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- 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

The Mermaid Won't Sing

"The Mermaid Won't Sing" is a new one-act by me, inspired by Tom Bovo's photograph "Harbor- Fog."  It will be presented twice, at 4:30 and 6, on Saturday, July 18th at 440 Gallery, 440 Sixth Avenue (near Ninth Street), in Brooklyn, New York.  It's directed by Christie Marie Clark, and features Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum as Barnaby, and Shannon Marguerite as Aphrodite the mermaid.  Admission is free.  The play was commissioned as part of Tom Bovo's solo photography show, "The Other Side of Summer." 

The Other Side of Summer

"Harbor- Fog" photo by Tom Bovo

Tom has got another solo show at 440 Gallery, and once again, he's commissioned me to write a play based on a photo of his (I chose the above).  It's called "The Mermaid Won't Sing," directed by Christie Clark, featuring Shannon Marguerite as Aphrodite the mermaid, and Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum as Barnaby.  The play will run one afternoon only, Sat., July 18 at 4:30 and 6PM. 

Tom has many events for his show.  This Saturday, there's an opening reception, 5-8.  Sat. the 25th, I'm giving a talk on mermaids (really not for children, nor is the play) at 4.  Sun. August 2nd, Jody Mullen is singing a pop and standards set; and Sunday, August 9th, there's a closing reception, 4-7.

440 Gallery is at 440 Sixth Avenue (near Ninth Street) in Brooklyn, New York.  The nearest trains are the G, F, R at 4th Avenue/Ninth Street.  For more information, www.tombovo.com or www.440gallery.com

The Return of the Skull Beneath the Skin

"The Skull Beneath the Skin" is back by popular demand next weekend-  Saturday, March 15 at 5:30 and 7PM at 440 Gallery, 440 Sixth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Admission is free.  It features Cotton Wright and Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum, pictured above,  as Bertha Roentgen and Dr. Wilhelm Roentgen, the man who discovered xrays and won the first Nobel Prize in Physics. 

The play is written by me, directed by Christie Clark and the costume design is by the illustrious Meganne George.  It's being produced by Ellen Chuse, as part of her solo show of drawings and paintings, Finding the Root.

Photo by Tom Bovo.

The Skull Beneath the Skin

(Photo credit:  Wikipedia)

Tom Bovo has a solo photography show, Genius Loci, at 440 Gallery (440 Sixth Avenue, near Ninth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn).  He commissioned me to write a play for it. 

Genius Loci is photographs of leaves.  After looking at the photographs, I decided that some of them reminded me of x-rays.  So I have written a ten minute play about Wilhelm Roentgen, the discoverer of the x-ray.  It's called "The Skull Beneath the Skin," and it's directed by Christie Marie Clark.  Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum plays Roentgen, and Cotton Wright plays his long-suffering wife, Bertha.  The costumes are by Meganne George.

Performances are Saturday, November 16 at the gallery at 4:40 and 6 PM.  Admission is free.  Wine and seltzer provided.

Sidewalk Closed - Use Other Side

My boyfriend, Tom Bovo, has a new solo show opening this Friday which runs until Sunday, June 2nd.  It's called Sidewalk Closed - Use Other Side, and features his photographs of Brooklyn landscapes, mostly around Red Hook.  There are some color photos, though most are in black and white.

The show is at a new gallery-  Peninsula Art Space, 352 Van Brunt Street (near Sullivan Street).  The opening reception is Friday, May 10, 6-9.  Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, noon to 7. 

For more information, www.tombovo.com.

Above, Canal, by Tom Bovo.  Featured in Sidewalk Closed - Use Other Side.

The Last of the Photos

Photo #11: The couple with a whip.
Photo #12: The end of the play.
Photo #13: Tamer and tiger at rest.

The Photos Have Arrived!

Here are the best of the production photos that Tom Bovo took during the dress rehearsal of "Mi Tigre, My Lover" at Open Source Gallery,back in June. Tom shoot over 200, he narrowed it down and then I chose my favorite 13.
Photo #1: Mabel Stark, Cotton Wright, has just told Rajah, Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum, she got a job offer from Chipperfield's Circus in England, and he can't come with her.
Photo #2: Stark has crossed Rajah, and he doesn't like it.
Photo #3: Stark and Rajah, as he looks for new places on her back to put a scar from his claws.
Photo #4: Tiger tamer Mabel Stark, in a moment of contemplation.
Photo #5: Director Tamara Fisch resets the pedestal (actually, a borrowed piano stool) as Jacob asks a question and Cotton looks on.

Did You Hear the One About the Carp Who Hailed the Taxi?

My boyfriend is a photographer. For years, I have been staring at this photograph of his, trying to figure out what these fish are up to with the taxi. He is having his first solo show since college, which opens Thursday night at 440 Gallery, 440 Sixth Avenue near 9th Street in Brooklyn. There's an opening party, 6-9 and it's free.
Take the R to 4th Avenue/9th Street, or the F to 7th Avenue.
When Tom got the dates for his show, he told me he wanted to commission me to write a play about a photograph in the show. I actually did have a difficult time deciding. I was all set to write about mannequins in a window (440 Gallery has some lovely bowed windows to put actors in), but I decided on the fish. The photograph is untitled, which kind of makes me crazy- playwrights don't do that).
I started writing in October, and last week we assembled our merry band for the first rehearsal: Melanie Sutherland is directing, Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum plays Karl Carp and the lovely Cotton Wright is Mo Avakian the taxi driver. Jacob and Cotton and I have worked together a lot; Melanie and I worked on "7 Sins in 60 Minutes." I was trying to count how many plays of mine Jacob had worked on- I think he's acted in six, directed one and then been in a bunch of readings. Cotton was in "Kansas Faust" and "Deconstruction," and many readings.
We froze the script yesterday, so now I just have to worry about props and the program. More photos to come.

More Art

Tom's show opened on Monday. The film makers who were shooting when we were working last Thursday have their piece up on YouTube- link above.

God Doesn't Like Ugly

I have been to St. Paul the Apostle Church (the Catholic Church next to Fordham's Lincoln Center campus) once about ten years ago, to see an early music concert. It's a big church, and Stanford White is responsible for some of the interior decoration (at least the Lady Altar, from what I could tell). The church has an outreach program for visual artists, which includes art exhibitions in the church itself, on various religious themes. This year's theme is God Doesn't Like Ugly, and my boyfriend Tom Bovo has six photographs in the show.
On Thursday night we went to St. Paul's to hang Tom's photographs, and see what the other artists were doing. There was painting, sculpture and photos all over the church. We also got a chance to talk to the priest who organized the show, who seemed like an interesting guy to me. He's a priest and an artist, and his job is reaching out to other artists.
There is art all over the church; Tom's photographs hang beneath the last six Stations of the Cross, and they do each seem connected to each Station.
The show opens on Monday, and the hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30-6:00; Saturday 8:30-6:30; and Sunday 7:30-6:00, through October 29th. The opening reception (and the caterer gets high marks) is Wednesday, October 1st, 7:00-9:00. To get to St. Paul's, take the 1 train to 65th street, and walk to 60th and Columbus Avenue. The link above is to Tom's website, and these are three of the six prints he's exhibiting.

And More Art

Tom's second online show goes live on May 1st at Upstream People Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska (link above). Omaha means "upstream people." He has five (5!) photographs in the 11th Annual Contemporary Art International Online Juried Exhibition. Here are three of them: The Hat, West 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Art in Cyberspace

My boyfriend Tom Bovo has three photographs in a Caladan Gallery show called “The Sixth Annual Exhibition of the Surrealist, Visionary and Fantastic.” This gallery is located in Cambridge, Mass., but the show can only be seen on the web. Click on the link above to check it out. The photograph is "One Way."

Another Show

My very talented boyfriend, Tom Bovo, has work in yet another photography show. There is a closing reception for his latest group show on Friday evening, February 27th from 4:00 to 7:00. The Donnie 2009 International Contest & Exhibit is at the Museum of Computer Art, 139 Eleventh Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Tom has three pieces in it, including this one, and received an honorable mention for his work. Free wine and cheese!

Art in Tribeca

My boyfriend Tom is a very talented photographer. He has had work in several shows in Brooklyn, but this month he is in a juried show in Manhattan. Tom is one of five artists in the show. Optical Photo Annual is under the auspices of Raandesk Gallery. The show is at Vino Vino, 211 West Broadway, near Franklin Street (A,C,E at Canal). It runs Jan. 29th to Feb. 21st. The opening reception on Thursday, January 29, 6-9PM.

Tom trained at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he studied painting and printmaking with modern masters Andre Racz, David Lund and Robert Blackburn. His work is in private collections in Birmingham AL; Tuscon AZ; Pasadena CA; Cleveland OH and New York NY, as well as the Embassy of the Slovak Republic to Italy and the Vatican in Rome.

RAANDESK® GALLERY OF ART combines a virtual resource of contemporary artwork by emerging artists through http://www.raandeskgallery.com/, with ART@IGC, the gallery's regular exhibition venue and through temporary alternative site exhibitions and special events across the country. Based in New York City and launched by attorney-by-day Jessica L. Porter in 2005 to make art collecting a contemporary and enjoyable experience, Raandesk also provides art consultation services including portfolio reviews, art rental, artist studio visits, collection management and artwork installation.

Tom (www.tombovo.com) has five photographs in the exhibit: B'DAZZLE, Candy, One Way, and two recent untitled pieces. They are all part of his recent series of urban landscapes covering New York and New Orleans. His completed pieces are archival pigment ink glicée prints on acid free paper. The above print is from a series of storefronts (in this case, a wig shop) in New Orleans.

Nola 2

This exotic-looking egret was hanging out on the shore of the Mississippi with a bunch of disinterested (in him, anyway) seagulls. They were all looking for lunch, that’s all that seemed to matter.

I love the courtyards in New Orleans- alleys that open into courts or yards or simply another alley. They remind me of the architecture in Vienna and Budapest. There’s always the possibility of something mysterious and hidden and maybe even wonderful if you just go through one more gate.

Another thing I love about New Orleans are the bands that pick up the second-line people, as if every day is worthy of a parade. These stalwart souls were marching in the rain the day before we left.

The final full day we were in New Orleans, we took a bus tour (yeah, I know, but what are you going to do without a car?) to Oak Alley. It is one of the restored sugar plantations on the River Road (which runs along the levee), quite far from New Orleans proper. On the way there, we saw Lake Pontchartrain (it goes on and on) on one side of the causeway, and the swamp (people still live there- we saw dwellings) on the other. Like the rest of the country, there is a lot of racial baggage in New Orleans. Oak Alley has a very pretty house, very old oak trees and an overseer’s cottage. There are no slave quarters. Slaves are barely mentioned, though the guide did refer to the house slaves as “servants.” They weren’t servants, they were slaves. It was muggy there in November; Tom and I shuddered to think what it would have been like skimming sugar in August. We wished that there had been some kind of explicit reference to the lives and conditions of the slaves: it took 90 slaves to make the sugar and till the land, and another 20 to run the house. I’m not sorry we went, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. At the gift shop, I did buy a copy of edited slave stories collected during the WPA, which I am working my way through slowly. They’re too sad to read at one sitting.

Nola

The Dramahound’s been busy, as I’m sure you have. Travel, holidays, decorating for the season, music, finished a short play, started a new play, etc. But for Thanksgiving, my boyfriend and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in the French Quarter thanks to the generosity of two writer friends of ours who lent us their condo.

We didn’t see any theatre, but just walking the streets there is theatre enough. Tom and I decided that the best Bloody Marys were to be had at the Chartres House, where Tennessee Williams himself drank in its earlier incarnation. We saw the new Borders store on St. Charles Avenue, in the shell of Bultman’s Funeral Home. Not only was Jefferson Davis laid out there, but Williams set “Summer and Smoke” in its solarium. It was hard to visualize that in the mist of Borders displays, but we tried. We tried to get a drink at the Columns (where much of “Pretty Baby” was shot), but they are still on reduced, post-Katrina hours.

We also saw more of Bourbon Street at night; I think the photo’s self-explanatory. We met some very nice dogs. There was an English bulldog puppy that was ready to come home with Tom. There was lots of walking, and thereby window shopping. I loved this guy’s stone head- he seemed to me a total Roman with attitude. Photos by Tom Bovo.

Free Wine and Cheese!

Reminder that tomorrow is the opening reception for my boyfriend Tom Bovo's group show at the Museum of Computer Art in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Click on the link above for directions and address. The reception is at the Museum from 4 to 6.