Stage Takes

Fool For Love at Anthony Meindl’s Actor’s Workshop

Fool For Love by Sam Shepard, presented at Anthony Meindl’s Actor’s Workshop by Heart to Heart Theater is filled with exciting moments and electrifying performances. The play runs at 1 hour and 15 minutes and is well-done as a collaborative effort. We enter the space, a Western hotel room with mood lighting to set the tone. I liked the live music at the start, to transport us to the West. The play starts with a fight, indicating the state of the relationship of the two characters. The relationship begins with many questions and leaves us with many more questions; the director does a good job at having us question their chemistry from the start. No spoilers here, but the play does take twists and turns, and the actors do a good job being as surprised as we are. Overall, solid performances from Joe Coffey and Bridgett Mistrot. This production seems like it was done to be an actors’ showcase, which is fine.

Price Payne, as Martin, stands out! He represents us, the audience, filling in the unknown with humor. Payne nails every moment he is on stage. Shout out to the Old Man played by Mark Youngs who sits on the side of the stage and narrates as a Greek Chorus type-figure. I sensed some acting on the line and bad blocking (actors turned away from the stage within the first few minutes) that was soon recovered. All in all, Fool For Love is a good show that will play Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 at 8 PM at the Anthony Meindl’s Actor’s Workshop.

Photography by: @mr_oppertunity

March 13, 2025
Catharsis Bites at The Broadwater Black Box

Catharsis Theater Collective is the theater company set up by Ryan Lisman. Ryan has a selective taste, yet allowed members of this company to preview scenes from projects that they eventually hope to produce. I have been eager to see this project. The scenes did not disappoint. Similar to my most recent reviews from the 30 Or Less Fest, I will write a few sentences for each show. Ryan did a good job hosting. One night was filled with audience interaction, the other he set up a stand-up comedy set. I would have liked to know a little more about the scenes before they started, such as, at what point in the plot do they take place or where the characters are coming from. The following reviews are just my opinion and not a fact, for entertainment purposes only:

“The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog” written by Thomas Yungerberg was a great opener, and one of my favorites. The show was about a man who appeared nervous to bring a girl into his life. I thought Isabella Costa and Spencer Weitzel made really interesting choices and tapped into the inner lives of these characters; also their chemistry was great. One thing I thought was super unnecessary was the spotlight that shone on the characters during their monologues; took us out from the realism.

“A New Testament” written by Ryan Lisman was quite weird. Very hard to alllow the suspension of disbelief with this one. It is about a nun who battles with her sexual desires. She gossips with Sister Imogen about their disagreements with the suppression of desire, and then Dylan, a student, reveals the affair they have together. Hayley Keenen is very talented, as seen in another show, but this character left her with some cartoon-like, awkward choices to make. Heidi is a great choice to play the the nun, as evidence by the powerful use of silences, aggressive stares. But I felt this piece needs more subtly, less on the nose action.

“Sub Rosa” was written by one of Ryan’s friend’s from grad school, Christian Krenek and directed by Veronica Matthews. Being a therapist myself, I had trouble viewing this play objectively, with regards to ethics. It is about a therapist, played by Marilyn Sanabria, trying to get information about one of her client’s sexual desires from a man/trainer, played by Casey Alcoser, that the client used to role play with. I really liked Casey Alcoser’s performance, the character was calculated and Casey was able to portray the seductive persuasion of the character very well. Although, when we look at a script, we probably analyze what these character’s objectives are and how they will achieve it. Therefore, I was confused at Dr. Emily Kendall’s approach. I felt that there was a weird sexual tension between these characters that was unnecessary. Sanabria, nonetheless did a good job with what she had to work with. Kyle, played by Alcoser, concluded the play with a very thought provoking monologue and I thought that was what made this play work.

“The Conquered” is written and directed by Audrey Cirzan. I really liked the concept, and Audrey [Cirzan] is perhaps one of my favorite writers that I know personally, with her Fringe show The Roost being a hit. Yet, I felt like the actors were reading the script rather than interpreting it. Theo Fay and Scout Gutzmerson are both terrific actors but it seemed this show did not allow them to explore. It was very dialogue/conceptual heavy, and I found myself listening to the words rather than the emotions in between. The characters spoke in such a way, without pauses, that didn’t give space for feeling in between. I wondered what this would have looked like under different direction.

“Must Come Down” was a very nice piece. It is hard to suspend disbelief when seeing adults playing high schoolers, but they did a good job. Two students, one had tried to kiss the other and got punched in the face for doing so. In their dialogue, the bully comes in touch with his own sexuality. S.E Perry knocked it out of the park with his comedic relief, as he plays the principal who struggles with wanting to keep the school’s inclusivity and projecting a classical army sergeant type.

“Dog of Carnage” by Benjamin Schwartz and directed by Natalie Nicole Dressel was another favorite of mine. A court scene where a couple battles out for custody over their dog. Absurdist, wacky, and a social commentary on contemporary culture. I thought the actors, Spencer Weitzel and Hayley Kennan, gave strong performances that mixed in with the flavor of goofiness in the writing. Really great physical humor, dance breaks, and commitment to the bit. Good use of lighting as well.

“Walking Shadows” was excellent. A piece that leaves you thinking. Both Scout Gutzmerson and Brandon Pascal gave excellent performances. Absurdist, two characters rummaging through the craziness of writing. A play that is rminiscent of David Ives’ “Words, Words, Words”.

Closing out was Ryan’s piece “And What of the Children?” which he plans to bring to Hollywood Fringe. I don’t know what to say of this — maybe that’s a good thing? Courageous, controversial subject matter. Just because I do not agree with some of the character’s points of views, does it mean I cannot take in the story? Having known nothing of the plot — it is probably not a show I would go see: a family upset that one of the individuals has a secret Only Fans account. Could be a lot more comedic, now that I think of it. Good performances by Isabela Costa, Audrey Cirzan, and Riley Introcaso. but now that I think of it, why do the characters not see the comedy in all of this? [On a side note, I have heard a criticism about the film, “Rabbit Hole,” based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire, where it failed in not finding any of the humor of the original play). I will say, having seen this scene, I am excited to see how the full play will turn out.

What Ryan did was very special, a chance for artists to experiment with their work. I spoke with Ryan, who said he has not seen any of the shows until opening night, which is interesting, and I’m glad artists were given freedom to experiment. Excited to see what’s next for Catharsis Theater Collective.

February 2, 2025

review, reviews, scenes, theater
Stage Takes Top Picks from the 30 Minute or Less Fest

These are the shows I would like to recognize as my top picks, in no order

Mister Snow (by RM Productions, Rachael Meyers & Bryan McKinley)

Welcome to the Uterus (Produced by Hayla Stewart and Mariah Carillo)

I’m A Nice Man (directed by BK Wong, written and performed by Adam Frost-Vernick)

The Cancer Comedy Hour (written and performed by Lili Ignon)

Still Alive (Play by Rosemary Griggs, Music by David Rhodes)

Ain’t I/Ain’t It/Ain’t We (written and performed by Ms. Latrice P. Young)

January 30, 2025
30 Minutes or Less Festival, weekend 2

Welcome back to StageTakes of weekend 2 of the 30 Minutes or Less Festival presented by Combined Arts / Asylum Theater at the Stephanie Feury Theater in Melrose. It was a busy weekend of shows, one after the other, and I right away want to apologize to any shows that I missed. I have heard great things about all of them and I hope I will get another chance to see them. Second weekend attending shows and writing little blurbs about them.

Day 2:

Permanent Objects: Reb Powers greeted us at the door and brought her charming personality to the show as well! This was a personal show and very fun, it felt as though we were witnessing inner child work. Very spontaneous, I don’t know how much was pre-planned yet the show included tech cues. She pulled objects out of a bag, and had stories to tell about each; a simple premise yet universal and therapeutic in that she had us think about what objects define or defined us for a period of our lives. This could be a great exercise, and I would like to extend the offer to you, dear reader, to think about which objects defined you throughout your life.

The Cancer Comedy Hour: What a show! Really special one-person show created by a Lili Ignon, a two-time cancer survivor battling with the desire to live a “normal” life with the requirements expected of her by caregivers. She opened with “Don’t be afraid to laugh at the traumatic stuff” and her warm heartedness set us at ease. Excellent storytelling and fun impressions. She talked about her father sharing his history of being punk rock to her having to miss classes for treatments. She sprinkles in humor by poking fun at the disparities she faced; we may never be able to truly understand what she has gone through but she is able to make us feel a plethora in 20 minutes.

For You: Personal and powerful, a show that will widen your awareness to the experience of motherhood. I met Melissa Lugo slightly before the show and was pleased at how generous she was to myself and all of the theater patrons The show seemed very well-crafted. Lugo hit every beat on the spot. It made me wonder if a show could be over-rehearsed. As the show went on, a phone went off, shuffling ensued in the crowd, but Melissa kept going. I thought, this is polar opposite to Reb Powers’ Permanent Objects the actor knew her mark and played the sequence; different style is all. A strong show about grief, addiction, and motherhood.

Ain’t I/Ain’t It/Ain’t We: I’m getting tired now, but this really got my energy up! Latrice P. Young writes and performs in a powerful piece that questions the social structures of today. Poetry that opens the mind. She gets the audience riled up and has us singing along. I found myself waking up this morning with the groove of “Ain’t I Ain’t Us Ain’t We”.

Mise: Great energy from the young performer, Henry Tsai, who brings a range of characters and emotion to this work. “A young cook in his father’s restaurant survives the worst service of his life.” (I saw too much today, burned out).

Day 3:

Still Alive: Super interesting and brilliantly directed! An experience you rarely get on stage, parallel storylines, a live music score, a thriller that keeps you on edge. The play moves in a way that needs no explanation; everything is clear and well-constructed. Play ends with a cliffhanger and I read that this is Act 1 to a longer production, can’t wait to see where it goes.

Alligators of Malibu: Another fun show by Michael David-Kerr, who did Shame On Sundays last week. He has endless stories of hilarity. This time he spoke about being a teenager in Malibu, new kid on the block, and trying to fit in. The show takes its title from Lacoste shirts, I hope I don’t get sued for mentioning them. Great company, great shirts. I could listen to Michael’s stories all day.

Woody Allen’s Mr. Big: A staged reading that had a lot more spirit to it than I expected! Just about ready to be performed without scripts, it seemed. Good use of set and props. Brian Knusden and Catherine Allison create delightful characters and Woody Allen’s script is filled with a mix of laugh out loud comedy and philosophy references.

Top Picks: Still Alive, The Cancer Comedy Hour, Ain’t I/Ain’t It/Ain’t We

January 29, 2025

acting, comedy, festival, reviews, theater
30 Minutes or Less Festival weekend 1

I heard about this through a friend and I immediately became enthralled at seeing as much as I can. I like the idea of having short pieces go up one after the other, similar to the style of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The website is even similar to that of the Fringe Festival; it feels like June again! It will allow artists to test out their smaller works before working on expanding them to full fledged productions, most likely. All shows takes place at The Stephanie Feury Theater on Melrose and are presented by Combined Artform / Asylum. If you know me, you know I have seen a lot of Fringe… I immediately started reaching out to different productions to see how my schedule would line up. With the shows being 30 minutes (or less), I don’t think I will write full on reviews, but maybe little blurbs about each show. What I liked, What needs more work.

Day 1:

Marketing R Us by Spencer Frankenberger – An absurdist variety show. Walked in with a scientist in a lab coat asking me if I ate today and wrote my response on clipboard; so I was confused at the start, but curious in what I was about to see as the immersive experience had begun. Alexandra McCale gave a five-minute opening stand-up comedy performance. She is a very intuitive, brutally honest performer and has a well crafted set; I’m excited to see more of her work. The show itself — what was that? Absurdist to a ten! And if that is something you enjoy, you will enjoy this! A key element to comedy is surprise, but I will say that a show that starts at a 10 — and stays at that level for the majority of the show — the surprises don’t hit as well. I will say I had a fun time.

Rob Janas Traveling Sketch Show was introduced to us as, “I saw the news and got sad, so I wrote jokes.” I loved this guy’s energy! Rob is a sketch writer from Second City planning to bring his work to the stage. It was a nice experimental piece, three guys switching up different characters throughout the different skits. Really raunchy, controversial humor. I laughed out loud but I could understand it is not everyone’s taste. A skit of a Far Right German political group starting to understand how toxic their beliefs are, Kim Kardashian using salmon semen as a face lotion (puppets were used). Good impressions and we can tell the actors had fun doing it. He plans to take it to Hollywood Fringe Festival and I hope to see him there.

Holy Water and Tequila by Cat Alvarado was a charming standup set, hilarious and heartfelt, and I was pleasantly surprised. I usually hate watching standup at theater festivals but this was not just a comedian working on jokes. Alvarado created a show about dating as a woman while overcoming shame from her religious upbringing. She played with the audience a bit too, and worked off of our reactions. A show about navigating the complexities of guilt, self-discovery, and liberation. Alvarado invites the audience to laugh with her.

Day 2:

Runs In The Family by Ben Taylor. Not so sure of this performer’s name, as he stated he could not reveal it due to his family history. Maybe that added to the mystery behind his stories; but it also made me feel uncomfortable, like I was witnessing a crime. Was that what he was going for? A really ambitious project where “Ben” plays different members of his family involved in criminal events. I’ll admit, I was somewhat confused at times — Ben jumped so quickly into polar opposite emotions as he interchanged characters. In the second half he explains his whole process of finding and creating the story, I wondered if it would have helped to give the explanation in the first half, or cut it in between the dramatization. It is an ambitious project, and I can see it growing as time allows.

Mister Snow starring Rachael Meyers and Bryan McKinley is a masterclass, incredible show that might be my favorite so far. My expectations are not too high for a 20 to 30 minute production, in any case, yet this exceeded any notion I had. With all these shows, I know nothing going in, and this is a show that can keep you fully entranced in the post-apocalyptic universe they created. Characters with rich backstories. I loved the elaborate use of the stage design, and other effects. Theme of strangers searching for connection yet fearing the unknown; a slice of life, truth on stage. Highly recommended! At the end of the show, a patron yelled “We want more!” and I concur. Meyers writes that this is the first act to a play she is write so I am excited to see where it goes.

Safety Stew written and performed by BK Wong is a one person show that is a personal show about the five stages of grief and interesting flavors, with moments of humor. The production has good structure and gives insight into the performer’s experience. I love how Wong utilized her quirky personality to command the stage. I gasped at some of the daring risks she took, kept the audience entertained.

I’m A Nice Man by Adam Frost Vernick was a captivating, deep one-man show. It begins with Adam talking at the audience but he connects with us and uses our reactions to build on his show. Talk about range! It has a great structure, emotional roller coaster. I appreciate the vulnerability and love how dark he is willing to get.

Day 3:

Shame On Sunday was a great variety show. Michael David-Ker gets on stage, tells a personal story about shame, his producers ‘baptize’ him (I guess), and the multi-platinum song writer Harold Payne gets up with his guitar and creates a song abiut Michael’s story. Brilliant, edgy, hilarious storytelling by Michael and it is an honor to see Harold get on his guitar. Michael is fully aware of his beats, and it seems like he has done this many times. It was a fun time! Catch Shame On Sunday once a month at the Lyric Hyperion.

The King and Paul and I a show with great energy and great physical comedy. A new couple moves into an apartment and Paul realizes he might be second in line to the King, Elvis. The title reminds me of The King and I (musical) but also Elvis (by way of the Eminem song). I do not know much about the musical or Elvis, other than he was the king of rock. Not sure if they had anything to do, but it is not a requirement to enjoy the show! A simple premise with no awkward moments. The show is well-crafted and the characters work so well off of each other. A great use of the set design and props. Angelique Fustukjian brings such fun energy to the stage,

Welcome to the Uterus IS A MUST SEE. Good luck getting tickets, this show was a full house and I got the final seat. I would describe it as Inside Out 3 (set in the title of the show) or like watching an Adult Swim animation special live on stage; a truly interesting and creative concept. A big ensemble with fun characters, and I loved the adventure. This experience had the whole crowd laughing out loud; also filled with strenuous choreography and — I just don’t want to spoil anything. I am left wanting more and can’t wait to see where this show will go.

Bro! (How To Be A Man) was a touching, powerful, deeply personal project offering an honest exploration about the complexity of modern manhood through the lens of their own journey as a trans man. With a mix of humor and vulnerability, James Leonida brings universal yet unique ideas to the stage. I wish more people were able to see his performance as it will prove to be heavily impactful, and resonates long after the lights go dark. He satirizes the idea of man and gives his own take to it. I love the impersonations he gives throughout the piece and flows in and out of different characters.

Top picks: Mister Snow, Welcome to the Uterus, I’m A Nice Man

January 21, 2025

30-minutes-or-less, comedy, play-festival, reviews, shorts, theatre
30 Minutes or Less Festival weekend 1

I heard about this through a friend and I immediately became enthralled at seeing as much as I can. I like the idea of having short pieces go up one after the other, similar to the style of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. It will allow artists to test out their smaller works before working on expanding them to full fledged productions, most likely. All shows takes place at The Stephanie Feury Theater on Melrose The website is even similar to that of the Fringe Festival; it feels like June again! If you know me, you know I have seen a lot of Fringe… I immediately started reaching out to different productions to see how my schedule would line up. With the shows being 30 minutes (or less), I don’t think I will write full on reviews, but maybe little blurbs about each show. What I liked, What needs more work.

Day 1:

Marketing R Us by Spencer Frankenberger – An absurdist variety show. Walked in with a scientist in a lab coat asking me if I ate today and wrote my response on clipboard; so I was confused at the start, but curious in what I was about to see as the immersive experience had begun. Alexandra McCale gave a five-minute opening stand-up comedy performance. She is a very intuitive, brutally honest performer and has a well crafted set; I’m excited to see more of her work. The show itself — what was that? Absurdist to a ten! And if that is something you enjoy, you will enjoy this! A key element to comedy is surprise, but I will say that a show that starts at a 10 — and stays at that level for the majority of the show — the surprises don’t hit as well. I will say I had a fun time.

Rob Janas Traveling Sketch Show was introduced to us as, “I saw the news and got sad, so I wrote jokes.” I loved this guy’s energy! Rob is a sketch writer from Second City planning to bring his work to the stage. It was a nice experimental piece, three guys switching up different characters throughout the different skits. Really raunchy, controversial humor. I laughed out loud but I could understand it is not everyone’s taste. A skit of a Far Right German political group starting to understand how toxic their beliefs are, Kim Kardashian using salmon semen as a face lotion (puppets were used). Good impressions and we can tell the actors had fun doing it. He plans to take it to Hollywood Fringe Festival and I hope to see him there.

Holy Water and Tequila by Cat Alvarado was a charming standup set, hilarious and heartfelt, and I was pleasantly surprised. I usually hate watching standup at theater festivals but this was not just a comedian working on jokes. Alvarado created a show about dating as a woman while overcoming shame from her religious upbringing. She played with the audience a bit too, and worked off of our reactions. A show about navigating the complexities of guilt, self-discovery, and liberation. Alvarado invites the audience to laugh with her.

Day 2:

Runs In The Family by Ben Taylor. Not so sure of this performer’s name, as he stated he could not reveal it due to his family history. Maybe that added to the mystery behind his stories; but it also made me feel uncomfortable, like I was witnessing a crime. Was that what he was going for? A really ambitious project where “Ben” plays different members of his family involved in criminal events. I’ll admit, I was somewhat confused at times — Ben jumped so quickly into polar opposite emotions as he interchanged characters. In the second half he explains his whole process of finding and creating the story, I wondered if it would have helped to give the explanation in the first half, or cut it in between the dramatization. It is an ambitious project, and I can see it growing as time allows.

Mister Snow starring Rachael Meyers and Bryan McKinley is a masterclass, incredible show that might be my favorite so far. My expectations are not too high for a 20 to 30 minute production, in any case, yet this exceeded any notion I had. With all these shows, I know nothing going in, and this is a show that can keep you fully entranced in the post-apocalyptic universe they created. Characters with rich backstories. I loved the elaborate use of the stage design, and other effects. Theme of strangers searching for connection yet fearing the unknown; a slice of life, truth on stage. Highly recommended! At the end of the show, a patron yelled “We want more!” and I concur. Meyers writes that this is the first act to a play she is write so I am excited to see where it goes.

Safety Stew written and performed by BK Wong is a one person show that is a personal show about the five stages of grief and interesting flavors, with moments of humor. The production has good structure and gives insight into the performer’s experience. I love how Wong utilized her quirky personality to command the stage. I gasped at some of the daring risks she took, kept the audience entertained.

I’m A Nice Man by Adam Frost Vernick was a captivating, deep one-man show. It begins with Adam talking at the audience but he connects with us and uses our reactions to build on his show. Talk about range! It has a great structure, emotional roller coaster. I appreciate the vulnerability and love how dark he is willing to get.

Day 3:

Shame On Sunday was a great variety show. Michael David-Ker gets on stage, tells a personal story about shame, his producers ‘baptize’ him (I guess), and the multi-platinum song writer Harold Payne gets up with his guitar and creates a song abiut Michael’s story. Brilliant, edgy, hilarious storytelling by Michael and it is an honor to see Harold get on his guitar. Michael is fully aware of his beats, and it seems like he has done this many times. It was a fun time! Catch Shame On Sunday once a month at the Lyric Hyperion.

The King and Paul and I a show with great energy and great physical comedy. A new couple moves into an apartment and Paul realizes he might be second in line to the King, Elvis. The title reminds me of The King and I (musical) but also Elvis (by way of the Eminem song). I do not know much about the musical or Elvis, other than he was the king of rock. Not sure if they had anything to do, but it is not a requirement to enjoy the show! A simple premise with no awkward moments. The show is well-crafted and the characters work so well off of each other. A great use of the set design and props. Angelique Fustukjian brings such fun energy to the stage,

Welcome to the Uterus IS A MUST SEE. Good luck getting tickets, this show was a full house and I got the final seat. I would describe it as Inside Out 3 (set in the title of the show) or like watching an Adult Swim animation special live on stage; a truly interesting and creative concept. A big ensemble with fun characters, and I loved the adventure. This experience had the whole crowd laughing out loud; also filled with strenuous choreography and — I just don’t want to spoil anything. I am left wanting more and can’t wait to see where this show will go.

Bro! (How To Be A Man) was a touching, powerful, deeply personal project offering an honest exploration about the complexity of modern manhood through the lens of their own journey as a trans man. With a mix of humor and vulnerability, James Leonida brings universal yet unique ideas to the stage. I wish more people were able to see his performance as it will prove to be heavily impactful, and resonates long after the lights go dark. He satirizes the idea of man and gives his own take to it. I love the impersonations he gives throughout the piece and flows in and out of different characters.

Top picks: Mister Snow, Welcome to the Uterus, I’m A Nice Man

January 21, 2025

30-minutes-or-less, comedy, play-festival, reviews, shorts, theatre
All-Time Fringe List?

Top Hollywood Fringe Shows I have seen? It’s a growing list. I have to rethink, if anyone wants to dispute or add, I am open to suggestions.

My buddy reminded me how much I love making lists. I went back and looked at my Purchase History for the Hollywood Fringe Festival, but I know that some shows I paid cash too. Here is a list (out of hundreds of shows) of some of my favorites.

Dramatis Personae by Sean Dillon (2014)

The Spidey Project (2017)

The Joe and Joshua Show (2017)

Still: The Play Inspired by 4:44 (2018)

A Very DIE HARD Christmas (2018)

RESA FANTASTISKT MYSTISK (2018)

NIGHT OF THE ROOTBEER (2018)

REVENGE OF THE ROOTBEER (2019)

Mark Pleases You (2023)

Ronald (2024)

The Best Man Show (2024)

December 16, 2024
Tales From The Gatzbyverse review

11/23/2024

            Travyz Santos Gatz is at it again with his multimedia project, expanding the multiverse for Gatsby of Suburbia. Tonight, at Loft Ensemble I watched 4 one acts, a DJ set, and a rap performance surrounding themes of death and love, with standout performances and interesting concepts. The doors opened at 8 PM, with the DJ, Only Pleasures (Jess Elle) playing a DJ set. I enjoyed the set, but I was the only one dancing on stage as others sat and chatted. That’s a negative review aimed at the audience. Only Pleasures was great, but it was also a great way to start the show. I had forgotten that Travyz had told me that reception is one-hour long, but I. managed to conversate with a few attendees.

            I will jump into talking about the four pieces. Travyz’s piece, Liebestod is a German word that translates into two lovers’ consummation into their death, similar to the ending of Romeo and Juliet. It is a personal piece to Travyz, it seems, and Isabella Costa and Ignacio Navarro were exceptional in it. It is about a man that falls in love with Death (i.e the grim reaper), professing his love to her while she rejects to touch him. As I was watching it, I heard Isabella say “you can’t touch me,” but a minute later his hands were on her knees. Was that just a mistake in continuity or…? Also, I feel like I have seen this show. I have seen Travyz put it up already, but he played the character. Yes, it was for a different production and not Gatzbyverse. I am disappointed to see that he put up the same show for an experimental theater show, though it is a good show.

            Molly Sharpe owned the stage. She had so much fun with her show, Blood on the Floor and it was entertaining to watch her imaginative play. A solo show, she ran across stage playing multiple characters. Every moment was a laugh, and the twists took the audience by surprise. I am eager to see what she will do next.

            Man-Maid written by Liza Dealey-Thomason was an introspective take on abusive relationships. This couple, portrayed by Liza and Riley may seem to be having fun through roleplay, but the shadow makes an appearance as well. Liza had the audience laughing with the characters and gripping their seats out of compassion. I am always excited to see the subjects Liza brings to the stage. Both actors did a fine job transitioning from playfulness to aggression.

            The last show, by Chanel was the most complex. Death is on a dating app, swiping through audience members. She ends up with a few dates that all go awry. I loved the interactive nature of this piece.

            I am submitting this review late, so it is not as detailed as I would like. It has already been a week and Thanksgiving occurred. At the introduction, Travyz talked about the upcoming premiere of his movie, which will be emailed to audience members.. Stay tuned for any upcoming Gatzbyverse performances. If you have been to Gatzbyverse before, you will receive an invite for his movie premiere.

December 9, 2024
Interview with Travyz about Gatzbyverse

Interview with Travyz Santos Gatz:

I sat with Travyz in his artistically designed apartment as his cat, Puu, played on the table. His house is decorated with comics memorabilia and memories from his theater experiences. Books on the shelves that formulate his thinking process: progressive, multicultural, revolution. Posters of film, music, comics. Travyz rolled a joint for himself, though I do not smoke. He shut off the TV, which was playing Into the Spiderverse, one of his favorite films. I sat down, pulled out my 1920s audio recorder out and began:

AD: We’re getting a little warmed up here but uh alright so this is the interview for Stage Takes. Silas is here too.

Silas: hey

AD: Who played a minor role in the film, I suppose integral, though there are no small parts and (government name) is here, Travyz Santos Gatz

TSG: Not just starting off that bashing me my government name right away.

AD: Travis Santos, we’ll cut that out. Alright, alright so I watched the film earlier today. It’s a short 45 minute film, probably the most comic book movie I have seen since Sin City in 2006. I actually saw Sin City in 2007, on DVD, because I was a good kid and didn’t watch Rated-R films in theaters. So what is what inspired you to create this work and what was the process like in creating it?

TSG: I was really sad, so I wrote it. No, I’ve been wanting to do Suburban shit because that’s just where I’m from and I think it’s a representation of the Californian suburbs, especially compared to the rest of the country. So it intersected and in different ways so it represents a good quantity of what the world is and what like in our zeitgeist. Especially online. Ideas find a way to create how we as people connect with each other, and how technology influences, as well as social media and entertainment, and all that kind of affects us as a whole if that makes sense.

AD: hmm, I’m trying to see like how technology was used in the film and how that plays into themes. Could you explain more about that.

TSG: It’s about how we’re influenced by it. For example,

Travyz gives examples in the film which make me reconsider several scenes. He shows how characters have become inspired by pop culture references. I will include these in my review of the film, but will redact it from the interview so as not to spoil the project.

… We are trying to be what we’re influenced by because we’re preprogrammed by algorithms that cater towards those that just drive us deeper down whatever rabbit hole we’re interested in.

AD: Knowing you, I felt like the project was kind of personal.

TSG: Yeah, it’s personal. Everything I write is personal. I mean like the point of this is—I do gonzo-like writing, where I like to cast myself in the roles, in the world, so like not necessarily saying – everything is just going to be true to life. More of a what if scenario, or if I want to try that out, then I’ll try it out. Especially with the Internet today, I can be anonymous online and try out stuff if I need to. As long as I’m not going to **** somebody else up. Like with gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson, stuff he would do would be like, Fear and Loathing wasn’t par for par of what he was doing, but like he would do stuff like see a very nice car and go, “how would people react if I take a watermelon and break it over this a car?” And maybe he’s not tripping balls but he will break that watermelon, see how people react, and then he’d write about it saying he was tripping balls and broke a watermelon and this is how people reacted. I think it’s true, I think a lot of it’s true to art, but like, it is fiction, it is part of a bigger like universe of what I’m trying to say. All my art kind of ‘is,’ you know, and by casting myself in the narrative it helps me build strong characters that are more relatable and also come from different places that we don’t usually see. Keeps it more true.

[Puu starts playing on the table again]

AD: Felt like there was a lot of absurdist influence in this, the endless search of meaning.

TSG: Yeah it’s very surrealist. My big inspiration for it like “If Bojack Horseman meets the end of Boogie Nights”. Being all sad in the suburbs was the A-Part of it and then I saw Boogie Nights and was like “oh yeah that’s what how it just put the other plot needs to be like and add action in it and stuff”

AD: how did you go how did you go about choosing a team that would amplify your vision in the way you wanted?

TSG: I just wanted to work with my friends, man. My biggest thing is, I just wanna work with my friends, to do show with my friends, because that’s where the best work comes. Especially if you can get everybody passionate about a project. The more people who see it as their own versus doing this to help somebody, or doing this project that’s not my project. I think there’s a difference and I think it’s easier to get that community built if you have people that you want to work with and that you work with consistently because they take that ownership. If I go on Actors Access then I happen to get this whole new repertoire with somebody, and like, that’s cool don’t get me wrong. I have been bringing new people in the fold, that’s dope. There’s some great new people in my life that I’ve been working with in Gatsbyverse stuff right now. I like being able to just be like “You can do this let’s ****ing do this”. And I have changed a script up before because I wanted to work with someone. Like Silas, I rewrote the character for him. I think, ‘who would be passionate about it and being able to cut loose if it’s not fitting, no shade.

AD: So with that, you had an original vision when you wrote the script.

TSG: OK.

AD: I suppose. And then I’m wondering like how that changed as Mikey gave input, as other actors came in. Did it change at all or did you let it grow let it be a process?

TSG: Oh yeah. The look of it changed a lot more with Mikey (the director) and a lot of the look stuff you really should talk to him about. He made it where it was his project and by doing that, I don’t care if you’re making it look like how I thought about it on paper. If it’s your project now and you’re gonna put in the work and as it as if it’s your project I’m not gonna stand in your way. I’m gonna make sure you know where I’m coming from, like, if it’s like going off the rails and stuff but I’m not gonna stand in your way from doing what you’re going to do. It’s the same thing like if you’re a director and the actor gives you something better, you need to be able to say that’s better.

AD: So I guess Mikey gave direction in a way that like allowed you to explore. What was the rehearsal process like, in terms of like the pre-production and planning everything?

TSG: Maybe that’s a question for Mikey, too. I mean we just planned everything within the shot. You could talk to him about the technical side, I handled all the organization and the cost of designing art direction.

AD: but was there an actors’ rehearsal or you just got on set?

TSG: We had a readthrough. Isabella and I would meet and rehearse because we had the very chunky scenes, and then the driving thing was people just driving in the car and they just kept repeating those scenes until we got it. Then trap house everybody just knew their lines, and as soon as we get in we’re gonna be rehearsing until it’s time to shoot. But rehearsal time wasn’t too crazy, we handled our shit, you know.

AD: this question it might be more towards my team but I’ll say it anyway because I wrote it and maybe if you have something to say about it if you can. Can you talk a little bit about the stylistic choices you made and how they interact with your original vision? Some shots felt like moving pictures in a way that I don’t normally see in film I’m more used to seeing like characters talk and talk and dialogue in a close up but you use the whole environment to make it feels like a comic book like scenes are yeah do you think your background in theater influenced that using the whole set design?

TSG: That would be a Mikey question. All I would say is like the big thing when we were talking about it was like, I wanted to do, “Atlanta meets the end of Boogie Nights” and then somehow we got to talking. Mikey brought in (David) Lynch, and that kind of stuff cause he’s a horror freak. Especially Inland Empire, which you know suburban this is shot in the Inland Empire. A lot of the shots are Lynch-inspired, his later works definitely. It’s simple but difficult to understand at the same time. Look wise, it’s mostly Mikey.

AD: So what was it like collaborating with others on a piece that was so personal to you.

TSG: It was great. It’s kind of weird how would everybody in my childhood home. Especially because it was like my childhood home that got remodeled like the week before we shot. Which is why that whole that house was so ******* clean was just like they just remodeled it so like I didn’t recognize it which made it a little more immersive for me, a little more method as you’d say. Would you like a hit of this joint?

AD: No, I don’t smoke.

TSG: We hit everything in that intro yet?

Silas: I think we’re close.

AD: It seems like you wanted to get a little bit of ideas out on this project, thinking specifically about a political statement by one of the characters. I’m wondering also like what was it like balance the character’s own inner lives with the agenda you had in the writing?

TSG: I mean like I just want to write what’s real, cause I feel like writing what’s real is how you can actually make a difference as a writer. What’s real is not pretty. We don’t live in a pretty world and there’s the reason like as you said I wrote Trump stuff. I didn’t know this election was gonna happen two years ago, but I still wrote it, cause it’s real. And that character would still be talking about Trump today. Even if he lost because he’s a revolutionary figure, whether we like it or not. In the left wing we don’t realize that, because we see him as a fool. But he’s a revolutionary figure to those guys. He’s the equivalent like Bernie Sanders for us, I guess.

AD: I guess we don’t know what it’s gonna look like in the long run.

TSG: Yeah, his revolution is still going. Ours got stifled. That’s the biggest issue right now.

TSG: I mean depends on who writes the history books. One of my favorite film makers is Spike Lee. Like something Spike Lee does is he doesn’t give a ****. How much Spike Lee do you watch?

AD: I’ve seen Black Klansman, and Do The Right Thing.

TSG: One of my favorite movies is Chiraq. He does the story of Lysistrata and gangland Chicago, where Lysistrata is like, “if y’all don’t start to stop this gang war, we’re not gonna have sex with you.” He goes from talking about this to rooting into our military industrial complex. To rooting that into school shootings. Shit like that like in this whole movie that’s ysistrata adaptation. You got shit like Bamboozled where it’s about a dude putting up a minstrel show and the whole world seems to be embracing this minstrel show. He’s unapologetic with what he has to say. Whether he’s right or not, and like, there’s some moments that I’ll disagree with what he has to say about like some games and shit. But like it’s valid what he says and he’s 100% passionate and confident behind it to where I just appreciate that and you need to be able to just say what you believe in but also know what the hell you’re saying. That’s what I’m trying to do with it and also the weird part is doing that and making it sound realistic.

AD: Were there any other inspirations?

TSG: Atlanta 100%, (Samuel) Beckett, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Lynch, Dune… Childish Gambino is the most inspirational thing on any of my work, I wouldn’t be doing multimedia stuff if it wasn’t for him and Because The Internet.

AD: Shout out Donald Glover.

TSG: Puu was my biggest inspiration as well. Puu, quit playing on the table. Do you want an ice cream?

AD: we got one more question, you’re ready?

TSG: and I got a fish Taco.

AD: So what is the future of the Gatzbyverse? where do you see this going?

TSG: The movie will have private screenings. That will pop up here and there but nothing official. If you have seen any of the other productions, like the one-acts, then you should be getting an invite. We want to take it on the festival circuit. It will be similar to the one-act format, like music first act then second act is plays. Or it could be movie first act, then second act plays. I might start experimenting with that as I go. Hopefully sometime next year, I’d be doing the full length play. I also need to figure out if I’m doing what I’m doing for Fringe.

The full length play is about 30 minutes too long but I’m trying to cut it down. I have a new play that I just finished over the past couple months called Goths and that’s the flip side of Suburban Limbo, which instead of people being stuck at their hometown, it’s people who made it out of their home town to the to the city or to their where their dreams are how their dreams crushed and find themselves yet again stuck in their dreams. Everybody’s looking to embracing the past too much because those were the golden days. I’m really trying to just figure out like how to make that work wanted to really be about like finding your light when you fall back Into Darkness, that’s kind of the goal. I need to do Limbo first.

AD: and you also have the ththe Gatsbyverse One-Acts this week.

TSG: it’s a good community builder and the people who have been involved have been really active. Everybody who wrote last time are all coming back again to either write or act in this one. I got a new group of folks coming in the new group of folks coming in who like we’re like ‘Oh, this is fun’ and saw Loft Ensemble and were interested. The goal is with these one acts I’m trying to just build an army. I wanna build a ******* army, to be real. But I don’t want to lead the army. That’s too much responsibility.

AD: Well it sounds like you wanna build a (theater) company

TSG: Nope. I don’t wanna build like a theater company. Theater companies are the reason theaters die, because it’s capitalistic, and it’s antithetical to making art, and it becomes clicky, it becomes political, and it’s all supremacist right now because it’s a business based model and like you know you can go all the way up to like Broadway and stuff like that Broadway is just owned by three families all running that business as all companies all work. But like you go as low as (names a company) that’s still a lot of business getting in the way of their art. Because now they could only do two or three shows a year if that, right? But even (company), to an extent, business ruins a lot of their stuff because they put that bureaucracy in there that folks it up especially when somebody like (friend) gets super overwhelmed it really will fall by the wayside.

AD: Makes me think of a quote by Immortal Technique, he says, “the problem with always being a conformist is that when you try to change the system from within, it’s not you who changes the system; The system will eventually change you” You sound like you want to create a new system.

TSG: Yeah and I mean like that’s the idea like even with the film. Yeah, I’m gonna do the festival circuit, but with release I’m barnstorming. I’m doing pop-ups, I’m performing, I’m putting up shows, I’m getting people to do vending stuff, and I’m putting up that movie. Next month we have an entire performance happening at the reception. There’s gonna be shoegaze goth theme music in the in the background, live, played by our good friend Kyle.

AD: let’s see… OK. Alright anything else you want to talk about?

TSG: as long as you don’t make Puu like she doesn’t have manners.

AD: Well I mean she is walking around the house naked.

TSG: She has a scarf on!

I really enjoyed my talk with Travyz. I am excited to see how the Gatzbyverse will play out. He has a true passion for comics and is blending it into the production. Like I said, the film has a very comic book style to it. Gatz is very insightful and has spent a good deal of time working on his vision.

Catch Tales From the Gatzbyverse this Saturday, November 23rd at 8 PM at Loft Ensemble. Featuring a DJ set by Only Pleasures, Libestod by Travyz Santos Gatz, Blood On The Floor by Molly Sharpe, Man-Maid by Liza Dealey-Thomason, A Date With Death by Chanel Samson, and more!!

November 22, 2024

film, interviews, review, reviews, writing
A Thought About Reviews

It has been at least a few weeks since I have went to go show. I have been thinking about posting my old reviews from the Hollywood Fringe Festival and interviewing a few artists. But in thinking more about reviews, why do we do them? Do we do them to advertise/warn the audience what to watch? I want people to be able to pick what interests them, I don’t want to be their conscience.

One will say, “I am thinking of seeing this show,” and another will say, “It has terrible reviews.” Reviews according to who? No one opinion can be considered objective, I believe. Yet, there are standards to art. But where do those standards come from? Pure creativity should not be judged. But is a theater piece pure creativity? It is, in most cases, a collaboration. Sure, a director has a vision — but does that vision change once an actor brings in their own (creative) preparation, or a set designer brings in their own creation?

Reviewing, then, is creativity in itself. It adds to the original vision by its own interpretation. That is to say the reviewer themselves come from a creative standpoint and not an institutional knowledge of good/bad. Does the reviewer feel? Is the reviewer able to be moved by the dramatic action of the story? I sure hope so. There are times were I have watched shows with my mind — the little calculations of each choice. I strive to move forward in watching shows with my heart, and not my mind.

November 13, 2024