DREAM BABIES - The Musical receives 7 AUDELCO AWARD NOMINATIONS

Congratulations to DREAM BABIES – The Musical for receiving 7 AUDELCO AWARD Nominations including:  Musical Production of the Year, Direction/Musical Production - Van Dirk Fisher, Choreographer - David Robertson, Musical Direction - Rob Keiser, Outstanding Performance in a Musical – Female - Daejanae Lettman (Tanya) and Outstanding Performance in a Musical – Male -Vincent Parker (Mr. Beacon) and Set Design - Jung Griffin

The VIV / AUDELCO Awards Ceremony will be at Symphony Space, November 16, 2012 stay tuned for further details.

Scripts wanted for Strawberry One-Act Festival in Manhattan, NYC. Deadline: October 30, 2012

Strawberry One-Act Festival in Manhattan, NYC

The Strawberry One-Act Festival – Winter 2013 will be held at

The Hudson Guild Theater, 441 West 26th St., NYC,

Between 9th & 10th Avenue

February 28, 2013 - March 10, 2013

 

The Strawberry One-Act Festival is celebrating its 23rd season, the brainchild of Artistic Director, Van Dirk Fisher, is a play competition in which the audience and the theatre's judges cast their votes to select the best play of the season.  Twice a year, hundreds of plays from across the country are submitted for the competition.  Plays move from the 1st Round to the Semi-Finals and then the Finals.  The playwright of the winning play receives $1,500.00 and the opportunity to have a full-length play developed by the Riant.  The awards to be presented are Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Submissions are being accepted for the festival until October 30, 2012.  To download an application click here.  To submit full-length plays, musicals and staged readings click here for an application for the Strawberry Theatre Festival.

 

The Judges for the Finals of the Strawberry One-Act Festival TBA.

 

The Award Ceremony & Performance will be on Sunday, March 10th at 5pm.  In addition, some of the plays in the festival will be selected for publication in our anthology: The Best Plays From The Strawberry One-Act Festival: Volume 9.

The Riant Theatre’s Writer’s Retreat: 7-Day Cruise to the Bahamas - February 10th - February 17, 2013

The Riant Theatre’s Writer’s Retreat: 7-Day Cruise to the Bahamas - February 10th - February 17, 2013

THE WRITER'S RETREAT

This writer’s retreat is for both emerging and established writers or film and video makers. The Workshops will offer valuable information and networking opportunities and will concentrate on writers intending to have their work produced or published. There will be special occasions where writers can read portions of their work to the group.

 

A GATHERING OF ARTISTS

The Retreat gathers writers, actors and directors to join with their peers to foster excellence through mutual support.  You will relax on the beautiful Royal Caribbean International “Explorer of the Seas” Ship in an elegant environment designed for comfort that includes all meals.  There will be excursions in the Bahamas and Florida that you can add to your itinerary.  In addition, there will be structured workshops and gatherings to stimulate creativity.  But more importantly you will enjoy an abundant time to write, reflect and connect with other artists while you develop a project or improve your acting skills.  Workshops will be conducted by Van Dirk Fisher, Founder & Artistic Director of the Riant Theatre.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE SHIP
The 138,000-ton Explorer of the Seas is loaded with recreational amenities: an ice-skating rink, in-line skating track, rock-climbing wall, television studio and full-size, open-air basketball court. The Royal Promenade, which runs through the center of the ship, is longer than a football field and wide enough to accommodate three lanes of traffic. Here you'll find restaurants, shops, entertainment and street performers. The basketball court converts to a volleyball court, and there's also a golf simulator, nine-hole miniature golf course and jogging track. Adventure Beach, just for families, has its own pool. Spots for socializing include a champagne bar, cigar club, sports bar, jazz club, dance club and a cocktail lounge at the top of the ship. Hungry? There's a casual grill, ice-cream parlor, the Windjammer Cafe and Johnny Rocket's, modeled after an authentic 1950s diner (complete with jukebox). Portofino, an intimate reservations-only restaurant serving Italian fare, complements three main dining rooms.

 

ITINERARY

 

Sun, Febrary10^th      Departs at 4pm from Bayonne, NJ.

 

Mon, February 11^th At Sea

 

Tues, February 12^th  Port Canaveral, FL.  Arrives at 1pm.  Departs at 11pm

 

Wed, February 13^th   Nassau, Bahamas.  Arrives at 2pm.  Departs at 11:59pm

 

Thurs, February 14^th Coco Cay, Bahamas.  Arrives at 8am.  Departs at 5pm

 

Fri, February 15^th  At Sea

 

Sat, February 16^th At Sea

 

Sun, February 17^th Arrives at 7am in Bayonne, NJ.

 For further information and an application email us at RiantTheatre@gmail.com

Strawberry Theatre Festival August 2nd - August 26th 2012

Strawberry Theatre Festival August 2nd - August 26th 2012
 
The Theatre at St. Clements, 423 West 46th St., NYC, between 9th & 10th Avenue.
Tickets:  $22.00 online & $25.00 at the Box Office

This season includes:

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT by Emma Lynn Worth
August 2nd @ 7pm & August 5th @ 8:30pm
Directed by Darrell Larson
Featuring: Jason Alazraki & Hollis Witherspoon
Choreographer:  Maria Phegan Sweet
Light/Sound Design: Rich Louis-Pierre
Light Design - Marie Yokoyama Graphic Design: Amy Worth

A GIRL, A GUY AND A GADGET by Harold Longeway
August 2nd @ 9pm & August 5th @ 7pm

In this upside-down musical comedy, tech geek Will Dimpleton loves his assistant, Esther, but the more he struggles to impress her and become a big man, the less interest she shows.  Can Dimpleton find the secret to Esther's heart?  Or will he become a big shot only to spend his life wandering in an empty penthouse?

STRIPPED by Geoffrey Cantor & Steve Stanulis
August 4th @ 9:30 pm & August 12th @ 10:00 pm

Featuring: Steve Stanulis (Brook "The Cock" Hammer), Brian S. Carpenter (Wild Wayne), Geoffrey Cantor (Steve Savage), Michael Turner (Leslie Samuel Jackson, "Black Mamba") & Jonathan Florez (Julio Santana, "The Latin Prince").

 

“TO CARRY ON…” A Tribute to the Life & Music of Laura Nyro
Written & Performed by Mimi Cohen.
Directed by Gretchen Cryer
Music Arranged by Jeffrey Klitz
August 13th @ 8pm & August 18th @ 5pm

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF QUEEN ANNE
Written by Rick Charles Mueller
Love beyond labels.
August 13th @ 6pm & August 22nd @ 8pm

THE LIGHT OF LIFE by William Packard
Featuring: Gregory Higgins & Eleonora Ivanova  
The things a girl has to go through to get a leading role on Broadway is sick.

August 16th @ 8pm & August 25th @ 4pm

NAMVETS by Joseph Lizardi
August 16th @ 8pm & August 25th @ 4pm

TO BUTTZVILLE AND BEYOND by Jeanne Chenault Porter
August 20th @ 8pm & August 25th @ 5pm

Falsely accused of sexual harassment, Chris Moore,
a privileged young New Yorker, leaves the city to teach history
in a high school in rural Pennsylvania.
Despite initial culture shock he grows to love the simple town of Snowball
with its memorable characters and soon realizes that this new location
has become in every sense his "higher ground."

HOLIDAY IN HEAVEN, A Musical. Directed by Demetria Daniels
Book & Lyrics by Demetria Daniels, Music by Gregory Nissen
What happens in the year 3000 when a harp contest in heaven is judged by an earthling who falls in love with Alexander the Great? (Disney meets 'The Pursuit of Happiness')
August 23^rd @ 8pm

Noon Time Play Reading Series
Admission:  FREE

ENTITLED by Alec Silberblatt
TheFacebooking generation has dreams. Those dreams deserve to come true.
August 16, 2012 at Noon 

HOLIDAY IN HEAVEN, A Musical. Directed by Demetria Daniels

HOLIDAY IN HEAVEN, A Musical. Directed by Demetria Daniels
Book & Lyrics by Demetria Daniels, Music by Gregory Nissen
What happens in the year 3000 when a harp contest in heaven is judged by an earthling who falls in love with Alexander the Great? (Disney meets 'The Pursuit of Happiness')
August 23^rd @ 8pm

At the Theatre at St. Clements, 423 West 46th Street, NYC. 

Between 9th & 10th Avenue.

Tickets:  $22.00 online and $25.00 at the Box Office

Buy Tickets Now Click Here.

THE STRAWBERRY THEATRE & STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVALS

The Riant Theatre is seeking submissions for The Strawberry Theatre Festival (runs Aug. 3-26) and The Strawberry One-Act Festival (runs July 31-Aug. 18). Van Dirk Fisher, artistic dir. Both festivals run at the 160-seat Theatre at St. Clements in NYC.

The Strawberry Theatre Festival—Full-Length Plays: 60-90 minutes; Full-Length Musicals: not to exceed 120 minutes; Short Plays: 40-60 minutes; Staged Readings.

The Strawberry One-Act Festival—One Act Plays: 15-30 minutes. Note: Plays can advance from the first round to semi-finals, finals, and the awards show and performance. The judges for the finals will consist of two artistic directors, one agent, and one casting dir. The four best plays will perform at the awards ceremony on Aug. 18 and have the option to do an encore performance at one of the Riant Theatre's partner theater companies.

To submit, email RiantTheatre@gmail.com or download an application at www.therianttheatre.com. Deadline to submit is May 15. Those producing plays selected for The Strawberry Theatre Festival can perform for three to five performances and elect to share a percentage of the box office by paying a theater usage fee between $1-$9 per ticket to receive a 10-100 percent share of the box office. For the Strawberry One-Act Festival, plays can advance from round one, semi-finals, finals, and the awards show and performance. The judges for the finals will consist of two artistic directors, one agent, and one casting director. The four best plays will perform at the awards ceremony on Aug. 18 and have the option to do an encore performance at one of the Riant Theatre's partner theater companies. For more information, visit www.backtoonenyctheatre.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/RiantTheatre, and www.twitter.com/RiantTheatre. Participation fee for the Strawberry Theatre Festival for short plays is $350  and $500 for all other types of work; participation fee for the Strawberry One-Act Festival is $350, which includes an on-camera interview for your play, inclusion in the Riant Theatre's mailing brochures and the Riant Theatre Review Magazine, one ticket to the launch party, two comp tickets whenever your play is performed, one ticket to the finals, and one ticket to the awards ceremony. The production voted "Best Play" receives $1,500; additional awards are given for Best Director ($150), Best Actor ($150), Best Actress ($150), and Best Short Film—The Video Diaries Project, a documentary about the artists in The Strawberry One Act Festival ($250). Some plays will be selected for publication in the "The Best Plays from the Strawberry One Act Festival," an anthology. There is no sharing of the box office for the One-Act Festival.

READING of MIRROR IMAGE by Josie Parreli

READING of MIRROR IMAGE by Josie Parreli

RSVP for FREE Tickets to a Staged Reading of MIRROR IMAGE by Josie Parrelli on Tuesday, April 24th at 7:30pm at 440 Studios, 440 Lafayette St, 3rd Fl, Studio 3G, NYC. RiantTheatre@gmail.com

The Riant Theatre : Casting

The Riant Theatre : Casting

Casting at the Riant Theatre.  Submissions are now being accepted from Singers, Actors & Dancers.
Pictures and resumes can be email us at RiantTheatre@gmail.com or can mailed to:
The Riant Theatre
P.O. Box 1902
New York, NY 10013
Attn:  CASTING

• Singers if you have a myspace page or a website with you singing please include the link.
• Actors with online reels please include the link to your reel as well.
• Directors, designers and technicians can email their resumes as well.

DREAM BABIES - The Musical is now accepting submissions of pictures, resumes and links with reels of singers.

Strawberry Theatre Festival Application and Guidelines

Strawberry Theatre Festival Application and Guidelines

The Strawberry Theatre Festival is now accepting submissions for plays, musicals, short plays and staged readings for the summer festival, which will run from August 6th - August 26, 2012.  The deadline to submit scripts is May 15, 2012.  Scripts can be mailed to Riant Theatre, P.O. Box 1902, NY, NY 10013.  Attn: STF.  To download an application click here.  The Strawberry Theatre Festival is for plays that are longer than 40 minutes in length.  There are 4 Categories:  Short Plays (40 to 60 minutes in length), Non-musicals (60 to 90 minutes in length), Musicals (Should not exceed 120 minutes) and Staged Readings.  This year’s festival will be at the beautiful Off-Broadway Theatre at St. Clements, which seats 160 in Midtown.

DREAM BABIES Choir Contest - Deadline May 15, 2012

DREAM BABIES Choir Contest - Deadline May 15, 2012

Contest Rules:

• Video contest for School Choirs, Church Choirs (9^TH Grade to Adults.  Music Educators / Choir Directors will submit a video recording of their school / church choir (or choirs) with the Teenagers singing the Student’s part and Adults singing the teacher’s part, performing the song ALWAYS AND FOREVER from DREAM BABIES – The Musical, Book, Lyrics & Music by Van Dirk Fisher. The musical is about teenagers from two different foster homes, forgotten and alone, trying to make sense of the world and where they belong. Dealing with the growing pains of life and love, while attending Royal Academy High School, their salvation, where they have been inspired by the teachers to believe in themselves and follow their dreams to achieve GREATNESS.
  
  
• Submission deadline is May 15, 2012*.
  
  
• All video submissions will be posted on the Riant Theatre’s DREAM BABIES’ website and YouTube Channel.
  
  
• 15 winning choirs will be chosen for the final video compilation.  Announcement of winners will be made by June 12, 2012.
  
  
• All contest winners will be invited to perform in a performance of DREAM BABIES in August 2012.
  
  
• All Teachers, Choir Directors (or submitting Educators) who submit a choir video will receive one complimentary pair of tickets to see DREAM BABIES - The Musical.**
  
  
• Questions?  Please write us at RiantTheatre@gmail.com
  
  
• The Submission Form & Waiver Forms are available HERE for download.  Please be sure that every participating student (ie: singer, videographer, editor, etc…) completes a Waiver Form.
  
  
• The Sheet Music for ALWAYS AND FOREVER is available for download HERE and Recorded Piano Accompaniment can be downloaded HERE.
  
  

Thank you for participating in the DREAM BABIES Choir Contest!  We look forward to receiving your videos and experiencing you and your choir’s talents!

* contest closing date may be extended or reduced by Producers if necessary – announcement to participating entries will be made.

** subject to availability. All efforts will be made to accommodate all date requests, but alternatives may be required.  Upon the opening of the show in NYC, all submitting teachers will be contacted by Producer's representative.

Submissions for Full-Length Plays, Musicals, Short Plays & Staged Readings for the Strawberry Theatre Festival

The Riant Theatre’s Strawberry Theatre Festival will be at the 160 seat Theatre at St. Clements on 46^th Street from August 3^rd – August 26^th, and is now accepting submissions for Full Length Plays (between 60 – 90 minutes) and Musicals (not to exceed 120 minutes), Short Plays (40 minutes – 60 minutes) and Staged Readings.  Plays selected for the festival can perform between 3 – 5 performances and elect to share a percentage of the box office by paying a theatre usage fee between $1 - $9 per ticket to receive 10% - 100% share of the box office.  To download an application go to www.therianttheatre.com or email us at RiantTheatre@gmail.com.  The deadline to submit an application is May 15, 2012. 

The participation fee for the Strawberry Theatre Festival is $500 (That includes Non-musicals (60 - 90 minutes) and Musicals (Running time not to exceed 120 minutes).  

The participation fee for Short Plays is $350 (40 - 60 minutes).

The participation fee for a Staged Reading is $250 (Admission is FREE to the General Public and is scheduled in the theatre week days Monday - Friday in the afternoon.)

To download an application for the Strawberry Theatre Festival click here.


Also seeking submissions for the Strawberry One-Act Festival Competition (July 31^st – August 18^th) for plays with a running time from 15 minutes – 30 minutes.  Plays can advance from Round 1, Semi-Finals, Finals and the Awards Show & Performance.  The panel judges for the Finals will consist of: (2) Artistic Directors, (1) Agent and (1) Casting Director.  The 4 Best Plays will perform at the Awards Ceremony on August 18^th and have the option to do an Encore Performance at one of our Partner Theatre Companies.  The participating fee is $350, which includes:  an on-camera interview for your play, inclusion in our mailing brochures and the Riant Theatre Review Magazine, (1) ticket to our Launch Party, (2) comp tickets whenever your play is performed, (1) ticket to the Finals, and (1) ticket to the Awards Ceremony. The winner of the Best Play receives $1,500.  Awards are given to Best Play, Best Director ($150), Best Actor ($150), Best Actress ($150) and Best Short Film – The Video Diaries Project, a documentary about the artist in the SOAF ($250).  Some plays will be selected for publication in the anthology The Best Plays From The Strawberry One-Act Festival.  Submissions can be emailed for the One-Act Festival, Staged Readings and Short Plays.  Deadline May 15, 2012.  Download an application for the Strawberry One-Act Festival click here.    (There is no sharing of the box office for the One-Act Festival.).  For other info go to www.backtoonenyctheatre.blogspot.com , www.facebook.com/RiantTheatre, and www.twitter.com/RiantTheatre

The Riant Theatre : Riant Review Magazine - Winter 2012 Volume 3

The Riant Theatre : Riant Review Magazine - Winter 2012 Volume 3

FINDING PERFECTION THROUGH ART AND BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE. An interview with filmmaker Shantell Cargle

By Van Dirk Fisher

Sometimes life imitates art and sometimes we discover how to be true to ourselves through our art.  When Shantell Cargle came across an ad for The Video Diaries Project, she had recently got out of an unhealthy relationship, which caused her to put a lot of her dreams and aspirations on hold.  She had decided it was time for her to get back to doing the things that she loved to do like acting and filmmaking.  She grew up in Detroit, Michigan and spent her whole adulthood living in New York City.  She fell in love with the city and never left.  Acting was her first love and she grew to love making films as well.  So combining the two worlds was very exciting to her.

As an actress she discovered that she wanted to have more control of the stories that were being told and the type of characters she was auditioning for, so she decided to go to Hunter College, where she received a B.A. in film studies.  After graduation she just picked up a camera and started shooting.  “I made a bunch of mistakes, but I also learned a lot in the process just by jumping in head first!  As for inspiration I think its everywhere, on the subway, walking down the street….there are so many places where you can study people and situations, through that you discover art,” says Shantell.

Working on the documentary FINDING PERFECTION THROUGH ART with Christina Weathersby, her co-filmmaker, has been amazing.  “I try to let the subjects mold what the story will be,” says Shantell.  “Sometimes you have to shoot a lot of footage before you find your angle, which is different from scripted films.”

“The Video Diaries Project is exciting to me,” says Shantell.  “Because I can personally relate to many of the struggles that the playwright, Rebekah L. Pierce addresses in her play Perfect.  I am a female who is at war with my feelings toward family and husband versus career.  I think many women have similar concerns and issues in our society that is never really addressed by the public at large.  I wanted to be able to understand the characters as well as the actors in the play.  This allowed me to get some really good insight on how to approach the documentary.”

In addition, working on the project will hopefully shed some light on these issues and in time help to bring some resolve to many people who struggle with the choices they make concerning their career and relationships.  You shouldn’t have to choose.   But I think Ms. Cargle said it best when she said, “I just want people to know that you should never give up on your dreams, but that you also have to put the work, time, and effort into bringing them into fruition.  If you focus on what you really want, you will start to see progress and change in your life.  I am very grateful to have a wonderful business partner and best friend, as well as an amazing family that continues to encourage and push me to always be the best that I can be.”   In a perfect world isn’t that what we all want?

FINDING PERFECTION THROUGH ART:  A Documentary by Shantell Cargle and Christina Weathersby
Featuring:  Rebekah Lynn Pierce, Gene Hughes, Kyle P. Carter, Lamar K. Cheston, Vanessa Lovestone, Shaunta Macklin, Dawn Speaks, Clarivel Ruiz and Robert Wright
Screenings:

February 22, 2012 at 8PM - Admission: FREE The Launch Party for the Strawberry One-Act Festival Ripley Grier Studios, 520 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor, Studio 10D, NYC RSVP for Tickets at RiantTheatre@gmail.com

March 3, 2012 & March 4, 2012 at 9PM; Tickets: $15 Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, NYC Between 9th & 10th Avenue For tickets go to http://www.therianttheatre.com/index.php?n=the_video_diaries_project:_a_series

IT’S ABOUT TIME: A Reflection of Life. An interview with filmmaker Miguel LaCruz

By Van Dirk Fisher

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression:  “What doesn’t kill you in life will only make you stronger.”  There’s something liberating about that---the circle of life---the evolution of life.  A seed is planted.  A flower grows.  It endures changes in the weather conditions and eventually dies, but there is a rebirth and another seed is planted and the cycle continues.  Through time man has discovered that in the end everything will be all right.  Life goes on.

Filmmaker Miguel LaCruz, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, who has been living in Brooklyn for the past 5 years remembers always being really interested in still pictures.  “For me the idea of freezing a moment in time, its magic,” says Miguel.  “In high school I had the opportunity to make a fiction short film and from that moment I fell in love with video/film making.”

A graduate of Santa Maria University in Caracas, Venezuela, Miguel received a degree in Social Communications.  In New York, he attended The School of Visual Arts to take a course in “Creating A Documentary Film.”  I asked him where does he get his inspiration to make films and he said, “My inspiration usually comes from life itself and its injustices.  I love the whole idea of documentaries.  Some of my favorites that have inspired me are:  FOOD, Inc, Gas Land and Dirt, The Movie.”

Every job experience has shaped the type of filmmaker he is today; from the technical aspects to the human side of his career.  Working on the Video Diaries Project has been exhilarating for Mr. LaCruz.  He’s no stranger to making documentaries, but this is the first time he has had the freedom to make all of the decisions.  What drew him to work on the VDP is his desire “to look deep into the life of this group of young artists rehearsing the play IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING by Liz Magee, and to show their personal life from another point of view.”  Would he do it all again?  You bet!  “It was a great experience,” says LaCruz.  “The relationship between the cast and me was very organic and the flow of the production was amazing.”

That’s the beauty of it all---the process.  Sometimes we can miss out on the little things in life by not living in the moment and relishing the experience from beginning to end.  When the film is over and the credits have rolled, LaCruz hopes to leave his audience “with mix feelings; this documentary it’s a reflection of life,” says LaCruz.  “When you go through beautiful moments, but also very sad ones.  But the most important message is that every situation you confront in your life makes you stronger.”  And I’m sure we will all agree after seeing his film it was well worth the journey.

IT’S ABOUT TIME A Short Film by Miguel LaCruz
Featuring:  Liz Magee, MIchael Kinnan, Brittany Molnar, Sam Finger, Courtney Macneil and Thomas Heddrick.
Screenings:

February 22, 2012 at 8PM - FREE The Launch Party for the Strawberry One-Act Festival Ripley Grier Studios, 520 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor, Studio 10D, NYC RSVP for Tickets at RiantTheatre@gmail.com

 

March 3, 2012 & March 4, 2012 at 9PM Tickets: $15 Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, NYC Between 9th & 10th Avenue For tickets go to http://www.therianttheatre.com/index.php?n=the_video_diaries_project:_a_series

From the Page to the Stage: Exploring the Director’s Task By Jane Rubinsky

The best plays reveal their significance gradually, like life: unfolding layers of complexity and meaning that shift and grow as they move toward a denouement, resonating long after the curtain has fallen.  Directors whose own lives are multi-layered have an advantage as they set out to probe the subtleties of these plays, whether their own work or someone else’s.

“There’s a wonderful essay by Harold Clurman in a book called Directors on Directing, says Laurence C. Schwartz, who will direct his play Vengeance Once-Removed to open the Riant Theatre’s season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival on March 1, 2012 at 7PM at the Hudson Guild Theater, 441 West 26^th Street, NYC.  “The essay explores the potential traps a playwright can fall into, should he or she direct his own piece.  Sometimes when you’re writing, you can hear the voices in your head; you can hear the intonations, picture the dramatic arcs and the emotional roller-coaster.  And that’s okay.  But to bring that to rehearsal already in your mind, without letting the play grow naturally in rehearsals, is something you need to watch out for,” he says.  “Directing someone else’s play, you can bring a fresher perspective; you don’t have as many preconceptions.  It’s easier to be more spontaneous in rehearsals.”

Schwartz has plenty of experience doing both, not to mention acting and writing.  He got his Equity card (and a good review in the New York Times) barely a year and a half out of Boston University, where he studied theater performance.  Schwartz’s first full-length play, Artaud for Awhile—an edgy work imagining an encounter between the French aesthetician Antonin Artaud and the rock musician Jim Morrison—ran at the Wings Theater in 1997 and was one of the Village Voice’s picks.  For last summer’s Strawberry One-Act Festival, Schwartz directed Rick Charles Mueller’s With the Assistance of Queen Anne, but his association with SOAF goes back all the way to 2000, when he first appeared in several plays before submitting his own.  “I think Standing on Ceremony is the most well-rounded and satisfying so far; it all came together,” he says.  The work, which he wrote and directed for the Winter 2011 season, dealt with old-fashioned schoolyard bullying.

His current offering is Vengeance Once-Removed, about a young man falsely arrested who visits his accuser after the charges against him have been dropped.  “I’ve always had a good ear for dialogue,” says Schwartz, who earned a master’s degree at Hunter and now teaches cultural theory and speech communication at Medgar Evers Collge, Mercy College, and Touro College.  “But what separates this play from the others is that it's less about the words and more about where the action is, what the dramatic stakes are,” he says. “I think it says a lot about sexuality, as well as interracial relationships.  It's a disturbing piece ... and my hope is that it will be very difficult to watch, and very suspenseful.”

Liz Amadio, who directed George Cameron Grant's play Push for SOAF last summer, returns to direct his Foreclosure this season (March 1, 2012 at 9PM at the Hudson Guild Theatre), exploring how choices resonate and sometimes come back to haunt us.  “We all have circumstances in our lives where we need to make decisions that are really spiritual catharses we have to work out,” she says.  “We don't have the script in life; we don't have the whole picture or know what happens on the last page.  All we can do is look over the situation, make the best choice with the information we have, and hope that we've made a good decision.”

Studying psychology and dance at Temple University, Amadio intended to pursue a career in dance therapy before she turned to acting, writing, and directing.  “People who resonate toward psychology are really interested in the psyche, emotions and spirit, in what makes you tick,” she says.  “It's not really very different, whether you're an actor exploring a character, or a director guiding actors to explore the characters they're going to play.”

Amadio, a playwright herself, spends “a lot of time with exploration and backstory, to feed the actors as many layers as I can.  I don't believe in minor characters; everyone has an arc,” she says.  The main challenge of a director is creating “a safe and trusting environment where the actors are free to explore their own internal life” to find the motivations of a character.

Foreclosure is a play that will be meaningful for everyone, believes Amadio.  “It's so timely in terms of what's happening with the global economy.”  But the one thing she hopes people will take away is the notion that it's impossible to interpret what's good and bad in life.  “Some of the worst things that happen to us often turn out to be catalysts for the most growth and development,” she says.

The Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival
Vengeance Once-Removed by Laurence C. Schwartz
March 1, 2012 at 7PM;

Foreclosure by George Cameron Grant
March 1, 2012 at 9PM;
Hudson Guild Theater, 441 West 26^th St, NYC

Tickets:  $22 online; $25 at the Box Office
www.therianttheatre.com or 646-623-3488

The Video Diaries Project: A Series Of Short Films About The Artists In The Strawberry One-Act Festival

The Video Diaries Project: A Series of Short Films About The Artists In The Strawberry One-Art Festival; Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 8PM.  FREE Admission. At Ripley Grier Studios, 520 Eighth Avenue, 10 Floor, Studio 10D, NYC. Between 36th & 37th Street.  RSVP at RiantTheatre@gmail.com. For the VIP Cocktail Reception at 6:30-8:00PM Tickets: $20 Online; $25 at the Door. Buy Now at http://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?id=124

Encore Series: PUSH, CROSSING VERRAZANO & IT'S GREEK TO ME

THE ENCORE SERIES:  3 POWERFUL PLAYS from the Strawberry One-Act Festival Season 20. March 2nd @ 9PM, March 4th @ 5PM at the HUDSON GUILD THEATRE, 441 West 26th St, NYC.
For Tickets go to http://www.therianttheatre.com/index.php?n=encore_series:_push___crossing_verr

Save the Date February 22, 2012 at 8PM for the Screening of The Video Diaries Project: An In Depth Look at the Artists in the Strawberry One-Act Festival http://ping.fm/tA4vZ

Now on iTunes: If I Follow My Dreams check it out. http://ping.fm/EUwKw

The song: IF I FOLLOW MY DREAMS (NO MORE GAMES) is now available on Amazon.com check it out http://ping.fm/oovsi