Performances & Events

People Who Make Theater: Intimacy on Stage, March 19

A conversation with 

Alicia Rodis, Co-Founder of Intimacy Directors International

For years Intimacy Directors have been choreographing intimate moments & advocating for consensual workspaces in the rehearsal room. In this shifting culture, Intimacy Direction is now becoming a new standard practice. Chat with Alicia Rodis, co-founder of Intimacy Directors International, whose company is at the forefront of this shift. From intimate tension to a tender embrace to full on simulated sex, a conversation of how to tell these stories safely and dynamically.


Monday, March 19 | 7:30pm
HB Playwrights Theater | 124 Bank Street
Suggested donation: $5-$10
RSVP at hbstudio.eventbrite.com

HB Celebrates Leonard Bernstein at 100

 HB CELEBRATES

An evening of songs from the musical theater works of Leonard Bernstein during the worldwide #Bernsteinat100 celebration

MONDAY, MARCH 5th at 7:00 PM

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

Leonard Bernstein – composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian – is one of the most iconic artists of the 20th century. Bernstein’s steadfast belief in the power of art to lift, transform, delight and educate was his antidote to a world full of violence and unpredictability. A charter member of HB’s Playwrights Foundation and a longtime friend to HB’s founders, HB Studio is thrilled to present this benefit evening with Broadway stars in a tribute to his work, during the worldwide #Bernsteinat100 celebration.

Featuring remarks by ALEXANDER BERNSTEIN, LONNY PRICE and the talents of Broadway stars STEPHEN DEROSA (BWAY: On the Town, Betrayal, The Nance, Hairspray, Into the Woods), STEVEN ENG (OFF BWAY: Pacific Overtures, Chee-Chee; WEST END: The King and I), MELISSA ERRICO (BWAY: Anna Karenina, My Fair Lady, High Society, Dracula, White Christmas, Amour), ALI EWOLDT  (BWAY: Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, Les Misérables), CHILINA KENNEDY (BWAY: Beautiful, Jesus Christ Superstar), TRACEY MICHAILIDIS (BWAY: Beauty and the Beast; OFF-BWAY: Ethel Sings; NAT’L TOUR: Fun Home), CARL-MICHAEL OGLE (Regional: Showboat (Citi Performing Arts Center), The Wiz (Fiddlehead Theatre Company), West Side Story(FTC), ELIZA SIMPSON (Off-Broadway: The Woodsman (59E59 Theaters), NY: The Mysteries (The Flea Theater), Kapowi Gogo (The PIT, Time Out NY Critics Pick), Three Sisters (HIT)), CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON (BWAY: The Music Man (Revival), Grease! (Revival), Chu Chem),  and TONY YAZBECK (BWAY: Prince of Broadway, Finding Neverland, On the Town, Chicago, White Christmas, Gypsy, A Chorus Line), with musical directors MICHAEL DANSICKER (BWAY: The Times They Are A-Changin’, Piaf, Good, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Iceman Cometh, Singin’ in the Rain) and Grammy Award-winning JOHN MCDANIEL (BWAY: Bonnie and Clyde, Catch Me If You Can, Brooklyn, Annie Get Your Gun ,Taboo, Chicago, Grease, Patti LuPone on Broadway, Company). Directed by ROBERT MCQUEEN, esteemed HB faculty and Director of New Musical Development for Toronto’s Musical Stage Company. McQueen’s many directing credits include Man of La Mancha (Startford Festival), Forest Boy (NYMF), The Wild Party, Falsettos, Caroline, Or Change, The Light in the Piazza, The Magic Flute (Vancouver Opera), Hair and Pal Joey. 

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

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First Floor Studio Residency – THE SECRET LIFE OF SEAWEED

By Julie McKee 
Directed by Jean Randich

A Staged Reading

Saturday & Sunday, January 27 & 28 | 7 pm
First Floor Studio | 120 Bank Street, New York
Free | RSVP at eventbrite.com

1942.  New Zealand is under threat of a Japanese invasion.  Louise MacGregor,  formidable scientist, is sent in search of  Pterocladia Lucida, a simple seaweed to aid the war effort.  May Smith, an untried youngster, is plucked to assist the prickly botanist as a sketch artist. But having only recently discovered her Maori heritage, May has other questions and struggles to meet Louise’s rigorous demands.  Inspired by Lucy B. Moore’s wartime mission to scour the wilds of New Zealand’s coast for the weed, “The Secret Life of Seaweed” tells the story of two women who learn to feel deeply about each other in a time when expressing feelings of unbearable emotional sadness was forbidden for the good of all.

Featuring James Hallett*, Siw Laurent, Johanna Leister*, Donna Svennevik, with stage directions by Andrew Plimpton.

The Secret Life of Seaweed is a commission by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation of Science and Technology and The Ensemble Studio Theatre.

*Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity/Aftra.

*Photo credit Donna Svennevik

PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEATER: Meet the Catalan Artists: Lali Álvarez, Cláudia Cedó, Anna Giribet, Ariadna Peya & Xesca Salvà: Jan 16, 2018

Meet the Catalan Artists 
Copresented by HB Studio and Institut Ramon Llull

Featuring five socially engaged female artists from Catalonia who will be sharing presentations of their work:

Lali Álvarez (playwright, poet, stage director)
Cláudia Cedó (playwright & director)
Anna Giribet (theater artist & programmer)
Ariadna Peya (choreographer, dancer, teacher)
Xesca Salvà (set designer & theater artist)

Presentations will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 | 7pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street
Free! | RSVP at hbstudio.eventbrite.com

 

LALI ÁLVAREZ: I work as a playwright, poet, stage director and community-projects developer, having studied philosophy at Universitat de Barcelona and stage directing and playwriting at Institut del Teatre. I often participate in text theatre, street theatre, and in community projects, with my work revolving around social and political issues. I am the current artistic director at the HUI BASA Collective, through which I hold the resident artist position at Nau Ivanow in Barcelona. The collective is now working on Tha Zpar (The Stand Still) a street-theatre show about how we manage fear and violence, which will premiere in September 2018 at FiraTàrrega, and on Privilege, a theatre documentary about the concept of privilege, to premiere in July 2019 at the Barcelona Grec Festival. As a playwright and stage director, I have put on Ragazzo (2015) and Barcelona (against the wall) (2016), both based on true stories, and both on tour. I have been honored with various awards such as the Serra d’Or Critics Award (best show 2015 for Ragazzo) and the Recomana Critics Award (best show for young audience 2016 for Ragazzo).
www.lalialvarezgarriga.com

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Benefit Series: Maricela De La Luz Lights the World

By Jośe Rivera.Maricela De La Luz Lights the World by Jose Rivera
Directed by David Deblinger.

Two Nights Only:
Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 | 7PM
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street

$250 Premiere Tickets
$125 Priority Tickets
$25 HB Student Tickets

Join HB for a staged reading of Jose Rivera’s fanciful play, following the adventures of Maricela and her brother Riccardo as they save the world from weather catastrophe. Directed by David Deblinger, HB faculty member and co-founder of the Labyrinth Theater Company.

Featuring Vanessa Aspillaga – star of the Pulitzer-prize winning drama ANNA IN THE TROPICS on Broadway.

Also featuring the talents of Oscar A. L. Cabrera, Paula Pizzi, Johnny Sanchez, Ron Orbach, Glenda Delli, Beethovan Oden, and Satoshi Deleanu.

Don’t miss this exciting and fun, whirl-wind adventure! A portion of proceeds from this reading will be donated towards The Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to meet Hurricane Maria-related needs and recovery in Puerto Rico.

HB Studio Performance Lab – Not Far From Where We Were Before: Scenes and Songs From Lerner & Loewe

Book & Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner
Composer: Frederick Loewe

7PM | Fri, Sat & Sun | Nov 10, 11 & 12, 2017
HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank St. | FREE

Directed by Robert McQueen

This autumn HB Studio presents a celebration of the work of musical theater writers Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Not Far From Where We Were Before features a company of actors from the HB Musical Theater Studio Practice program. The evening includes scenes and songs from Lerner and Loewe’s most iconic musicals, such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as earlier, lesser known work. Join us for an evening that honors two of the most important, beloved and celebrated voices in the American musical theater canon.
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PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEATER: The Musical Magic of Lerner & Loewe

A conversation with musicologist Dominic McHugh, a primary authority on the work of Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, and Emily Altman, president of the Frederick Loewe Foundation. With songs performed by Tony-nominee Melissa Errico in a special guest appearance.

Mon, Nov 13, 2017 | 7pm | FREE
HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank St

Join us for an in-depth conversation about the musical artistry and creative partnership of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, the genius pairing behind such classic works as MY FAIR LADY, BRIGADOON, CAMELOT, GIGI, and PAINT YOUR WAGON. Continue reading →

Info Session: Performance and Project Development Opportunities at HB Studio – Oct 25.

Want to know more about opportunities to perform or develop your own work at HB? Whether you are an actor, playwright, director, an individual or a member of a collective, we’ll give you a rundown of current opportunities available to HB Students to:

  • Perform
  • Audition
  • Get your info into our casting files
  • Develop a project in a rehearsal space residency
  • Submit a new play for consideration for reading or production
  • Rent space to produce your own work
…and more!
Wednesday, October 25 at 2:00PM
HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank Street

 

First Floor Studio Residency – BEE

BEE Distressed image of woman with scarf over her head. By Iranian photographer Shadi Ghadirian
A First Floor Studio Residency Project

Created by Melody Erfani
Written by Sean Michael Welch

Saturdays & Sundays – November 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 | 7:30 pm

BEE is the story of Izat, a young Iranian girl trapped in an abusive marriage in the 1940’s. After years of suffering both physically and mentally at the hands of her spouse, she knows the only way she will survive is if she is able to leave him. In an unprecedented move, her father is able to use his influence to secure a divorce for her. The story intertwines with interviews from immigrants who have had to make the difficult choice of leaving their homeland because their very survival was at stake.

Lower East Side Shakespeare Co. has taken on a new challenge in that they are producing new work in the vein of creating like Shakespeare. BEE created by Melody Erfani and written by Sean Michael Welch is a piece that is intended to start dialogue and discussion.