Alpha House Season 2! October 24th! Amazon Prime!
Check out the new Season 2 trailer on Twitter or Facebook -- and follow/like for more! Catch up on Season 1 (first three episodes are streaming free) so you'll be ready for Season 2.
So proud to be involved on this project: it's brilliant and hilarious. Can't wait to see it!
Alpha House season 2 will premiere on October 24th on Amazon Prime.
See: Variety, Broadway World & Hollywood Reporter for more!
Up to date info on Twitter and Facebook!
Excited to announce a new radio sketch group: Barnum Effect.
My friend and long-time collaborator in comedy Sarah Rosenshine and I just mixed the Pilot show -- and there is much more to come.
Stay tuned . . . Barnum Effect: Radio Sketch Just for you - Pilot
While I am legally obligated to keep quiet about my current project . . . I can announce that I am now a member of SAG- AFTRA. I am honored and proud to be part of this union! Absolutely thrilled about this and the project-that-must-not-be-named.
I need to wear more things with lapels, clearly.
My grant project, made possible by the Edes Foundation, is underway!
More about the history, methodology and process of project can be found here: Edes Grant Project: Ora Nichols. I am also keeping a project specific log here: Project Log. In addition to this, UChicago Arts published a feature on the project and there's a podcast interview with Drew Messinger-Michaels on his show: Everybody's Talking at Once. Check 'em out.
I have always been an NPR junkie (and now I write for it, I'd write "#blessed" but hashtags upset me). I embraced podcasts readily and by the dozens. Basically all of my friends and family are the same way; we all cite anecdotes from NPR and then we all debate about which show it came from for the rest of the night. It's a wonderful and usually accompanied by wine. It's a great community. (Just don't make me listen to Car Talk all the way from NYC to North Carolina, Dad. Not bitter about it. Not at all. Promise. Ahem.)
But the best discovery in this project so far has been the generosity of the hard-core Golden Age radio scholar and enthusiast community. I have had so many kind, lay-specialists reach out to me -- barely into the project -- and all out of their love of the subject and their want to share. And there are more hidden Hard-Core Golden Age Radio Fan (from now on HCGARF) around than one would have guessed; there are many among us -- maybe it's catching! If there has to be an epidemic, that would be a really good one to pick. At any rate, it has been such a gift to have this support and to be able to use the foundations they have created to build upon. So thanks, HCGARF!
Two new reviews posted today for Everyday Inferno's A Map to Somewhere Else.
Only four more performances remain! Tickets and Info here.
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"This play takes us on a magical, funny and dramatic ride to the depths of a child’s imagination. Every actor brought something to the table... "
"Lila Newman, who played Frangibelle, committed to her character down to her tone and the way she walked. There was parts of the play that were not meant to be funny but I found myself laughing at her mannerisms and the way she portrayed Frangibelle, the blind witch."
-- Laysha Duran, Manhattan with a Twist
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"The actors tackle Jon Meyer’s combat with a gritty precision that is a delight to watch... [and] all turn in rich performances..."
-- Collin McConnell, NY Theatre Now
Photo by Anais Koivisto
Photo by Anais Koivisto
Photo by Anais Koivisto
A feature on A Map to Somewhere Else was posted today on Stage Buddy.
I gesticulate wildly while talking for a few seconds! Full feature here and the video (where I'm known as "Lia Newman" below.)
A Map to Somewhere Else opened this past Thursday and plays through 7/28!
Tickets & Info at Brown Paper Tickets.
"Lila Newman Also deserves praise for her engaging performance as Frangibelle, the witch. . . .To be sure, these are young actors to watch." - Theatre Is Easy
Our first review came out in Theatre is Easy by Dillon Slagel. Some highlights:
" . . . .The actors do a wonderful job of straddling these two worlds, not to mention giving depth to their characters and executing some rather athletic fight scenes. To be sure, these are young actors to watch. . . .Lila Newman also deserves praise for her engaging performance as Frangibelle, the witch."
"Director Anaïs Koivisto has done an extraordinary job combining the talents in this production into a unified vision. . . . . Overall, this piece is a great example of what a talented team with competent direction can produce."
"While deeply compelling as a performance, the most interesting part of this experience occurred after I left the theatre. I spent my train ride home attempting to piece together the imagined histories from my own childhood."
I was lucky enough to have Simon Annand take my headshots in London.
His wonderful work can be seen in his book The Half: Photographs of Actors Preparing for the Stage.
One of my shots from our session has been featured in the Actor's Yearbook 2014, published in the UK, in Simon's ad.
Mostly, I'm thrilled because it's the closest I've ever been to Benedict Cumberbatch. (Swoon).
Interviewed by Lynnette Nicholas for Stagebuddy.com about A Map to Somewhere Else this past week! It should be posted sometime early next week.
And we open June 19th -- that's Thursday! Tickets & Info
Interviewed by Lynette Nicholas for Stagebuddy.com
Interviewed by Lynette Nicholas for Stagebuddy.com
Also, here's a sneak peak at my character Frangibelle and a brief interview on Everyday Inferno's Tumblr and posted below:
Photo by Anais Koivisto
Three Questions for cast member Lila Newman (Frangibelle)
What is your favorite part of the process of working on a new play? Why do you think new plays are important?
Plays only come alive when they are played — it is no coincidence that the word is both a noun and a verb. A new play means complete freedom, unburdened by past interpretations, to create moments that have never been seen, heard, felt before. I love how malleable and alive the text is and hence, the story is. It is a rare and lucky situation that we have Reina in the room listening and actively engaging in the process. I have a classical background, so I have never gotten to talk to the author or share a beer with them. Don’t get me wrong, I love Shakespeare and would commit acts of petty theft to have a beer with him, but good ol’ Will has never been around to lend me cute crew socks when I lost one of mine in the rehearsal space and actively shaping my portrayal of Ophelia. Just meeting the playwright tells you so much about the heart of the play, the wordless resonance of the play. And I am actively moved by the love Reina has for her characters, she talks about them in that knowing way one speaks about family. I find her connection to her work inspiring and it acts as a catalyst in my own work on the play.
New plays are crucial to contemporary cultural introspection. Humans need stories, we’ve gathered around fires since we sorted how to make them, and (re)enacted our loves and fears in metaphor. And today, we still need stories – it’s elemental. The joy of working on a new, contemporary piece is that it doesn’t have that translational leap that even a play from 1985 requires from a person. It was different then; it makes sense that plays age – some get creaky, some remain universal. But new plays are formed of us, now. There’s a vivaciousness and spark to new works. With new plays, you don’t have the onus of choosing whether to preserve or radically reinterpret a known story. New plays have that new car smell; they’re brimming with possibility.
What is the least helpful piece of acting advice you’ve ever been given?
The worst piece of acting advice I’ve ever been given was by a high school classmate. I was working on an Irish accent for the maid in The Heiress and he saw me practicing. He sidled over and asked if I could do a Scottish accent. I replied, “sort of.” Then he said, “oh, then it’s easy. Irish is just the same accent, but higher pitched.” He did a few minutes of switching the pitches in a bad Lucky-Charms-Leprechaun-type falsetto before I figured out how to flee and journal about it. Thanks, dude.
What is the biggest challenge this piece has posed to you?
The biggest challenge this piece has posed to me has been Frangibelle’s physicality. When I first read Anais’s character description, “ … she has a physicality that can lead to her being mistaken for a pile of rags… but she can move quickly when she needs to … she is ancient,” I thought, well that’s one tough Venn diagram. So I began to play around in attempts to find a physicality that balanced all these disparate elements. And it’s not all just arty exploration – sometimes you need to make a cross and it simply has to be quick. I can’t always be doing slow, yoga moves around the stage.
After playing around, I was able to pinpoint an animal I could use to fill out my physical vocabulary: a very old cat. Old cats are stiff but can have great grace when they need to.
Now I really need to watch cat videos.
Like, all of the time.
Promise.
Since Frangibelle’s physicality is so bold – her body was my first step in building this character and influenced all my other choices. As a headier actor, playing a character that is basically a physical personification of the Id, allows for a very different creative process than, say, scanning the meter of a text. Instead of studying at home and marking out synecdoche – characters like Frangibelle are discovered mostly when I’m on my feet, actively working.
A Map to Somewhere Else
The 133rd Street Arts Center Lab
308 133rd Street, NYC
June 19-21 at 8pm
June 22 at 5pm
June 23-28 at 8pm
Donate to the fundraising campaign for tickets and exclusive perks!
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I am thrilled and so grateful to be awarded to be the recipient of the 2014 Edes Prize out of the University of Chicago, my alma mater.
This grant makes my work possible! From July 2014-15, I will be creating an original performance piece on Ora Nichols, the pioneer of modern sound effects.
A brief article on the prize itself and the nature of the project can be found on UChicago Arts online.
On this site, I will be documenting the research, process and creation of the piece.
Stay tuned-- I will be including history, images and content on Ora Nichols, early radio and sound effects shortly!
Since the last two A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts had bits, pieces and an occasional whole script by me -- I received show credits for 3/8 and 3/15 shows. Woo!
Check out the shows below!
And video:
Something Wicked has been announced as the FRIGID 2014 Hangover selection for the Kraine Theatre. That means that we've been extended by one more day!
Our final show is today: March 9, at 5:15pm. Thanks to wonderful audiences and supportive friends, we've been selling out nearly every performance -- get your tickets in advance!
Ticketing info here.
And our latest reviews from Hi! Drama & StageBuddy
And check out our positive audience feedback - 4.5 stars!
More great reviews for Something Wicked and our final performance is fast approaching!
Saturday 3/8 at 8:25pm.
More info and (suggested) advance sale tickets: here.
Also cool: My brother, Gil Newman is in the Eyes of Orbach. Clever, fresh, quirky and funny piece -- I recommend checking it out!
Five Stars & " stellar acting and ensemble work . . . a power packed group . . . Like seeing Spalding Gray or going to the Wooster Group before they became household names, why not go watch them grow? And then you can say..I saw them when – before everyone knew how great they are!"
- Review from The Front Row Center
"Villainesses of course have always proven fascinating, and this original experiment in theatre proves no less so."
-Review from the Happiest Medium
"superbly performed . . . the play is a needed expansion to Shakespeare’s original"
- Review from Off Off Online
"The cast exemplifies incredible talent; each actor contributes to the dark nature of the play in song or instrument . . . passion, vivid imagery, and brilliance . . . it's an intimate and whimsical performance you're not likely to forget
- Review from Stage Buddy
"Excellent"
-Tweet Review from @StageBuzz
"diverting . . .nicely done dance and song interludes"
Performance Photo Gallery:
Photo: Ace Darter
Photo: Ace Darter
Photo: Sam Platizky
Photo: Ace Darter
Photo: Ace Darter
Photo: Anais Koivisto
Photo: Ace Darter
Photo: Ace Darter
Excerpt from thefrontrowcenter.com:
Something Wicked
adapted from Shakespeare's Macbeth
Everyday Inferno Theater Company
TICKETS • EVENT PAGE • CAST & STAFF • PRESS RELEASE
"The Queen, my lord, is dead."
Lady Macbeth awakes to a purgatory created from her own gruesome misdeeds. Unsure whether her final destination is Heaven or Hell, and guided by three gleefully tormenting witches, she searches for answers... and her lost love... in the mind-bending hereafter.
The Kraine Theater
Remaining Performances: Tuesday 2/25 at 8:40pm, Saturday 3/1 at 2:05pm,
Saturday 3/8 at 8:25pm
Part of the FRIGID New York festival
Tickets: $16
Directed by Anais Koivisto
Produced by Katherine Sommer
Dramaturgy by Jamie Wylie
Four Star Review of Something Wicked on the frontrowcenter.com
Visit the FRIGID festival website
Something Wicked is an Examiner.com Event Pick
Read The Villager article featuring Something Wicked
Read the Director's interview on The Happiest Medium
Read The Columbia Spectator article featuring Something Wicked
Something Wicked in The Metro
Something Wicked on BroadwayWorld
Something Wicked with Everyday Inferno is opening this week (2/17/14) at The Kraine Theater in the FRIGID festival. More on the show in the Columbia Spectator and ticket info here.
Photos from today's tech:
Photo with Ali Stoner by Sam Platizky
Photo by Everyday Inferno.
Photo by Ali Stoner - source
Here's me talking about Something Wicked in a video and written interview!
My interview and other cast interviews can also be found on the Everyday Inferno Facebook page.
And a photo of our first time in the space at the Kraine Theatre:
Photo by Ali Stoner
Something Wicked
at The Kraine Theatre, 85 E 4th St
Performance Schedule:
Thursday 2/20 at 10:15pm, Sunday 2/23 at 5:15pm, Tuesday 2/25 at 8:40pm, Saturday 3/1 at 2:05pm, Saturday 3/8 at 8:25pm
Donate to the fundraising campaign for tickets and exclusive perks!
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Three Questions for cast member Lila Newman
What’s your favorite line in the show (yours or someone else’s) and why?
My favorite line is actually a single word used several times throughout the play: ”natural.”
The concept of “natural” presupposes that there is an intrinsic morality and order that we must follow. If there is a natural order, then murder is “unnatural” — against nature. But if man is capable of killing, is it unnatural? Can murder arise out “of a persons nature?” And if not, what does an “unnatural” act do to a person who is beholden to the “natural” order? Why are we capable of doing “unnatural deeds” — why does nothing external stop us?
In questioning what is “natural,” the world unravels — much like it does for the Macbeths. Once this concept of a God given “natural” order is breached, Lady Macbeth is left with a terrifying, murky void. It’s nearly as if gravity stops its pull; everything is suddenly unglued and whirling about. Social order, a God, Good and Evil — all of it subject to examination if what is “natural” can so easily be flouted by human action. Lady Macbeth has transformed herself into something outside of nature and outside of reason by her “unnatural deeds.” The resulting domino effect of questions she faces is absolutely overwhelming. She is grasping for a logic, for a structure; I think it’s fitting that she hurls herself into the ground, the only solid foundation she can still perceive. I keep circling around the idea of Lady Macbeth creating a sort of personal hell on earth. All that gives order to a life becomes subjective to her: time, her senses and even reality itself. The Second Coming by Yeats has been a springboard in my character research in this play and in my examination of the “natural:”
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
What is the best piece of advice about acting you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of acting advise I’ve ever been given always changes — depending on what I am finding challenging in a given role. But one phrase has stuck with me throughout my journey so far as an actor. A wonderful teacher, Oleg Mirochnikov, once said, “dance your inner.” An actor is a storyteller. Even in moments where we experience deep anguish on stage — there is still that relish and sharing of the inner with the audience.
If you could add any song to the show, what would it be?
Music can be such a useful tool for the exploration of emotion and circumstance. Every character I play has a playlist. I am always on the hunt for songs of any genre that evoke a specific feeling, mood, era or quality. For example, a song I find helpful for the “unsex me here” speech is “Rockets fall on Rocket falls” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Not exactly easy listening … but a would-be murderess is not exactly listening to “Feelin’ Groovy.”
There’s a folksong that fits with the feel of Something Wicked that I keep listening to: “Lay Me Low" There’s a human longing to it —a desire to hide away and find rest.
Some of the lyrics:
Lay me low, lay me low, lay me low
Where no-one can see me
Where no-one can find me
Where no-one can hurt me
Tags: theatre nyc fundraising macbeth somethingwicked shakespeare
We're deep into rehearsals for our show in the FRIGID Festival -- I got to practice death from stabbing a whole slew of times last night.
Something Wicked Performance Info on Broadway World.
Here's the cast and crew! And our fundraising video below!
And a nifty rehearsal scene pic:
Photo by Katherine Sommer for Everyday Inferno Theater Company
"Mom" sketch in A Prairie Home Companion from the Fitzgerald Theater in St.Paul this week.
. . .that means some jokes I wrote were near Neko Case and Paula Poundstone.
They did video, below!
"Mom" script text
"Mom" audio
Garrison Keillor, Tim Russell, Sue Scott, Fred Newman and Rich Dworsky perform "Mom" during the February 1, 2014 broadcast (source).
