Fritz Lang

I recently finished reading Patrick McGilligan's massive biography, 'Fritz Lang:  The Nature of the Beast.'  It was so big and overly detailed, I almost didn't make my way through it.  I can only think even St. Martin's Press is cutting down on editors.

But there were some interesting bits.  The set for Lang's film 'The Spider Woman' was constructed in the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg (the first modern zoo, where its founder Carl Hagenbeck revolutionized animal training).  His 'Lady in the Moon' (a sci-fi classic from 1931, which he co-wrote with his then wife, Thea von Harbou) invented the countdown (yes, that 5-4-3-2-1 countdown).    Having decided that Peter Lorre would whistle the 'Hall of the Mountain King' from Grieg's 'Peer Gynt,' he didn't like the way Lorre whistled, so the whistle in the movie is Lang himself.

When he was working in Hollywood, Brecht had to keep the same twilight curfew that other enemy aliens did.

And finally, von Harbou became an enthusiastic Nazi (she stayed when Lang fled to Paris).  After the war, she served time in prison, and labored as a Truemmerfrau, separating usable bricks from bad in Berlin's rubble.


Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Interview, Take 2

This is a corrected post.  There's punctuation now, which helps:

http://m.axs.com/news/interview-with-playwright-anne-phelan-86519

An Interview with the Dramahound (that's me)

An interview with me by Meaghan Meehan on axs.com:

http://m.axs.com/news/interview-with-playwright-anne-phelan-86519?utm_campaign=ex_content_axs_approved&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru

Hades

Fool’s Progress and Dramahound Productions are pleased to announce the world premiere of a one-act play by Anne Phelan, Hades.  It will be performed on Saturday, June 18 at 4:30 and 5:30 PM at Lazy Susan Gallery, 191 Henry Street, between Rutgers and Clinton Streets, on the Lower East Side.   Admission is free. 

The play was commissioned by Fool’s Progress Productions, and is inspired by Tom Bovo’s Merge photograph (above) in Curiously, a group show featuring the work of Tom Bovo, Gail Flanery and Karen Gibbons at Lazy Susan.  The production is directed by Katrin Hilbe.  It features Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum as Dante and CK Allen as Virgil.

Dante has been driven from his home in Florence, Massachusetts.  Disillusioned, homeless and broke, he meets Virgil on the streets of Brooklyn. Virgil then proceeds to guide Dante through three circles of Hell in South Slope and Gowanus where they encounter a murdering wife, a notorious Welsh traitor from King Arthur’s time and finally Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, the murderer of Julius Caesar.  By the end of the play, Dante has begun to rebuild his spirit, and he and Virgil go off to further adventures. 

Dramahound Productions is happy to be working with Fool’s Progress Productions on their fourth world premiere, the first at Lazy Susan Gallery.  Previous plays include The Mermaid Won’t Sing for Tom Bovo’s The Other Side of Summer; The Skull Beneath the Skin for Tom Bovo’s Genius Loci and Ellen Chuse’s Everyone in the Pool; and Did You Hear the One About the Carp Who Hailed a Taxi? for Tom Bovo’s New York.   

Opened in January of this year, Lazy Susan Gallery is a creative project space with a revolving roster of curators and artists.  Its curator is Jill Conner. 

Directions:  To reach Lazy Susan Gallery, take the F train to East Broadway. 

Lazy Susan Phone:  646.736.2457 

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Hades Cancelled

We've had some issues with the reading scheduled on Sat., February 13, so we are cancelling it.  We hope to produce it elsewhere soon.

Hades- A New Play

Fool’s Progress and Dramahound Productions are pleased to announce the world premiere of a one-act play by Anne Phelan, Hades.  It will be read on Saturday, February 13 at 4:40 and 6 PM at 440 Gallery, 440 Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn.   Admission is free. 

The play was commissioned by Fool’s Progress Productions, and is inspired by Tom Bovo’s Merge photographs in the back space at 440 Gallery. It features Patrick Avella and Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum as Dante and Virgil.

Dante has been driven from his home in Florence, Mass.  Disillusioned, homeless and broke, he meets Virgil on the streets of Brooklyn. Virgil then proceeds to guide Dante through three circles of Hell in Park Slope and Gowanus where they encounter a murdering wife, a notorious Welsh traitor from King Arthur’s time and finally Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, the murderer of Julius Caesar.  By the end of the play, Dante has begun to rebuild his spirit, and he and Virgil go off to further adventures. 

Dramahound Productions is happy to be back at 440 Gallery, for its fourth world premiere in conjunction with Fool’s Progress Productions.  Previous plays include The Mermaid Won’t Sing for Tom Bovo’s The Other Side of Summer, The Skull Beneath the Skin for Tom Bovo’s Genius Loci and Ellen Chuse’s Everyone in the Pool; and Did You Hear the One About the Carp Who Hailed a Taxi? for Tom Bovo’s New York.   

Directions:  To reach 440 Gallery, take the F, G, or R train to Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street.  718.499.0901

440gallery.com

Photo by Tom Bovo