THEATRE, HISTORY, POLITICS & MEMORY

MEET ON THE CASTILLO STAGE

IN DEMONSTRATION 2013

For its first production following the sold-out run of Katori Hall’s Children of Killers, the Castillo Theatre premiered Demonstration 2013, a multi-media performance piece written by Artistic Director Dan Friedman that ran for seven performances (February 22, 23 and March 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10).

Under the direction of David Nackman, Demonstration 2013 incorporated song, poetry, historical speeches, documentary footage, oral history and selections from Castillo’s repertoire of theatrical productions to creatively examine culture and politics that have grown out of the movements of the 1960s. A montage of scenes and songs, the play was something of a family photo album, telling stories of the activists who helped build Castillo and the unique independent performance community from which Castillo emerged and which Castillo helped shape over the last four decades.

With roots in the Epic Theatre of Erwin Piscator and Bertolt Brecht, Demonstration 2013 drew its inspiration from three previous “Demonstration” pieces conceived by the late Fred Newman, Castillo’s artistic director and playwright-in-residence from 1989 to 2005.

The cast was composed of seasoned stage performers working side-by-side with Castillo volunteers and community activists and recent graduates of the Youth Onstage! Community Performance School. The production was anchored by Ava Jenkins, winner of the 2012 AUDELCO “Viv” Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Sally Hemings in the Castillo production of Sally and Tom (The American Way) by Fred Newman and Annie Roboff.  Director David Nackman, a veteran of the Broadway stage, has appeared in scores of Castillo productions and is the director of its improv musical comedy troupe, The Proverbial Loons.  

For more information about Castillo Theatre shows, contact Gail Peck, 212-356-8449, gpeck@allstars.org


Castillo's 2012 Gala: "Creating Friends"

Castillo members and friends gathered on Monday evening, Novmber 12th, to celebrate the growth of our theatre community and re-dedicate ourselves to all the work ahead. The evening honored Gail Peck, David Nackman, EmilieCharlotte Knoerzer, and Joseph Spirito. Over $60,000 was raised. Congratulations to everyone who made the Gala such a success! For more information about this annual event, click here.                             PHOTOS BY RONALD L. GLASSMAN  

 

The Proverbial Loons

in Musical Comedy at Castillo

Six talented improvisers (one on piano) create a fully improvised musical inspired by the lives of two audience members. See your life transformed into a zany musical, or just watch and enjoy the show. It's guaranteed entertaining and ridiculous! See "Out In New Jersey" news article!

 

Featuring: David Nackman, Marian Rich, Andy Parker, Cathy Rose Salit, John B. Opdycke, with Frank Spitznagel on piano.

Upcoming Loons' shows will be Saturday evenings at 8 PM: May 11 & 18, June 8 & 15, 2013 

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

COMMUNITY MEETING

lorem ipsum bla bla

March 11 announcement of 2013 Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre (rear, from l. to r.) Diane Stiles, Grace Jones, Michelle Preston, Richard Wesley, Dan Friedman, Mario Fratti, Woodie King, Jr. (front, l. to r.) Gloria Miguel, Muriel Miguel. Photo by Kimberly Chin

2013 Otto René Castillo Awards

for Political Theatre Announced

 On Monday, March 11, 2013 at the Castillo Theatre in New York City, members of the Awards Committee of the Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre gathered for the announcement of the 2013 Otto Award honorees. The 15th annual awards celebration will be held on May 19, 2013 at 2:00 pm at the Castillo Theatre.

Castillo artistic director Dan Friedman announced this year’s four awardees:

Spiderwoman Theater, founded in 1976, Spiderwoman is an indigenous woman’s theatre collective that creates environments in which the native, women’s and arts communities come together to examine their social, cultural and political concerns. Spiderwoman has broken new ground in weaving storytelling into theatre and has developed as a powerful international voice for indigenous woman.

SITI Company, founded in 1992 by Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki, is dedicated to ensemble building and international cultural exchange and collaboration. One of the most influential experimental theatres in the world, SITI is known for its unique actor training which brings together Viewpoints and the Suzuki Method.

The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, founded in 1993 in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, works with young people in low-income areas of Los Angeles, offering intensive theatre workshops designed to help participants develop self-esteem, communication and coping skills.

Richard Wesley became a force in the Black Theatre movement with the production of his play Black Terror at the New York Shakespeare Company in 1971, for which he went on to win the Drama Desk Award. In addition to his plays, Wesley has also written numerous screenplays and teleplays. Wesley is currently the chair of the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Present for the announcement were past Otto honorees, Woodie King, Jr. (1998), Mario Fratti (2000), Grace Jones (2012), and Brad Burgess of the Living Theatre (1998).

The Otto Awards (executive producer: Diane Stiles) were founded in 1998 to recognize, support and connect theatre companies and artists engaged in creating political, experimental and community-based theatre. They have been awarded to 88 theatres and individual theatre artists from the United States, Austria, Canada, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Pakistan, Serbia and the United Kingdom.

The Castillo Theatre (artistic director: Dan Friedman) is located at 543 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues, New York, NY, 10036. For additional information about the 2013 Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre, please contact Gail Peck at 212.356.8449 or gpeck@allstars.org.


Castillo Theatre Wins 5 "Viv" Awards

for Sally & Tom (The American Way)


At the 40th Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, held November 19th at Symphony Space, Castillo Theatre swept the awards in the musical production category. For Castillo's 2012 production of Sally and Tom (The American Way), book and lyrics by Fred Newman, music by Annie Roboff, the awards were as follows: Director, Musical Production, Gabrielle L. Kurlander; Outstanding Performance in a Musical (Female), Ava Jenkins; Outstanding Performance in a Musical (Male), Brian D. Hills; Outstanding Musical Director, Michael Walsh; and finally-- Musical Production of the Year! 
                                                                      PHOTOS BY DAVID NACKMAN  


A Conversation with Katori Hall

Sunday, October 14 at Castillo  

Playwright Katori Hall (center) with the youth cast of the 2010 workshop reading of her play, Children of Killers

Sunday,October 14th, immediately following the matinee performance of Children of Killers, Castillo's ongoing Culture Talk series featured the play's author, Katori Hall. 

Children of Killers was inspired by a trip to Rwanda in 2009 where Ms Hall attended a genocide studies conference and spoke with victims and perpetrators of the genocide. Originally commissioned by the National Theatre in London, the play was developed in part through a 2010 workshop conducted with students in Castillo's youth theatre program, Youth Onstage!

Ms Hall's Broadway play, The Mountaintop, starred Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett and won the Olivier Avard for best play in 2010. Her most recent NY production, Hurt Village, was set in the projects of her hometown of Memphis and was a part of the inaugural season of the new Signature Center.