a fire - in the play that I had written - and we needed to use that.

That hour in Curt’s office was the first time since coming to New York that I felt like I was taken seriously as a playwright. Only two weeks earlier the photographer taking publicity shots for A Bitter Taste overheard some of the more risqué dialogue and remarked rather snarkily in front a full room of people, including the actors, “Do your parents know you write this kind of stuff?” (Imagine such a remark being addressed to Neil LaBute or Adam Rapp or Christopher Shinn and expecting them to take it in stride.) I was used to being treated like a kid who didn’t know what he was doing. But Curt trusted the text. He trusted the play I had written. He not only understood the play, but championed it to room full of people, telling them, “This is what this play is about. Do THAT.”

I have great memories of A Bitter Taste and rather depressing memories of A Bitter Taste. I have pleasant memories of Curt, and I have frustrating memories of Curt. What I will remember the most, though, is the first time I was treated like a playwright. For that memory, I will always be grateful to Curt.

Upcoming Event: Staged Reading of Rothstein's For Abigail

The New Georges Theater Company will present a staged reading of Sharyn Rothstein's play For Abigail, Who Drowns Men next Monday, January 22 at The Room. For Abigail, Who Drowns Men is the story of Benji Jacobs, a celebrated professor of evolutionary psychology, who falls in love with Abigail Marks, an under-cover government researcher who has been using Benji's theories to deprive political prisoners of their ability to communicate. The reading will be directed by Catherine Ward, who previously directed Rothstein's Neglect and RelationTrip. The show features David Gelles-Hurwitz, who has appeared in the Youngblood plays of Courtney Lauria and Kevin Christopher Snipes, as well as in The True Life Story of Tom Richford at the Brick Theater. Also starring are Nina Hellman, John Henry Cox, Stu Richel and Thom Rivera.

For Abigail, Who Drowns Men will be performed on January 22 at 7:00 PM at the Room, located at 520 8th Avenue, Room 326. Admission is free. A wine reception will follow.

Youngblood 2006: A Year in Review (September – December)

(Yale Rep.'s The Mistakes Madeline Made by Elizabeth Meriwether.)

As we finish our review of Youngblood’s accomplishments in 2006, it’s time to look at the closing months of the year.

September
Daria Polatin’s one-act Ninja: The Musical is part of Unbound, a theater workshop on Theatre Row, produced by Despina and Company. R.J. Tolan directs a cast that includes Jessica Bhargava, Leanne Cabrera, Kay Trinidad, and Nitya Vidyasagar in this tale of three singing ninjas.

October
Two new plays and the return of two others cram this month full of Youngbloodiness. Over at the Bank Street Theater, the 3Graces Theater Company produces a staged workshop of Sharyn Rothstein’s Neglect. William Harper and Geany Masai star as two neighbors who face a tense stand-off during a fatally hot summer day. Catherine Ward directs this show, a new version of which will be coming to Ensemble Studio Theatre in February as the full-length mainstage production in Youngblood’s annual Thicker Than Water. Masai and Harper will reprise their rolls. Over at Abingdon, the Visible Theater presents Krankenhaus Blues, a new play by Sam Forman about a group of artists held in a Nazi asylum. Donna Mitchell directs a cast that includes Christine Bruno, Bill Green, Joe Sims, and Angela DeMatteo.

Outside of New York, two theaters host the return of two Youngblood classics. Yale Rep is the new home for Elizabeth Meriwether’s The Mistakes Madeline Made. Directed by Mark Rucker, this production sees the return of Colleen Werthmann reprising her role of Beth. She is joined by Patch Darragh, Michael Chernus, David Jenkins and Aubrey Dollar as Edna. In LA, the Secret Rose Theater plays home to Kevin Christopher Snipes’ ten-minute play Party Lights, which is part of their ActoberFest. The LA premier is directed by David Robinson and stars Susan Savage and David DeSantos.

Meanwhile six new playwrights are welcomed into Youngblood. After a grueling elimination process that left hearts broken and faiths challenged, Youngblood admits into its ranks Delaney Britt Brewer, Jihan Crowther, Justin Deabler, Matt Schatz, Michael Sendrow and Emily Chadick Weiss.

November
It’s the return of the Youngblood Sunday Brunch! For the first Sunday of every month for the next seven months at EST, audiences will feast on pancake, bacon and four new ten-minute plays all written around a unifying theme. November’s theme? Naked Brunch. New naughty plays are revealed by Kevin Christopher Snipes, Edith L. Freni, Emily Conbere and Sam Forman.

Also in November, Ensemble Studio Theatre celebrates its 35th Anniversary with Project 35. 35 staged readings of 35 new plays span 35 days at the theater. Alongside new plays by Romulus Linney, Anton Dudley, Frank D. Gilroy and Jose Rivera are new works by Kevin Christopher Snipes and Annie Baker. The Chimes, written by Snipes and directed by Catherine Ward, follows a group of boys in a New England boarding school on the eve of World War II who slowly find their world torn apart. Christopher Murney and James Murtaugh head a cast that includes Greg Coughlin, David Gelles-Hurwitz, Corey Johnson, Alex Organ, John D. Ivey and Kurt Everhart. In Annie Baker’s Three Knocks Grant (Murphy Brown) Shaud plays as man at war with his girlfriend’s daughter. Dana Eskelson, Adam Horowitz, and Spenser Leigh star. Melissa Kievman directs.

December
Matt Schatz, Annie Baker, Courtney Lauria, Sharyn Rothstein and Sam Forman pen How the Brunch Stole Christmas, a collection of holiday themed ten-minute plays for the Sunday Brunch at EST.

In their end of the year retrospectives, David Cote in Time Out NY names Elizabeth Meriwether’s The Mistakes Madeline Made as one of the best shows of 2006, while actor/waiter/general hottie David Bell at Hot Guy Alerts names Heddatron the Best Off Off Broadway play.


With the year coming to an end, Youngblood heads to the Catskills for its Winter Retreat and a little rest and relaxation. New York waits in anticpation for the new year and all the great theater Youngblood will bring to it.

* * *

Thus concludes Youngblood 2006: A Year in Review. Be sure to check out all the upcoming projects that will happening this year by visiting the Youngblood website.

Youngblood 2006: A Year in Review (May – August)

Today we continue our three-part review of Youngblood’s accomplishments in 2006 with a look back at those sizzling summer months.

May
Qui Nguyen has his second production of the year, this time at Center Stage with his own company Vampire Cowboys. Living Dead in Denmark, an action-adventure / horror sequel to Hamlet in which Shakespeare’s feistiest heroines battle the undead, is directed by Robert Ross Parker and stars Carlo Alban, Jason Liebman, Maggie Macdonald, Tom Myers, Melissa Paladino, Jason Schumacher, Maureen Sebastian, Andrea Marie Smith, Temar Underwood, & Amy Kim Waschke. Living Dead in Denmark goes on to win the New York Innovative Theater Award for Best Choreography (Marius Hanford).

June
The Youngblood Sunday Brunch comes to an end as Glory Days at Jesus High and Sexmento reach their finales. On the first Sunday of every month for the last eight months, the scribes of Youngblood slaved backstage to cook bacon and pancakes for their hungry audiences, while on stage the actors performed their serialized episodes of the mysterious Sexmento and the sacrilegious Jesus High. The cast of Sexmento includes Diana Ruppe, Dawn Evans, Emily Mostyn-Brown, R.J. Tolan, Graeme Gillis, and J.J. Kandell. Jesus High stars Julie Leedes, Anna Stumpf, Steve Sanpietro, Gregg Mozgala, and Josh Haness

Over at the 31st Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival, Sharyn Rothstein’s RelationTrip wins First Prize. This tale of couples coming together and falling apart over the course of a train ride is directed by Catherine Ward and stars Will Harper and Youngblood alum Zakiyyah Alexander. The play will be published later this year.

Also on the publishing front, Kevin Christopher Snipes’ Virgin Rock is published as part of The Best Plays of the Strawberry One-Act Festival, Volume 3. The one-act previously won Best Play during the Summer 2005 Strawberry One-Act Festival at the Producers Club.


Youngblood sells their artistic vision, their playwriting, and their very souls - to the highest bidder as part of the Brick Theater’s $ellout Festival. In early April, Youngblood ran an eBay auction to dramatize the true-life story of the highest bidder. Tom Ritchford wins and his life of wild parties, terminally-ill parents and (possibly) underage sex become fodder for playwrights Qui Nguyen, Michael Lew, Courtney Lauria, Daria Polatin, Emily Conbere, Edith L. Freni, Sharyn Rothstein and Annie Baker who pen The True Life Story of Tom Richford. R.J. Tolan directs a cast including Lucia Brizzi, Helen Coxe, David Gelles-Hurwitz, Debbie Jaffe, Moira Lael MacDonald, Gregg Mozgala and Steven Sanpietro.

Over at Ars Nova, Elizabeth Meriwether has a reading of her new play Bobby, starring Josh Hamilton and Tony-nominee Jayne Houdyshell.

And last but not least, Time Out New York lists the ten most promising playwrights in New York City. Two Youngblooders make the list: Qui Nguyen and Elizebeth Meriwether.

July
Needing to refuel their creative sprits, Youngblood heads to Lexington for their annual Summer Retreat. Much merriment is had despite the thunderstorms.


August
Still refueling, Youngblood goes on hiatus.

* * *

After all that refueling, you’re probably curious what amazing things Youngblood did when it returned in the fall. The only way to find out is to check back in a few days when we present the third and final chapter of Youngblood 2006: A Year in Review.