Student Blogger: Kat Mokrynski - Page 2

Scar Tissue is a play that revolves around two roommates, Jessica (playwright Victoria Fragnito) and Sam (Rita McCann), each going through their own struggles in dealing with toxic relationships from their pasts. Jessica is attempting to break free from the memories of a man she dated in college, Luke (Nick Ritacco), a man who haunts her current relationship with Jack (Brandon Ford Green). Sam, on the other hand, is struggling with her relationship with her sister, Hannah (Jillian Vitko), who abandoned her in a time of need. When both women have to face their pasts head-on, truths are revealed and realities are shattered, threatening the relationship between the two roommates.

Walking into 'The Gallery' at the Green Fig truly makes you feel like you're entering some kind of secret society. I won't go into much detail but be prepared to be wowed! Once you're inside, a cast member gives you a shot and escorts you to your seat as other actors interact with the audience, asking questions and making jokes. The venue has a very 'speakeasy vibe,' perfect for a drinking club with a Shakespeare problem. Before seeing the show, I got to interview Lisa Klages, the Associate Director and Production Manager, as well as Nate Betancourt, the drunk actor at that night's performance

In early December, I had a chance to speak with Brian Blythe, one of the creators of the Costume Industry Coalition and the Showstoppers exhibit that ran until December 5th in Times Square. We reflected on the creation of Showstoppers and how the costume industry has been impacted by the pandemic, as well as what theatre fans can do to help the industry recover.. Enjoy!

Over the past week, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to cover the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for BroadwayWorld’s Student Blog Center. As a part of this process I attended performance rehearsals, the balloon inflation, and of course, the parade itself! Read on to find out more about what it’s like to spend a week with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Alex Wyse and Ben Fankhauser have joined forces to write and star in A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, a new musical off-Broadway. The show is “is everything you want the first new musical premiering in NYC to be: whip-smart and stupid funny, packed with songs as catchy as a jingle.” I had the opportunity to see Regina Comet this past weekend and had such a fun time!

Back in September, I saw an announcement on social media that AJ Holmes (apologies, Broadway's AJ Holmes) would be performing a solo show at the SoHo Playhouse. As an admirer of AJ's work who had some time to kill after class one night, I decided to pay the show a visit. After all, the show's blurb claimed that I was going to be hearing about 'the worst, most embarrassing, humiliating, potentially irredeemable parts' of someone I had been a fan of for many years - Who wouldn't want to see something like that? But as I took the subway down to the theater, I couldn't help but wonder what AJ was going to talk about. What had he done? Would I still admire him after the show had ended? Who exactly was AJ Holmes?

Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej will be starring in the final season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural, premiering this Friday on the BuzzFeed Unsolved Network's YouTube Channel. Need some convincing to join the boys on “one last nightmarish odyssey”? Here are my top 5 reasons to look forward to the final season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural!

Would you consider yourself a picky eater? I definitely would! Even though I’m always down to try a new food, it is rare for me to find something that I really enjoy and would consider ordering or cooking again. But luckily for all us picky eaters out there, BuzzFeed has a show made just for us.

For the past few years I have had a tradition of driving out to Manheim, Pennsylvania, to spend a day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. It's been a way for me to forget about the stresses of everyday life during some crazy times. But now that I'm living in New York, I decided it was time to give a new Renaissance Faire a try.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical and review it for BroadwayWorld. Recently, I also had the chance to speak with Nick Flatto, the director of Stranger Sings. We talked about the show, the effects of the pandemic, and even TikTok. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical tells the story of the beloved Netflix show through song and dance, poking fun at all of the 1980s tropes that take place in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, where nothing strange ever happens. For those unfamiliar with Stranger Things, the first season focuses on a group of nerdy boys searching for their friend, Will, who has gone missing. With a small cast of 9 and very little set pieces, the show takes a minimalist approach and focuses on the characters themselves, with each being parodied as a stereotype from the television show.

Pass Over was an absolute rollercoaster of a play. I went from laughing to crying, crying to sitting in shock, and sitting in shock to trembling in fear throughout the 85 minutes. The play is described as having the two main characters, Moses and Kitch, 'talk smack, pass the time, and hope that maybe today will be different,' but no small summary can describe what you will be seeing on that stage. While the play appears to take place in New York City, it also takes place on a plantation and in the land of Ancient Egypt, with all of the time periods colliding in one setting.

You never could have convinced me that the first Broadway show that I would see as a resident of New York would be Springsteen on Broadway. Bruce Springsteen? The guy my dad's obsessed with? Sure, I like some of his songs, but why would I go to a solo show that's 140 minutes long with no intermission? But I wanted to do something nice for my dad's birthday and was so desperate to be back in a Broadway seat that I would've seen anything. To be honest, I probably would have paid full price for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark if I had to keep going without live theatre for much longer.

“Why, then the world’s my oyster, which I with sword will open” (Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2 Scene 2)

Well friends, the time has finally come. BuzzFeed Unsolved, the beloved series starring Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej, is coming to an end. Ever since 2016, this show has been a source of great memes, fascinating stories, and of course, dozens of unsolved mysteries both mundane and supernatural. For this article, I had the special opportunity to speak with the two “ghoulboys” about the series and how YouTube as a whole can be used as a platform for performance. We talked about the growth of the series, fan interactions, and even the legendary series known as the Hot Daga. Let’s jump right into it!

The 74th Tony Awards are on a tragic path that continues the Great White Way’s tradition of excluding those who are unable to pay high prices for content, failing to catch up with the digital world around them.

A few weeks ago, theater critic Charles McNulty published an article in the Los Angeles Times titled 'Cut the intermission, please. Why I hope the pandemic ends a theatrical tradition.' The article argues that audiences are becoming more restless and have shorter attention spans, which is only hurt by having a 15-minute break in the middle of a performance.

Well, it's official - Broadway is coming back! So many of us have been waiting for this moment when our social media feeds are filled with announcements about shows reopening and new ticket policies. And fortunately, I will be living in New York as I spend my senior year on campus (ironically it'll also be the first this I'm on campus, but that's another story)

This past week I had the opportunity to speak with Eric about his theatre-related commentary tracks and how he believes the tracks fit into performance art as a whole. Enjoy, and Go Tigers!

It's crazy to think that it's been over a year since Broadway was shut down. I remember when they first announced it in March - I was studying abroad in France and I had just encouraged my friend to wait for a few hours in line for rush tickets for a show.