this week in theater

CRIMINAL QUEERNESS FESTIVAL: GLOBAL STORIES FOR GLOBAL IMPACT

criminal queerness festival

Who: Omer Abbas Salem, Noor Hamdi, Connor Bryant, Rula Gardenier, Bahar Beihaghi, Martin Zebari, Sharifa Yasmin, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Amahl Raphael Khouri, Hashem Hashem, Sivan Battat, Christopher Unpezverde Núñez, Pooya Mohseni, Samy Nour Younes, Louis Sallan, Roger Q. Mason, Ianne Fields Stewart, Migguel Anggelo, Marlene Ramirez-Cancio, Adam Elsayigh, Adam Odsess-Rubin, J. Julian Christopher, Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Mashuq Mushtaq Deen
What: Second annual Criminal Queerness Festival
Where: Dixon Place Zoom, Facebook, YouTube
When: June 13-29, free (some events require advance RSVP)
Why: National Queer Theater and Dixon Place’s second annual Criminal Queerness Festival consists of two and a half weeks of live performances, discussions, screenings, master classes, and workshops that bring together queer playwrights from around the world to fight censorship, inspire activism, and help shape a quickly changing culture. This year’s festival focuses on presentations involving four artists whose work had to be canceled or postponed at Dixon Place because of the pandemic: Chicago-based actor Omer Abbas Salem’s debut play, Mosque4Mosque; transgender Jordanian documentary playwright Amahl Raphael Khouri’s She He Me; Venezuelan-born, Brooklyn-based Migguel Anggelo’s Maid in America; and 2019 Lambda Literary Award winner Mashuq Mushtaq Deen’s The Shaking Earth. Among the issues being investigated in the plays and talks are “The Syrian Civil War and LGBTQ Communities,” “Queer Transnational Activism in the Middle East,” “Queering Trauma into Fabulousness,” and “What Does It Mean to Be Criminally Queer?” Online admission to everything is free, but donations are accepted and some events require advance registration. Below is the full schedule.

Saturday, June 13
“Creative Conversations: The Syrian Civil War and LGBTQ Communities,” with Omer Abbas Salem and Noor Hamdi, moderated by festival dramaturg Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, 2:00

Tuesday, June 16
“Creative Conversations: Queer Transnational Activism in the Middle East,” discussion surrounding Amahl Raphael Khouri’s documentary play She He Me, with Khouri and Hashem Hashem, moderated by director Sivan Battat, noon

Thursday, June 18
Master Class with Amahl Raphael Khouri on giving testimony, 2:00

Wednesday, June 17
“Queer and Disabled: Examining the imagination,” with Christopher Unpezverde Núñez, 2:00

Friday, June 19
Reading of Mosque4Mosque by Omer Abbas Salem, with Noor Hamdi, Connor Bryant, Rula Gardenier, Bahar Beihaghi, and Martin Zebari, followed by a talkback moderated by director Sharifa Yasmin, 8:00

Saturday, June 20
LGBTQ Digital Pride and Migration 2020 Festival: Livestream performance of excerpts from Amahl Raphael Khouri’s She He Me, 1:00

Sunday, June 21
LGBTQ Digital Pride and Migration 2020 Festival: Live performance of Amahl Raphael Khouri’s She He Me, with Pooya Mohseni, Samy Nour Younes, and Louis Sallan, followed by a talkback with Khouri, moderated by director Sivan Battat, 4:00

Master Class with playwright Omer Abbas Salem, 7:00

Monday, June 22
“The House of Joy: A Tent Revival for the Legendary Quarantined Children,” exercises and open discussion with Roger Q. Mason and Ianne Fields Stewart, 8:00

Tuesday, June 23
Panel discussion on LGBTQ human rights in Latin America, with multidisciplinary artist Migguel Anggelo, moderated by Marlene Ramirez-Cancio of the Hemispheric Institute, 7:00

Thursday, June 25
“Queering Trauma into Fabulousness”: Master Class with J. Julian Christopher, 7:00

Friday, June 26
Live screening of vichitra: an anthology of queer dreams, directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury, with video by Kameron Neal and sound design by Jeremy Bloom, followed by discussion with Chowdhury, 7:00

Sunday, June 28
Maid in America: original semiautobiographical video by Migguel Anggelo, with screenplay by J. Julian Christoper, musical direction by Jaime Lozano, and directed and developed by Srđa Vasiljević, 7:00

Monday, June 29
Master Class with Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, 3:00

THEATER OF WAR: THE KING LEAR PROJECT

theater of war

Who: Bryan Doerries, Frankie Faison, Amy Ryan, Kathryn Erbe, Marjolaine Goldsmith, David Zayas, Jumaane Williams
What: Live Zoom theatrical production and discussion from Theater of War
Where: Zoom link sent with advance registration
When: Thursday, June 11, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: One of the best Zoom presentations of the pandemic has been Theater of War’s The Oedipus Project, in which Frances McDormand, John Turturro, Oscar Isaac, Jeffrey Wright, Frankie Faison, David Strathairn, Glenn Davis, Marjolaine Goldsmith, and Jumaane Williams gave a live, powerful dramatic reading of scenes from Sophocles’s fifth-century BCE classic, Oedipus the King, from wherever they were sheltering in place. (Most of the actors chose relatively spare, blank backgrounds while Turturro opted for an anachronistic study.) The event was introduced by Theater of War cofounder and adapter/director Bryan Doerries, who also led a postshow discussion relating the play to the Covid-19 crisis.

The organization now turns its attention to the themes of caregiving and death with The King Lear Project, streaming live on Zoom on June 11 at 7:00. In the play, Lear asks, “Doth any here know me? This is not Lear: Doth Lear walk thus? Speak thus? Where are his eyes? Either his notion weakens, or his discernings are lethargied — Ha! Waking? ’tis not so. Who is it that can tell me who I am?” To which the Fool responds, “Lear’s shadow.” The reading will feature another all-star lineup performing from home, consisting of Amy Ryan, David Zayas, Kathryn Erbe, Faison, Goldsmith, and Public Advocate Williams; it will be followed by a talk facilitated by Doerries with four community panelists on the subjects of aging, dementia, elder care, and family dynamics, examining the play — which Shakespeare wrote, perhaps while self-isolating, during the 1606 plague, when theaters had shut down — in context with the current pandemic.

HERE@HOME: DISPOSABLE MEN WITH LIVE Q&A

disposable

Who: James Scruggs, Kristin Marting
What: Screening of 2005 production and live Q&A
Where: HERE Arts Center Facebook page
When: Wednesday, June 10, free (donations accepted), 6:30
Why: In February 2005, James Scruggs’s Disposable Men debuted at HERE Arts Center, a one-man multimedia show that compared Hollywood monsters to African American men and examined the history of medical apartheid and the killing of black men with the support of the government, in a country dominated by white supremacy and mired in systemic racism. With the pandemic lockdown still in place and George Floyd protests continuing, HERE will be streaming the perhaps never-more-relevant Disposable Men June 10 at 6:30 on Facebook Live, followed by a discussion and Q&A with HARP artist Scruggs and HERE founding artistic director Kristin Marting, who was the presenter and producer of the original production. The show was created and written by Scruggs (Deepest Man, MELT!), who also did the video design; the lighting is by Chris Brown, sound by Jeremy Wilson, costumes by Patrice Busnel, video technical direction by Hal Eager, and score by Philip Pares.

THE ROOM PLAYS: THE BEDROOM PLAYS

The Room Plays, In A Bubble, With You featuring Simone Grossman and Robert Gemaehlich

In a Bubble, with You features Simone Grossman and Robert Gemaehlich as part of Eden Theater Company’s Room Plays

Who: Eden Theater Company
What: Short Zoom plays about isolation
Where: Zoom room
When: Tuesday, June 9, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 8:00 (followed by different productions July 9 and August 6 at 8:00)
Why: Led by producing artistic director Diane Davis and creative artistic director Cassandra Paras, the New City-based Eden Theater Company’s mission holds that by “fostering a collective of multigenerational, multidisciplinary diverse innovators, we can bridge the gap between artists and audiences of different ages, experiences, and beliefs and inspire a more authentic awareness and deeper understanding of the world we inhabit, our role in the world, and the impact of our decisions.” They are expanding their conviction that “storytelling should not be bound by convention” with their latest female-driven production, The Room Plays, the first edition of which will take place in bedrooms wherever performers are sheltering in place. On June 9 at 8:00, The Bedroom Plays will consist of The Man in the Fuchsia Mask, written by Jake Brasch, directed by Jordan Gemaehlich, and featuring Audrey Rapoport and Byron Anthony; Daeva, written by Paras, directed by Anthony, and starring Matt Pilcie and Paras; and In a Bubble, with Only You, written by Tracy Carns, directed by Davis, and featuring Simone Grossman and Robbie Gemaehlich. The three short plays, running about forty-five minutes in total, deal with the isolation and loneliness people are experiencing during the pandemic. ETC explains, “This series of short plays are at-home productions that take place in the rooms that we create for ourselves, and the rooms from which we have no immediate exit. The Room Plays provide an empathetic vantage into different experiences, different traumas, and different states of spiritual well-being while in quarantine.” ETC will move the location for the site-specific iterations scheduled for July 9 to living rooms and August 6 to bathrooms, which promise unique levels of intimacy.

THE NERVE TANK: THE ATTENDANTS 2020

Brookfield Place

Who: Admiral Grey, Bizzy Barefoot, Brandt Adams, Irene Hsi, James (Face) Yu, Julienne Marié, Karen Grenke, Mark Lindberg, Robin Kurtz, Stacia French
What: Virtual reimagining of 2011 interactive performance at Brookfield Place
Where: Arts Brookfield website
When: Live each Wednesday in June, replayed Sundays in June, free, noon – 6:00
Why: In May 2011, the Nerve Tank presented the three-day performance installation The Attendants at the World Financial Center Winter Garden, an interactive work in which the audience could text barefoot actors in dark suits, gloves, and sunglasses moving inside and around a large transparent plexiglass cube; you can see clips from the show, in which the actors respond to the texts with only their body, here. The New York City-based Nerve Tank is teaming up again with Arts Brookfield for The Attendants 2020, which will take place in the small rectangular box of the internet instead of a large cube in a spacious, lovely atrium, a different kind of confinement. Part of the #BFPLatHome program, The Attendants 2020 will be performed live every Wednesday in June (June 3, 10, 17, 24) from noon to 6:00 and will be replayed every Sunday (June 7, 14, 21, 28) at the same time. Chance Muehleck conceived the piece and wrote the lyrics; the director and choreographer is Melanie S. Armer, while Stephan Moore composed the score and designed the sound. The prerecorded voices are Annie Dorsen and Jonathan Vandenberg; the cast features original Attendants Karen Grenke, Bizzy Barefoot, Stacia French, James (Face) Yu, Robin Kurtz, Mark Lindberg, and Irene Hsi in addition to Admiral Grey, Brandt Adams, and Julienne Marié, responding from wherever they are sheltering in place, prepared to address current issues that have the whole world on edge.

TUESDAYS IN JUNE 2020: RAPPING WITH THE ARTISTS & PLAY READINGS

S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson will inaugurate New Federal Theatre online initiative

Who: S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Howard Craft, Petronia Paley, Larry Muhammad, Tyler Fauntleroy, Kim Sullivan, André DeShields, Chuck Smith, Ron Bobb-Semple, Joyce Sylvester, Clinton Turner Davis
What: Live play readings and theater discussions
Where: New Federal Theatre Facebook page
When: Tuesdays in June, June 2-30, free with advance registration, 3:00 and/or 7:00
Why: Woodie King Jr. founded the New Federal Theatre in 1970 to highlight and focus on minority drama. Its fiftieth anniversary is being celebrated virtually, the latest initiative being “Tuesdays in June 2020: Rapping with the Artists & Play Readings.” The five-week program brings together actors, directors, and playwrights to continue NFT’s mission: “to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theatre by training artists for the profession, and by presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences — plays which evoke the truth through beautiful and artistic re-creations of ourselves.” The schedule is below; admission is free (although donations are welcome) with advance registration here.

Tuesday, June 2
Rapping with the Artists: S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson discuss their artistic journeys, 3:00

Tuesday, June 9
Rapping with the Artists: Actor J. Alphonse Nicholson and book writer Howard L. Craft discuss the theatrical realization of the play Freight: the Five Incarnations of Abel Green, which ran at the Castillo Theatre in fall 2017, 3:00

Tuesday, June 16
Rapping with the Artists: Director Petronia Paley and playwright Larry Muhammad on the birth of the production Looking for Leroy, which ran at the Castillo Theatre in March 2019, 3:00

Play Reading: Looking for Leroy, featuring Tyler Fauntleroy and Kim Sullivan, directed by Petronia Paley, 7:00

Tuesday, June 23
Rapping with the Artists: Playwright Bill Harris, actor Denise Burse-Fernandez, and bluesman Guy Davis discuss their collaboration on the play Trick the Devil and more, 3:00

Tuesday, June 30
Rapping with the Artists: Actor André DeShields and director Chuck Smith talk about creating theater centered around historical figures, including Knock Me a Kiss about W. E. B. Du Bois and The Gospel According to James about James Cameron and Mary Ball, 3:00

Play Reading: Trevor Rhone’s Two Can Play, which was running at the Castillo Theatre when the lockdown came, with Ron Bobb-Semple and Joyce Sylvester, directed by Clinton Turner Davis, 7:00

WE ARE ONE PUBLIC

Who: Todd Almond, Troy Anthony, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Michael Cerveris, Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Danaya Esperanza, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Brian d’Arcy James, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Margaret Odette, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber, Deandre Sevon, Martin Sheen, Philippa Soo, Meryl Streep, Trudie Styler, Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead, more
What: Virtual gala celebrating the Public Theater and special honorees
Where: Public Theater website, Facebook, YouTube
When: Monday, June 1, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: Among the cultural institutions I miss the most during the pandemic is the Public Theater. Founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and located on Lafayette St. since 1967, the Public features six spaces for theatrical productions including Joe’s Pub, home to cabaret, comedy, and concerts as well. In addition, the Public has been offering us Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte for nearly sixty years; this summer’s scheduled shows were Richard II and As You Like It in addition to Cymbeline from the Mobile Unit.

The Public, which has been streaming previous performances from Joe’s Pub and presented the best new Zoom play about the pandemic, Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About?, available on demand through June 28, will hold its annual fundraising gala online on June 1 at 8:00, a virtual ninety-minute, one-time-only cavalcade of stars honoring actor Sam Waterston and philanthropists Audrey Wilf and Zygi Wilf. Cochairs Kwame Anthony Appiah, Candia Fisher, Joanna Fisher, Laure Sudreau, and Lynne Wheat have amassed quite a lineup, with appearances by Glenn Close, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Jane Fonda, Anne Hathaway, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, David Hyde Pierce, Liev Schreiber, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, Sting, and many more. (The full lineup is above.) The evening will be directed by Kenny Leon and hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, with music direction by Ted Sperling; the event is free, but donations are accepted to support the Public, one of New York City’s genuine treasures.