Way of the Word: Poems to Plays Encore Performances

REPUBLIC Worldwide-in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group-presents Way of the Word: Poems to Play Encore Performance

On April 12th, 2010, friends, family, and fans of theater along with new and repeat guests from the first Way of the Word: Poems to Plays packed Bar on A to see the encore performances of Pages from a Course in General Linguistics (by Lonely Christopher, directed by Teddy Nicholas), Scrabble or Nietzsche (by Marissa Forbes, directed by Chase Voorhees), and Big Talk (by Katie Przybylski, directed by Leah Winkler).

It was an honor working with Everywhere Theatre Group and I would like to not only thank the directors/founders of ETG but also T. Ramon Campbell, Tricia Cramer, and Kristopher W. Imperati, Dan Whalen, Mary Hynes, David Weinheimer, Nikki Dillon, Rachel Pearl, and Gary Ferrer for transforming the poems into exceptional works theater.

A special thanks to Bar on A for opening up their great space to us and allowing REPUBLIC and ETG the freedom to transform the space into a wonderful place to perform and bring people together to share their love of words.

Pages from a Course in General Linguistics

Teddy Nicholas of ETG

Scrabble (or Nietzsche)

Big Talk

REPUBLIC thanks Everywhere Theatre Group

So often the word is not considered a form of visual art, rather a limited form of emotional expression. The word, in any manifestation, crosses numerous mediums and passions; not only can writing transform one’s thoughts on any subject but it can transcend concepts of life itself. REPUBLIC Worldwide generated the “Way of the Word” program to represent the energy of words in many forms. Poetry was a fitting place to begin but REPUBLIC Worldwide possesses the goal to continue to adapt, revolutionize and spread the love of all embodiments of the word, thus the birth of “Poems to Plays.” Marissa Forbes wanted to expose the accessibility of poetry by adapting three original poems from the event anthology into three one-act plays and the featured poets, Lonely Christopher and Katie Przybylski, were excited for the chance to join Forbes in morphing their poetry into visual enactments. The main concept for “Way of the Word” is that words can take any direction and make any connection, so each poem-to-play speaks to the relationship between influential linguists, philosophers, and poets to our modern day appreciation of the art of the word. REPUBLIC Worldwide was honored that the talented and gracious members of Everywhere Theatre Group wanted to collaborate on this project. The actors and directors have put in exceptional efforts and the dual event was a wild success and we look forward to creating “Way of the Word” events that show how the word can morph and move in any/all directions.

All pictures by Sean McGurn, check out more pictures from the event and information about more events and services by REPUBLIC Worldwide at republicworldwide.com.

Copies of Way of the Word Poetry Anthologies are still available for $10, please email marissa@republicworldwide.com if you're interested in purchasing a wonderful collection of poetry for a good cause. We are donating 10% of every anthology sold to READ (Reading for Excellence and Discovery)—a foundation that promotes literacy by pairing qualified high school tutors with elementary students who demonstrate below grade level reading skills.

REPUBLIC Worldwide-in collaboration with ETG-opening night of "Way of the Word: Poems to Plays": Success!

REPUBLIC Worldwide—in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group—presented the first installment of “Poems to Plays,” the second “Way of the Word” event, on Monday April 5^th, 2010. Bar on A was filled to the brim with old and new friends, all eager to see the adaptations of three poems from the first annual REPUBLIC poetry anthology into three one-act plays. It was an amazing time for all and everyone left very pleased with the night, so come to our encore event April 12^th, 2010, 8-11pm at Bar on A.

Some of the crowd

Playwright/producer: Marissa Forbes

First up was the experimental play, Pages From a Course in General Linguistics, adapted from For Example by Lonely Christopher and directed by Teddy Nicholas. T. Ramon Campbell performed his monologue regarding the concept of linguistics with passion and poise while Tricia Cramer progressed from a beautiful secretary into a frightful femme fatal and then Kristopher W. Imperati gave it his all with his dueling monologue about the insanity and humor of language.

Pages from a Course in General Linguistics

Next up was Scrabble (or Nietzsche) by Marissa Forbes, adapted from the poem of the same name, directed by Chase Voorhees. It’s a philosophical comedy that literally plays with words and thought. Dan Whalen was an excellent Friedrich Nietzsche—full of insightful wittiness and Mary Hynes was a hilarious Scrabble opponent.

Scrabble (or Nietszche)

The performances concluded with Katie Przybylski’s poem adapted into her play, Big Talk, directed by Leah Winkler. David Weinheimer, Nikki Dillon, Rachel Pearl, and Gary Ferrer performed their romantic search on the subway for Walt Whitman with zeal in their cascading voices.

Big Talk

If you were one of the unfortunate ones who missed the opening night of this event or would love to check it out again, the encore performance is Monday April 12^th, 2010. Same time (8-11pm), same place (170 Ave. A), same line up, and same drink specials ($2 Yuengling/$3 well)!

All photos by Sean McGurn, see more on republicworldwide.com soon and RSVP to the event on facebook

Way of the Word: Poems to Plays Part II-Scrabble (or Nietzsche)

Scrabble (or Nietzsche)

By Marissa Forbes
Directed by Chase Voorhees

Featuring
Dan Whalen as Friedrich Nietzsche
Mary Hynes as Lizzy White

Marissa Forbes

Marissa Forbes (Playwright/Way of the Word: Poems to Play Producer) is a lover of words. Born in Colorado, she has transplanted her self in various cities around the country and finally made a permanent home in Brooklyn NY. Graduating from Pratt Institute in the Writing for Publication, Performance, and Mass Media program in 2008 has opened doors to publishing poems in Imitation Fruit and flash fiction in Language and Culture, as well as compiling and editing the first annual REPUBLIC Worldwide "Way of the Word" poetry anthology. Forbes is the Blog Editor/Project Assistant/Director of the Way of the Word Program for REPUBLIC Worldwide, she is currently editing her hybrid novel, Baby is my Business, for self-publication in 2011, and preparing for her attendance in the Media Studies graduate program at The New School University. She is honored to be working with the talented actors and directors of Everywhere Theatre Group and looks forward to many more opportunities to expand her writing and new media experiences in the future.

Chase Voorhees

Chase Voorhees (Director) is a Brooklyn based writer/director/photographer/videographer/editor/composer/designer/jack of all trades who is originally from Logansport, Indiana. He is a founding member and co-artistic director for Everywhere Theater Group. He has served many roles in all of ETG’s productions, such as co-director, sound designer, videographer, and promotional designer. ETG credits include: “A Pale Horse, Death Hell…” at Ontological-Hysteric, “Big Girls Club: The Formula Play” at HERE Arts Center, “A Pale Horse, Death, Hell…(Office, Love, Horror, Faith) at ShortForm’s Ontological-Hysteric, “Big Girls Club (Happy Happy Dance Dance Princess Show!) at The Brick Theatre, “Big Girls Club” at the Working Man’s Theatre, and has also presented work at Dixon Place, and with Ontological’s Sintesi Dogpile. Chase currently works at DuArt Film & Video, and wears many hats, including editor, restorationist, audio technician, the list goes on. He currently serves as online editor and opening sequence editor for “Pokémon” and has worked with such clients as The Guggenheim Museum, Wolfgang’s Vault (wolfgangsvault.com), Pokémon, Fred Armisen, and various bands. Chase is also a musician and records his own music – many of his songs, as well as photographs, videos, and reels can be found on his website, chasevoorhees.com.

Dan Whalen

Dan Whalen (Friedrich Nietzsche) is a social worker currently living in Manhattan by way of Grand Rapids, MI. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2008 after studying political science and theatre and appearing in productions such as Henry IV Part I, Noises Off!, The Photographer, and Stop Kiss. He was most recently involved in Everywhere Theatre Group's production of A Pale Horse... at the Ontological-Hysteric Theatre, and was also involved in OHT's 2009 short-form series in Eric Magnus' What is Wild. He is very excited and honored at the same time to be working with Everywhere Theatre Group once again and with REPUBLIC Worldwide for the first time.

Mary Hynes

Mary Hynes (Lizzy White) is a storyteller and aspiring comedienne from Hagerstown, Maryland. She graduated from Butler University with a BA in theatre. Some of the highlights of her collegiate experience were studying theatre under Alexander and Tamara Anisimov of the Alexandrinsky theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, an international Grotowski intensive in Cork, Ireland, and being able to study under many wonderful theatre practitioners from around the world. She has been a New Yorker for 2 years and is loving the ride. She can be seen on stage at Gotham City Improv performing improv every weekend. She would like to thank Dan, Marissa, and Chase for being such creative joys on this project!

Look forward to Biographies for "Big Talk" by Katie Przybylski

Don't forget to make it out to REPUBLIC Worldwide-in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group-Way of the Word: Poems to Plays at Bar on A. The opening night is Monday, April 5th, 2010 and the encore performances of the three plays will be the following Monday, April 12th, 2010. Both shows open at 8 and conclude with a meet and greet of the directors, writers, and directors.
It will be a legendary night.

Way of the Word: Poems to Plays Part I-Pages From a Course in General Linguistics

Pages From A Course In General Linguistics

By Lonely Christopher

Directed By Teddy Nicholas

Sound Design by Brendan Byrne

Featuring

T. Ramon Campbell as A

Tricia Cramer as B

Kristopher W. Imperati as Z

A Play On Words.

Lonely Christopher

Lonely Christopher (Playwright) writes outside and across forms. His documents include poetry, fiction, dramatic work, and blog posts. His first collection of short fiction, The Mechanics of Homosexual Intercourse, is forthcoming in 2011 from Akashic’s Little House on the Bowery imprint, edited by Dennis Cooper. Into, a collection of long-form verse with Robert Snyderman and Christopher Sweeney, will be released early this year from Seven Circles Press. His poetry was first collected in the chapbook Satan by Small Anchor Press (2007); Small Anchor also released Gay Plays (2009), the first two plays in a trilogy of linguistic investigations into the queer situation, and later published the title in a Mandarin translation. His second poetry collection Wow, Where Do You Come from, Upside-Down Land? was released as part of The Corresponding Society’s “No Know” chapbook series (2009, out of print). This title was a conceptual and political treatment of the contemporary dialogue on gay rights; novelist James Hannaham wrote that the volume’s “anti-poetic poetry shows us the heights of pathos and the depths of foolishness around the issue, while delightfully mixing sexuality with textuality.” Christopher is a founding member of The Corresponding Society, its blog manager, and an editor of its biannual literary journal Correspondence. He curated The Corresponding Society’s second series of chapbooks, “What Where” (forthcoming in Spring), including titles by Robert Fitterman and Anselm Berrigan. He is also a founding member of The Institutionalized Theater, a writer-based company in Brooklyn, and has written and directed many dramatic scenarios for the group. His original plays, including his Gay Play trilogy, have been produced in New York City and ChengDu, China. He tried to direct the Bad Quarto of Hamlet in 2008, which ended in titanic failure. That same year he worked with playwright Mac Wellman on the production of his play 1965UU starring Paul Lazar. His writing has appeared in the anthologies The Physical Poets Home Library and Way of the Word. He is currently collaborating with composer Reese Revak on an opera. Lonely Christopher lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Oh, and his gmail address is lonelychristopher, if you want to write for whatever reason.

Teddy Nicholas

Teddy Nicholas (Director) is a playwright, director, and stage manager from in Queen, NY. He was a Dixon Place HOT! Festival Artist from ‘07-‘08 where he wrote and performed a solo piece, STDs – Socially Transmitted Dissociation, and wrote and directed UNTITLED. He performed in 365 Days/365 Plays at HERE Arts Center and The Public Theater under the direction of Lenora Champagne. He directed the Wadsworth award-winning production of Christopher Shinn’s Four at Purchase College, where he earned a B.A. Drama Studies. He directed Big Girls Club (Workingman’s Clothes BINGE Festival at Wings Theater). Teddy co-wrote/directed with Leah Winkler A Pale Horse, Death & Hell Followed With (A Lifetime Original Series), a show developed from the Ontological-Hysteric Theater’s Incubator Short Form series. Teddy has stage managed and toured internationally with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company with The Shipment (Brooklyn Arts Exchange, NY; Wexner Center for the Arts, OH; The Kitchen, NY; Kunstenfestival des Arts, BE) and assisted stage managed CHURCH (Under The Radar Festival 08 at The Public Theater). He also stage managed Thomas Bradshaw’s Southern Promises (PS122), Eliza Bent’s She of the Voice (Undergroundero Festival at PS122), Tommy Smith’s The Break-Up & Ken Urban’s The Happy Sad (The Flea Theater), Taylor Mac’s OKAY and Anne Washburn’s October/November (Ensemble Studio Theatre). He is a founding member of Everywhere Theatre Group.

Brendan Byrne

Brendan Byrne (Sound Designer) is the current curator of experimental music and mixed media at The Tank, a non-profit performing arts presenter in New York City. He is co-founder and co-producer of the In/Out Festival (http://www.inoutfest.org), a day-long event featuring workshops and performances by leaders in the computer music industry. Brendan also curates the annual circuit-bending festival, Bent Fest (http://www.bentfestival.org). He currently resides in Brooklyn where he works as a freelance theater electrician and sound designer. http://deadfox.bandcamp.com/

T. Ramon Campbell

T. Ramón Campbell (A) A small town boy from Ossining, NY, with roots in Tuskegee, AL and Jarrett, VA, Ramón grew up an active participant of the theatre arts in his community, playing in high school productions of The King and I, Bye Bye Birdie and Gypsy. Furthering his education at SUNY Purchase College, Ramón earned a B.A. in Literature/Drama Studies and wrote, produced, directed and performed in his first original work. In Denver, CO he achieved an MFA in acting, at the National Theatre Conservatory. As an apprentice with the Denver Center Theatre Company, Ramón had the honor of performing in such classics as The Tempest, Dream, On Monkey Mountain, The Women of Trachis, The Importance of Being Ernest, Bus Stop, Le Misanthrope and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Recently, Ramón played Joe in the Wadsworth Award-winning production of Christopher Shinn’s Four, directed by Teddy Nicholas. He played Luke in Everywhere Theatre Group’s production of A Pale Horse, Death & Hell Followed With (A Lifetime Original Series) at the Ontological-Hysterical Theater. Ramón is honored to have the opportunity to join REPUBLIC Worldwide and The Everywhere Theatre Group in this project.

Tricia Cramer

Tricia Cramer (B) is very excited to be working with Teddy Nicholas, whom she originally met while studying at SUNY Purchase. She performed in 365 Days/365 Plays at HERE Arts Center and The Public Theater under the direction of Lenora Champagne. She went on to study drama and film at NYU. She’s performed at The Public Theatre, Pratt, and in various short films. She studies improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She’s currently developing various concepts for different mediums.

Kristopher W. Imperati

Kristopher W. Imperati (Z) Kristopher W. Imperati is very excited to be a part of this ETG/Republic Worldwide Collaboration. He has previously worked with the director on his productions Orphans and Woyzeck. His most recent work was a stint with the International Brain Trust, inc. His credits with them include Transplants: tiny plays, Mechanically Separated Meat, Blue Monday Summies, and Double Suicides: Non-Refundable Services. He is currently completing work writing a one-act play about Natalie Portman building a pipe-bomb to help a lonely retail clerk recover from a recent and painful breakup.

Look forward to Biographies for "Scrabble (or Nietzsche)" by Marissa Forbes and "Big Talk" by Katie Przybylski

Make it out to REPUBLIC Worldwide-in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group-Way of the Word: Poems to Plays at Bar on A. The opening night is Monday, April 5th, 2010 and the encore performances of the three plays will be the following Monday, April 12th, 2010, both shows open at 8 and conclude with a meet and greet of the directors, writers, and directors.
It will be a legendary night.

REPUBLIC Worldwide-in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group-Way of the Word: Poems to Plays 4/5/10 and 4/12/10

REPUBLIC Worldwide Presents:

Way of the Word: Poems to Plays

Produced by Marissa Forbes and Everywhere Theatre Group

Opening night: Monday April 5, 2010

(Encore performance: Monday April 12, 2010)

8 pm-11 pm

Bar On A

170 Avenue A (between 10th St & 11th St)

Every so often we get a chance to read a great author, hear a moving poet, see the performance of a memorable theatrical work or debate a sincere philosophical hypothesis. Here in the realm of language and communication, the words we use to interpret our shared world are sorted, arranged and made malleable by the imagination and revolutionizing spirit of the creator. To overlook this fundamental thread that is woven into the nature of theater, poetry, philosophy and other expressive forms of the written word is to fall short of any deeper true appreciation of the artists’ intention.

It is in the spirit of pushing the boundaries of language and celebrating the power of the word that REPUBLIC Worldwide, in collaboration with Everywhere Theatre Group presents: Way of the Word: Poems to Plays.

The first installment of REPUBLIC Worldwide presents: Way of the Word featured readings by poets inspired by timeless thinkers such as Saussure, Nietzsche and Walt Whitman. In an attempt to expound on the creative vision and unique interpretations of these renown masters of language, three of those original poems from Way of the Word have been transformed into three one act plays by the of the original authors. Produced by Marissa Forbes and directed by the founding members of Everywhere Theatre Group, Way of the Word: Poems to Plays, promises to be a unique and entertaining evening of poetic theater beginning with Lonely Christopher’s adaptation of “For Example” into “Pages from a Course in General Linguists” directed by Teddy Nicholas, performed by T. Ramon Campbell, Tricia Cramer, and Kristopher W. Imperati, with sound by Brenden Bryne; followed by Marissa Forbes’ “Scrabble (or Nietzsche)”, directed by Chase Voorhees, performed by Dan Whalen and Mary Hynes, concluding with “Big Talk” by Katie Przybylski, directed by Leah Winkler, performed by David Wienhiemer, Nikki Dillion, Rachel Pearl, and Gary Ferrer.

Doors open at 8pm, performances begin at 8:30. The evening will conclude with a meet and greet with REPUBLIC Worldwide, the playwrights/poets, performers, and directors.

Way of the Word’s first poetry anthology, featuring the poems transformed into plays and poems from around the nation will be available for purchase online and at the door for $10. Portions of the proceeds will be donated to Reading Excellence and Discovery (READ), a foundation that promotes literacy by pairing qualified high school tutors with elementary students who demonstrate below grade level reading skills.

Drink specials are provided by Bar On A from 8pm until 9pm. Bar On A (or B.O.A.) is located at 170 Avenue A, between 10^th and 11^th Streets, NYC. For more information about Way of the Word, Everywhere Theatre Group, READ or REPUBLIC Worldwide please contact Jason Voegele or Marissa Forbes at info@republicworldwide.com , call 443.528.6761 or visit our website www.republicworldwide.com.

REPUBLIC's first Monday Stand up Comedy: Hilarious Success!

The night of Monday February 22, 2010 was full of laughs as REPUBLIC filed in comedy lovers to enjoy the first Monday Stand up Comedy night. The comedians rocked the house and guests walked out of Bar on A with abs a little more rock hard from all the laughter.

The drinks flowed and the laughs were heard on the streets. If you missed this show, it sucks for you, but fear not! REPUBLIC is going to switch the Monday for Thursday (because we know by Thursday everyone needs a little comedy to relieve the stress of the week). So check back in and we'll give you the information on the Thursday Stand up Comedy, coming the last Thursday of every month.

"Let's get real" comedian Mad Dog Mattern and the host, TJ Del Reno

All-too-honest Helen Hong

Mark Riccadonna teaches us life can be nothing but funny

Headliner DJ Hazzard (under the light) enjoying a few laughs