A Language of Their Own Photos - Off-Broadway

Doug Nevin and Michael Urie, in partnership with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater presented a reading of Chay Yew's A Language of Their Own on June 23rd as part of Pride Plays, a festival of play readings commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York. Nick Mayo serves as Festival Director.

Irondale is proud to present the New York premiere of Sea of Common Catastrophe, a surreal multimedia theater work that grapples with complicity in the face of rapid urban change. Designed and directed by Jeff Becker, who leads a team of fellow New Orleans-based artists, Sea of Common Catastrophe follows three long-time residents of a tiny seaside town whose lives are uprooted when a compelling stranger arrives. Inspired by a passage from Gabriel Garc?i?a Ma?rquez's novella Sea of Lost Time-where a town drowns on a Sunday afternoon but persists, submerged, in its daily life, as if the deluge had never occurred-Sea of Common Catastrophe uses spectacular lighting and video, live music, and an innovative two-story set to evoke a changing landscape of upscale living and chic restaurants that suddenly transforms into a magical sunken world.

'The themes in this play, as in all in the Cycle, are universal. Unfortunately some of those themes and challenges are still relevant today. It is imperative that as a cast we explore and examine these themes before we even begin to tackle the language. Fortunately enough August Wilson's language succinct and inspiring. His characters are so clearly and powerfully structured that the journey for a cast to 'know' and 'find' these people. They are richly drawn,' Hemphill concluded.

Although I never watched their program, I do remember that Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were wildly known almost as much for their outrageous personalities and sartorial style as their devotion to preaching the gospel of Jesus. It is easy to see why the pair became an unlikely surrogate family for the two teenagers from Detroit raised on that same belief, as they rapidly became the hottest stars in televangical America. But for the naive siblings, especially BeBe, it's not an easy lesson learning how to reconcile the temptations of fame and fortune with the things he ultimately values more. It's a wildy funny yet emotional journey toward self-discovery, told with great music and outstanding performances by siblings Juan Winans and Deborah Joy Winans (the children of Carvin Winans, Sr. and Deborah Winans) who portray their aunt CeCe and uncle BeBe with the utmost respect, magical stage presence, and the most amazing vocal pipes!

Nick Meo will direct a revival of 'Search and Destroy' by Howard Korder, a portrait of nefarious business practices and moral degradation in the Reagan era. It will be presented by Strudel Productions (www.strudelproductions.com) January 14 to 23, 2010 at the Kraine Theater, 85 E. 4th Street.