La MaMa Presents COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES #151 'ETHYL EICHELBERGER'

Celebrating the life and work of Ethyl Eichelberger with panelists, live performances and archival materials. The event, curated by Michal Gamily, is moderated by Miss Joan Marie Moossy; with panelists, Brian Belovitch, Joe E Jeffreys, John Kelly, Lori E Seid, Black-Eyed Susan, and Mark Russell; live performances by Black-Eyed Susan, Jennifer Miller, and Jeremy Halpern with Auntie Belle; and archival material from the La MaMa Archives.

Ethyl Eichelberger (1945-1990) was a key player on the manic East Village scene of the 1980s. Best remembered today for his high octane solo drag plays and performances, for nearly 20 years Ethyl wrote, produced, staged and starred in a series of 32 madcap and highly idiosyncratic poetic plays based in the lives of great women of history, literature and myth. The plays, including Nefertiti (1976), Medea (1980), Lucrezia Borgia (1982,Obie Award), Klytemnestra, (1985) and The Lincolns (1988), concern strong women who survive, mix high and low elements, include accordion accompanied songs and were performed to critical acclaim by Eichelberger with childlike glee and razor sharp acting skills in clubs and performance spaces from the Pyramid, 8 B.C., Dixon Place and PS 122 to Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall as well as worldwide. In addition to keeping his own repertoire in constant production, he also acted with the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, regional theaters throughout the country and on Broadway, television and film.

Miss Joan Marie Moossy is a writer and an actress. Over the years, she has worked with many downtown luminaries like Ethyl Eichelberger, Gerard Little aka Mr Fashion, Black Eyed Susan, Penny Arcade, and Kevin Maloney, as well as producing her own work. She has been commissioned twice to write plays, once for the Tweed New Works Festival, and once for a private commission. She has also written magazine articles, had a radio show on WBAI, and a TV talk show on MNN. She makes short comedy movies and currently has a comedy detective series on YouTube called "Miss Moossy's Neighborhood Mysteries" that is set on the Lower East Side. She worked with Ethyl for the last 4 years of his life. Miss Moossy started as his stage manager, then he went on to write parts for her in all of his subsequent plays. His mentoring was a huge influence and shaped much about Miss Moossy's life. There is really no way to repay such a gift, but one of her missions since his death is to do everything she can to help keep Ethyl's name and his genius alive.

Coffeehouse Chronicles is an educational performance series exploring the history of Off-Off Broadway. Our mission is to provide a home for personal engagement with art. Part artist-portrait, part history lesson, and part community forum, Coffeehouse Chronicles takes an intimate look at the development of downtown theatre, from the 1960s' "Coffeehouse Theatres" through today. Events feature firsthand oral accounts from artists of the day, as well as conversations with contemporary artists who work in the same bold, daring manner today. Coffeehouse Chronicles are held on one Saturday each month (September through June).

COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES #151 "Ethyl Eichelberger"

Curator: Michal Gamily

Moderator: Miss Joan Marie Moossy

Panelists: Brian Belovitch, Joe E Jeffreys, John Kelly, Lori E Seid, Black-Eyed Susan and Mark Russell

Live Performances: Jennifer Miller, Black-Eyed Susan, Jeremy Halpern with Auntie Belle

Archival Material: La MaMa Archives | Andrei Serban's Private Collection

Series Director: Michal Gamily

Educational Outreach: Arthur Adair

When: Saturday Febraury 23, 2019 at 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Where: La MaMa | Ellen Stewart Theatre | 66 East 4th Street, NY, NY 10003

Reservations & Info: http://lamama.org/ethyl/

Admission: $10 Adult Tickets; $5 Student/Senior Tickets (+$1 Facility Fee); Free for La MaMa Members