Director

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Whereas Puppies Are Adorable by Tom Reed

The PIT, NYC

Within the Raucous Caucus political theatre festival organized by Box Wine Theatre at The PIT, I directed Tom Reed's Whereas Puppies Are Adorable, a scathing critique of the current over-conflicted Congressional atmosphere. Everything is debatable, even the most innocuous bill proposed by a rookie house representative simply arguing that puppies are adorable. On stage an ensemble of energetic "political animals" embodied by Charlotte Grady, Mahmoud Hakima, Anthony Paglia, Maya Schnaider, and Dennis Zavolock. With them, I worked on a gradual transition from civil discussion to grotesque physical confrontation when the beastly natures of politicians emerge. Everything, of course, is immediately broadcast through social media as the representatives soon find out.

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Fru Mary by Berioska Ipinza

440 Studios, Black Box Studio, NYC

In my second collaboration with Chilean NYC-based company LaMicro Theater, I directed Berioska Ipinza's Fru Mary, an exploration of how two siblings use their imagination to cope with being abandoned by their mother. Digging into the potentiality of this play, two talented performers, Daniela Thome and Roberto Sanabria have made rehearsals a true process of discovery. We presented this piece during LaMicro's Summer Session.

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Changing Neighborhoods

Center for Performance Research, NYC

In April/May 2015 I collaborated as dramaturg and director with three performer-choreographers – Lori Hamilton, J Reese, Sarah Starkweather – and musician Ken Kruper on a dance piece that tries to capture the spirit of a neighborhood as it changes over time. New people are first attracted and then pushed out in a constant recursive flux that materializes at different times during the exhibition through movement and music. This dance piece was created during the "Your [_____] Neighborhood collaborate:create residency produced by ForwardFlux. Photos: Stebos © 2015

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Your [_____] Neighborhood

Center for Performance Research, NYC

Between April and May 2015 I was invited to my second artist residency with Forwardflux for three weeks of intense collaborative exploration of how neighborhoods are transformed, gentrified, or even colonized. Through meetings once a week with the whole group of participants and more intimate rehearsals with two smaller groups, for the first time I worked as dramaturg of a dance piece, Changing Neighborhoods. For the exhibition program, click here.

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The Cutthroat Series: Grandguignol Duels at The Flea

The Flea Theater, New York City.

The Fall season of 2014 at The Flea was dedicated to the Cutthroat Series, eleven Grand-Guignol plays organized in four pods. Each of them replicated the concept of the douche écossaise, a mix of gory and lustful pieces. I directed Tics, or Doing the Deed (Apres Coup!... ou Tics) by René Berton with a cast of BATS, the resident company. Not only did the title of the series apply to the stories portrayed, it also meant that each evening the audience voted for the best play, eliminating the others. Tics received the most votes and was extended for a run in January 2015 for the Winners' Victory Lap. For pictures and program of Tics, or Doing the Deed, click here. To publicize the entire event The Flea produced a scary video where my cast experimented with makeup and grandguignol grimaces. You can watch it below.

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Tics, or Doing the Deed by René Berton

The Flea Theater, New York City.

The Fall season of 2014 at The Flea was dedicated to the Cutthroat series, eleven Grand-Guignol plays organized in four pods. Each of them replicated the concept of the douche écossaise, a mix of gory and lustful pieces. Not only did the title of the series apply to the stories portrayed, it also meant that each evening the audience voted for the best play, eliminating the others. I directed Tics, or Doing the Deed (Apres Coup!... ou Tics) by René Berton with a cast of BATS, the resident company. In this outright farce, animal instincts resurface and human impediments disrupt the tranquil and boring routines of the bourgeoisie in the country. Everything ends with a loud and chaotic pandemonium. Tics received the most votes and was extended for a run in January 2015 for the Winners' Victory Lap. For more info and a full color program click here (Gore) and here (Victory Lap).

Photo: Stebos © 2014

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The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Theaterlab, New York City.

The 110th anniversary of The Cherry Orchard prompted me to stage this phenomenal play with my company, on the exact dates of the anniversary of its premiere at the Moscow Art Theatre. For this show I wore several hats: director, producer, set designer, event manager, translator, and a few others. You can find the Playbill for the show, including my director's notes, here. Here's the promotional video for the show, which captures the mix of serious and funny that Chekhov writes in every line and we tried to match at every step.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1323cUef_og

Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014 Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014 Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014

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Resident Director: The Flea Theater - New York City

In October 2013 Jim Simpson, artistic director of The Flea Theater, accepted me as Resident Director and part of the team of this Off-Off Broadway venue. It's a very exciting development in my career and I look forward to many collaborative projects, especially now that another more spacious building is being prepared to host a brand new version of The Flea.

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Pirandello's The Giants of the Mountain

Theaterlab, New York City.

On October 15, 2013 the Pirandello Society of America sponsored a reading I adapted and directed of Pirandello's The Giants of the Mountain. This is a “myth” between fable and reality that Pirandello continued to imagine, write, and rework from 1929 to 1934, but eventually left unfinished despite encouraging contracts with American impresarios. Yet, in its present form, the play vibrates with the powerful contradictions of sublime Art torn between the inner necessity to reach out to spectators who may not understand it and the temptation to abandon the world altogether. It was, in the playwright’s opinion, the culmination of his artistic endeavors. The reading took place at Theaterlab and it was part of the series "NOT Made in Italy - Creativity as Displacement" and of the celebrations for the Year of Italian Culture in the United States. For the evening's program in pdf, click here.

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Audition: The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Actors for The Cherry Orchard (Non-Union) Casting non-union actors for Theatre Plots’ production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov.
Stebos, producer and director. This production will coincide with the 110^th anniversary of the play’s premiere at the Moscow Art Theatre. Auditions by appointment only, Sunday 15 and 22 September, 7-10 pm in Midtown. SUBMISSION INFO:
 E-mail theatreplots@live.com with desired role(s), headshot, resume, and scheduling conflicts. Please do not submit if you cannot attend all ensemble rehearsal and techs. SCHEDULE:
 Ensemble rehearsals are in midtown Sun. evenings 7-11 pm on Oct. 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec. 1, 8, 15. Techs Jan. 5, 10, 11, 12. Dress Jan 15. Six performances at Theaterlab Jan. 16-19 with two shows on Sat. 18 and Sun. 19. Additional rehearsals will be scheduled for specific scenes depending on the actors’ availability. Each actor will meet 2-3 times with the director prior to the beginning of the ensemble rehearsals, resulting in a thorough preparation on his/her character. Especially looking for ensemble trained performers who will enjoy in-depth work through Stanislavsky’s latest method, active analysis. STIPEND: 

$100-$250 depending on role and experience. BREAKDOWN: MEN: Gayev (45-55), Simeonov-Pishchik (40-60), Trofimov (25-30), Lopakhin (30-45), Yasha (23-30), Firs (60-90), Yepikhodov (30-40) Plays the guitar, A Stranger (20-45) WOMEN: Ranevskaya (40-50), Anya (15-20), Varya (22-27), Charlotta (25-40) Plays magic tricks, Dunyasha (20-28) Job Start Date: 9/23/2013 Job End Date: 1/19/2014 Union Information: Non-Union Salary: Stipend: $100-$250 depending on role and experience. Company: Theatre Plots Productions Address: New York, NY 10018 Contact: theatreplots@live.com Audition Information When: Sept. 15 – 7-10 pm Sept. 22 – 7-10 pm Where: Theaterlab, 357 W 36st St, 3^rd Floor – Galleria Room, in front of the elevator. New York, NY 10018 Notes/What to bring: Headshot & resume, stapled together, plus any scheduling conflicts.