Epilogue

A year ago, Lucy asked me to have lunch with her. Over sushi, she pitched me her ideas for this new play that she was writing. It was essentially the story of a pariah, an outcast, the lowest of the low. As she continued writing, it became clear that the real question, the more interesting question was: What makes someone a pariah? And so the slow birth of HANGMAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS began. I was flattered and excited when Lucy asked me to direct this play. I have learned so much along the journey.

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with such brilliantly talented people. I offer my sincerest thanks to everyone who helped to bring this play into being. Thank you to those who have made monetary donations from this side of and across the pond. Thank you to Vagabond and FullStop company members who have donated time and support. Thank you to everyone who came out to our fundraising events over the last few months. Thank you to my shinning designers who have made this show look beautiful. Thank you to my immensely talented cast for filling the stage with life and vitality. Thank you to Meryl for holding it all together. Thanks to YOU, our audience, because without you none of this would ever be possible. But most importantly, thank you to Brian for your infallible dedication and resilience. And without question, to Lucy, the true queen of this classroom. I cannot thank you enough for sharing this story with the world and for inviting me along for the ride.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Final Weekend

We, the Cast and Crew of Hangman School for Girls, are in our final weekend of performances at Manhattan Theatre Source. If you haven't seen it yet RUN (DON'T WALK!) to this fantastical theatrical endeavor brought to you by a truely talented group of artists.

Thanks so much to all of our patrons who have already come out to show their support!

Buy your tickets HERE.

And catch up on your reading with a few more late reviews hot off the presses this week.

See you at the show!!

"Lucy Gillespie... has a way with dialogue; her ear is uncanny and she is able to perfectly capture the innocent cattiness that tumbles from young school girls almost without their thinking."
"The ensemble of girls do an incredible job"
"Nick Afka as The Desk does an admirable job... heartbreaking and creepy"
"Ms. Gillespie writes well beyond her years"

- Karen Tortora-Lee - The Happiest Medium


Lucy Gillespie is "full of lip-biting hope and festering rage"
"a daring, funny, frank exploration into group mentality and the pain of exclusion"
"all actors, under Leta Tremblay's direction, offer stellar performances"
"a must-see"

-Natalie Zutter, NYU News


And finally, from the Village Voice.

Chapter Twenty-Three: HANGMAN a Hit!

Only 9 performances left of

Hangman School for Girls
written by Lucy Gillespie
directed by Leta Tremblay

$15 online, $20 at the door
Click HERE for tickets

And check out our rave reviews!

"I thought this was a new piece by a young company, but it was so polished and professional I second-guessed myself."
"I was genuinely impressed"
"If this is her first work, ... she will doubtlessly be a great playwright"
"Hangman School for Girls is a remarkably good play"
"Gillespie’s treatment of the situation reaches toward theatrical brilliance"
"You should definitely see “Hangman School for Girls” both because it’s a good play, and because it’s a promise or pledge of great things to come"

- Bonny Prince Billy - Culture Capitol

"Pscyhologically engrossing"
"a robust piece"
"sharply driven"

- Jonathon Lim - Off Off Online

Chapter Twenty-Two: Early Reviews

The reviews are starting to come in and we couldn't be more thrilled!!

"Ms. Gillespie's own performance is as quirky and vibrant as her writing."
"Mr. Afka's mesmerizing turn as Desk is the true gem of the production... It has been a long time since I've heard an actor savor every syllable with the relish that Afka does."

-Zach Calhoon, Visible Soul


"it's cute, fun, extremely emotional, and thought-provoking."
Nick Afka "sent chills down my spine"
"director Leta Tremblay does a brilliant job"
"this won’t be the last time we see Lucy Gillespie. She will certainly go places."

- Hilary Topper - blogcritics.org

We still have two more weeks of performances so buy your tickets NOW and see what all the buzz is about!

Also, check out some of our online listings and forward to your friends!!

New York Times

Time Out New York

The Village Voice

nytheatre.com

theateronline.com

offoffonline

NYC Onstage

Chapter Twenty-One: Opening Night!

It's been a long few months but the time has finally arrived.

You are cordially invited to join us at the Opening Night of HANGMAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS!!

The Desk has sat in the same classroom in the same school for generations - watching generations of children grow into generations of young ladies. Today, on the first day of school, Hazel Millet makes her way towards him. Will she be just like all the other little girls or will she be different - special - his own beautiful darling?

Thursday, March 11th @8pm

Manhattan Theatre Source
177 MacDougal Street

Post Performance Libations at Affair on Eighth with the cast, crew, and creative team.

Please RSVP to Brian Hashimoto at bhashimoto@fullstopcollective.org to make your reservations.

Also check our listing on PLAYBILL.COM!

And a podcast with the writer and director on Broadway Bullet!

We hope to see you at the show running through March 27th!!

Chapter Twenty: Lend us your ears!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Lend us your ears!

Your ardent support of Hangman School for Girls has been has been incredibly instrumental in making this production happen.

The cast and crew of Hangman School for Girls are but one week from opening at the Manhattan Theatre Source, where we will have a three week run.

Everything that has happened over the past four months – from the first production meeting through a wild week of gift-wrapping at Barnes and Noble: Naughty British Schoolgirl Night through the Staged Reading: And the day Set Designer Jacquelyn D. Marolt found a gorgeous and authentic vintage school desk by the side of the road – all of these experiences have taught us that it is the LITTLE THINGS that count.

We now look to you to help us count the little things in this final heave-ho. If you have been waiting to make your mark, NOW IS THE TIME!

$5 pays for two copies of Sugar Magazine Props.
$8 pays for one pair of black shoes.
$10 pays for one vermillion red sweater.
$15 pays for one plank of lumber.

To make a donation, please visit either of our producing companies' sites:
http://www.thevagabondtheatreensemble.com/
OR
http://www.fullstopcollective.org/

Stay tuned for more interviews, press photos, and reviews on this blog including:

PAPERMAG WORD UP! A Stage Notes interview with Lucy Gillespie by Tom Murrin:

"How is this going to be staged?
It's going to be very physical. The director is working with a lot of choreography and movement. We're figuring out now how the desk will move around. Also, with the girls, there's an element of flocking and pantomime. So we're working on that too. A lot of the scenes with the girls are seen through Hazels's eyes, so there is a delineation of the girls as they really are, and how they are seen by Hazel."

And once more, thank you so much for your support. We are looking forward to performing for you!!

Chapter Nineteen: A Night of Comedy!!

This Saturday, February 27th you are invited to take a journey into the depths of awesomeness.

Jeff Ashworth hosts a stellar lineup of talented humorists who will each take the stage and regale you with tales and yarns that will undoubtedly pleasure your funny g-spot.

Comics include:

Dan St. Germain
Beth Mcgregor
Scott Moran
Rob O'Reilly
and Laura Prangley.

Did I mention this show is only $5? That's less than a dollar per comedian.

Come join the Vagabond Theatre Ensemble in association with FullStop Collective for a night of hilarious comedians to help support our upcoming Production of Hangman School for Girls.

Come laugh, and help us raise money for arts and crafts, and theatre.

There will also be a place to buy drinks. It's a bar. It has reasonable prices that you can take advantage of.

Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston @ Ave C
7:00pm-8:30pm
Saturday Feb. 27.

Come. Laugh. Please.

Chapter Eighteen: The Happiest Medium Interview

Karen Tortora-Lee of The Happiest Medium interviewed Lucy recently on the subject of our upcoming production. What is The Happiest Medium? It's a blog that has this to say about itself:

"Whether your passion is theatre, or your guilty pleasure is trashy TV, whether you love to go gallery hopping on a rainy weekend or just curl up with a great book before you go to sleep, whether you’re a professional shutterbug or an amateur iTunes mix master you’ll meet someone here who shares your passion."

Postcard art by Maya Battle

Look for Karen and Lucy's full conversation at The Happiest Medium. Here's a taste:

"The blurb for the show says “The play is Alice in Wonderland meets Lolita with a little Mean Girls thrown in”. So, can we expect a girl falling down a rabbit hole and sitting at a table having punchy Tina Fey type conversations with a man twice her age who’s trying to have sex with her? Or does it all play out a little differently?

LG: (Laughs) Noooo, it’s not at all like that! When I started writing, it all started with the “Desk” character that Hazel retreats to; an imaginary friendship Hazel develops when she fails to get into the “in” crowd. The Desk is the first character I wrote, and I had in mind the character of Humbert Humbert … The Desk hates it when girls grow up because they are no longer cute, dependent, awkward, and they don’t sit on him properly. But as the play developed, the Desk became more of a companion to Hazel; rather than someone who abuses her or victimizes her. It’s a very pure friendship (at least at the beginning). There are qualities he loves about Hazel. As far as the Alice in Wonderland connection … there are lots of games, everyone plays them. A lot of role play, and a lot of hearkening back to Greek Mythology. As far as Mean Girls, I really just tried to capture that period of time when you’re age 11 – 14 and viciousness is tossed around like rainwater … it’s just in the air all the time, with no thought to it at all."

Chapter Seventeen: Visible Soul Interview with the Playwright

Lucy was recently interviewed by Zack Calhoon, a New York actor/playwright graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The full interview can be found on his blog, Visible Soul.

Here's a preview ((c) Zack Calhoon 2010):

"Tell me about Hangman School for Girls. What’s it like to be going into production on your first full length play?

It is exhilerating. Oh my god. Everyone involved is so damn smart and curious. And I think I'm finally kicking that niggling English modesty habit I have; getting excited to talk about the play, invite people to the play, raise money for the play. And it's even more exciting because other people - smart people - are excited, and involved! Oh my god.

I see you are also acting in the play. Do you find it hard to do “double duty” on this production?

Of course... I read about how Pinter would get cast in his own plays, and he would lose himself absolutely in text-work, character research, director's notes - rebuilding his entire understanding of the play from the character's perspective. Keeping this in mind during rehearsals I have so far discovered many elements of Hazel (my character in Hangman) that I had no idea existed during the writing process. I love rehearsals - I find them incredibly relaxing - like playdates. And after problem-solving and trouble-shooting this play for a year and a half, it's so much fun to get to mess around with it on my feet with other people and their interpretations."

Chapter Sixteen: Spotlight on Brian Tovar

Meet Brian Tovar. He is our Lighting Designer. Brian’s award winning work has been seen in theatres across New York City and the east coast. His work has been featured at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Medicine Show Theatre, Access Theatre, Gene Frankel Theatre, and American Theatre of Actors, among others. Brian’s extensive festival work includes productions in the NYC International Fringe Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival and Midtown International Theatre Festival. Recent NYC credits include the new musicals, Factory Girls (Ars Nova, Joes Pub), Street Lights (American Theatre of Actors), Vote! (Minetta Lane), and Perez Hilton Saves The Universe (Bleecker Street Theatre and Barrow Street Theatre). Regionally, his designs have been seen at ReVision Theatre (The Full Monty, Funny Girl), and Irvington Town Hall (Swing). Upcoming projects include: Hangman School for Girls (Manhattan Theatre Source), The Who’s Tommy, The Rocky Horror Show, and the world premier of the new musical The Bikinis (ReVision). On Broadway, Brian has served as assistant to Kevin Adams on both Passing Strange and HAIR. Brian is the recipient of The 2008 Midtown International Theatre Festival Outstanding Lighting Design award for his work on The Wendy Complex. His work can be viewed at www.BrianTovarDesign.com

1. What is your favorite word? Atascosa - google it.
2. What is your least favorite word? Projections
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music and Color
4. What turns you off? Reality.
5. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
6. What sound or noise do you love? Rain and Thunder
7. What sound or noise do you hate? Jackhammers at 3am.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? If I was a Doctor..
9. What profession would you not like to do? If I was an actor...
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome home.

Chapter Fifteen: Spotlight on Leta Tremblay

My name is Leta Tremblay and I will play the part of director on this wild ride. I am a director and stage manager currently residing in New York City. In my directing work, I specialize in stylized movement with bold, simple visual and auditory elements. Recent NY directing credits include: Fore-Shadow-Play (also written by Lucy Gillespie!) as part of FOREPLAYS (Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn), The City That Cried Wolf (59E59 Theaters), 365 Days/365 Plays (FullStop Collective), and 10 Plates (ExPgirl, AD). I also staged a full production of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell while attending Smith College. As a stage manager, I work with many NYC theaters and companies including HERE Arts Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Chocolate Factory, NAATCO, and ExPgirl (company member). I am a founding member and Director of Production of FullStop Collective, a New York based theater company devoted to developing and presenting the innovative work of its members. I have trained at the Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute, with the Wooster Group, and with the SITI Company. I am so excited to be working with such an amazing group of people and I can’t wait for you to see what we create. Stay tuned! Rehearsals start in less than a week!!

In an interview with myself I responded:

What is your favorite word? Ardent
What is your least favorite word? Nigger
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? People and Love
What turns you off? Cruelty to children
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
What sound or noise do you love? Laughter
What sound or noise do you hate? Gunshots
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Drummer in a Rock Band
What profession would you not like to do? President of the United States
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Welcome, would you like to stay or care to give it another go?”

Chapter Fourteen: Spotlight on Brian Hashimoto

Meet Brian Hashimoto. He is the Executive Producer of Hangman School for Girls. Brian is a director, actor, photographer and producer based in New York. Directing credits include: Porn.edu and Fore Play or Red Play as part of FOREPLAYS (Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn), Clean Sheets (Vintage Loft, NYC), La Boheme (Connecticut Lyric Opera, New London, CT); 4 Directions and The Flying Machine (The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center); A Number and 4.48 Psychosis (Ithaca College). Acting credits include: Negative Space (Looking Glass Theatre, NYC & Florence Griswald Museum, Old Lyme, CT); The Lover and Persepolis (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, CT); Metamorphoses (Underground Theater, Ithaca, NY). Brian received his B.A. in Drama from Ithaca College and is an alumnus of the National Theater Institute. Additionally, he has trained at the St. Petersburg Theater Academy in Russia as well as Balinese Mask at Studio 5 in Brooklyn, NY. www.hashimoto.printroom.com

1. What is your favorite word?
Schnitzengruben
2. What is your least favorite word?
Never
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Fearless passion
4. What turns you off?
Closed-mindedness
5. What is your favorite curse word?
HolyFrackinTurdBiscuit, SonnofaFuckingBiii-etch
6. What sound or noise do you love?
The breeze on top of a mountain
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of stupidity
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
If photographer doesn't count, then special effects creator for movies.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything to do with taxes.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"You're a good man. Here's a free pass to go back and do it again. Keep using it until you've done and seen everything."

Chapter Thirteen: Spotlight on Laura Wiese

Meet Laura Wiese. She is our Costume Designer. Over the years Laura has become the unofficial go-to costume designer for FullStop Collective and she is happy to be working with both Vagabond and FullStop on Hangman School for Girls! Previous costume designs include Girl Words and Diving in December for FullStop Collective as well as designs for such plays as No Exit and The Importance of Being Earnest. Laura is perhaps better known for her work as an actor, singer and voice over artist. Favorite projects include Proof (Catherine), Seussical (Gertrude McFuzz), the national tour of A Christmas Carol, and FullStop's sexy recent production, FOREPLAYS. Laura lends her voice to animation, commercial and narration voice over, having voiced commercial projects for such brands as Clear Eyes and Walmart. Her character voicework was recently showcased on the popular channel of youtube celebrity "brentalfloss". She holds a BFA in Acting from Drake University and is a proud Alumnus of the Eugene O'Neill National Theater Institute. For more on Laura's wide variety of projects check out www.laurawiese.com.

Fave word: serendipitously
Least fave word: regurgitate
Turn on: Space and freedom
Turn offs: Narrow minds
Fave curse word: Shit balls
Sound I love: a symphony of strings
Sound I hate: Water, being poured into a glass. I have never understood my hatred for this noise.
Profession I want to try: Anything in Energy Healing: Reiki, Massage, etc.
Profession I DON"T want: Anything in Medical Healing. Rock on to the people who can. I never could.
God: "Welcome to heaven Laura! Here's an ever filling bucket of french fries for you!"

Chapter Twelve: Spotlight on Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann

Meet Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann. She’s our Sound Designer. Chelsea is a Sound Designer and Actress currently living in New York moonlighting as a Production Manager during the day. She has a BFA in Theatre from NYU, and returned to New York last year after two years abroad in Ireland. In her spare time she does things like sleep and eat and read and knit and listen to different sounds and write notes about where those sounds can be used to adequately highlight dramatic tension. She also wears a lot of hats (literally, though arguably metaphorically as well). Her past credits are varied in terms of location, role, and genre, from Sandy in Grease to sound designing 4.48 Psychosis, and she is excited to be working FullStop & The Vagabonds and any other motley member that finds it's way into this production. The photo shown was taken on the completion of a sound installation she created for the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and probably a good indication of what she looks like at the end of any challenging, intricate, wonderful project - keep an eye out for a new one at the completion of Hangman!


1. What is your favorite word? To say aloud, "indicative." To define, "Dionysian."
2. What is your least favorite word? Skanky.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Wit and a good bass line.
4. What turns you off? Pig or big headedness.
5. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck. I'm old school.
6. What sound or noise do you love? Ah for fuck's sake this is an unfair question. The inside of a train. And a million other things. Next.
7. What sound or noise do you hate? Teeth on fabric.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Talk Show Host. Or "Heiress."
9. What profession would you not like to do? Accountant.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”

Chapter Eleven: Spotlight on Jacquelyn D. Marolt

We have DESIGNERS! It will be my distinct pleasure, over the next few blog updates, to introduce you to the creative team who will bring the world of Hangman School for Girls to life. Let us begin.

Meet Jacquelyn D. Marolt. She’s our Set Designer. Jacquelyn is a set designer and scenic artist who has designed numerous productions at Vital Theatre, The Looking Glass Theatre, and Millbrook Theatre. Last summer, Jacquelyn designed Arcadia and The Clean House at New Century Theatre. She is currently the resident designer for Axial Theatre Company, with recent credits including Angels and Visions and Cherrie and Jerry. Jacquelyn received her B. A. from Smith College where she could usually be spotted in a stylish costume of either spattered paint, rugby socks, a dance leotard, or all of the above. She is thrilled to be making her design debut with FullStop, and to have the pleasure of working again with Leta.

And, as always, we’ll end with the Pivot Questionnaire as seen on Inside the Actors Studio:

1. What is your favorite word? Katzenjammer
2. What is your least favorite word? Can't
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Amy Ray
4. What turns you off? People who hate their jobs.
5. What is your favorite curse word? Cunt
6. What sound or noise do you love? Frying Bacon
7. What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of the train you just missed pulling out of the station.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Trapeze Artist
9. What profession would you not like to do? Dishwasher
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Glad you made it, things are starting to get boring around here."

Chapter Ten: Spotlight on Nick Afka

Meet Nick Afka. He plays Desk, a discrete, distinguished, powerful and protective male confidant. Nick is a writer, actor and Londoner. He has recently been writing for and performing in the world's longest-running comedy sketch show Newsrevue- which thankfully updates every week, since it's a satire on the news. He has been a column-writer for the Guardian newspaper in the UK, published a book on how to do difficult sudokus and released a board game. He has devised a method to make innumerate people become numerate and is currently writing his third book about maths for a Japanese publisher. Recent acting credits include the short films Meat..., Making Britain Less Crap, and Living Into The Future. Roles include Glottenbal in the Georgian play Orra, Jay in If You Lived Here You Would Be Home By Now, Simon Bliss in Noel Coward's Hayfever and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

What is your favorite word? cariad

What is your least favorite word? zizz

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? New ideas

What turns you off? nit-picking

What is your favorite curse word? Cum-juggler (but then I did just make it up)

What sound or noise do you love? Leaf-rustle interspersed with bird-chirrup.

What sound or noise do you hate? The faint screech of cotton wool being rent apart.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? astronaut

What profession would you not like to do? pedicurist

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Right, that's me done, here are the keys, see if you can do a better job.

Chapter Nine: Spotlight on Meryl Ballew

Meet Meryl Ballew. She is our stage manager. She's an on-again, off-again New Yorker who loves travelling and hates rude people. She's an Ithaca College graduate and was an intern at the Juilliard School for the 08-09 season. Currently she is doing the work of multiple people for an off-broadway theatrical production company trying to work her way up in the world. She's stage managed for the Aspen Opera Theatre Company, Friends in Theatre/ The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Metropolis Opera Project among others. She's very excited to be working alongside such a creative group of people and hopes that everyone will come out to show support!

1. What is your favorite word? onomatopoeia
2. What is your least favorite word? cunt
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? music, particularly live music
4. What turns you off? negativity
5. What is your favorite curse word? bitch
6. What sound or noise do you love? running water or ocean waves
7. What sound or noise do you hate? crunching of food
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? trained assassin
9. What profession would you not like to do? be president (too much responsibility and spotlight)
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Glad you could make it. The gang's all here. (I obviously think God watches too many cheesy movies)

Chapter Eight: Spotlight on Lucy Gillespie

Meet Lucy Gillespie. Not only is she our talented playwright but she also plays Hazel, a highly imaginative 11-14 year-old girl. Lucy is an Anglo-American writer and performer who is mostly interested in bad people, and the people who suffer them. Writing and collaborating credits include Driving Lesson (Strawberry One-Act Festival), Keeping the Light: Stories of Lighthouse Keepers (Mystic Seaport, CT), Shadow Dracula (Northwestern), and Adrift (Theatermakers Ensemble, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center). As an actor, Lucy has performed with FullStop Collective in NYC, Remy Bumppo Theater Company and the Oak Park Festival Theater in Chicago, the Mystic Seaport, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Summer Playwright's Conference. She is also the author of The Pith and the Peel, a novella about a woman who kills and eats her husband. Her second full-length play, Atwater Project; a fictionalized study into the death of Republican Spin-Doctor Lee Atwater, has been developed through the terraNOVA Groundbreakers Program. Lucy holds a BA from Northwestern University in Theater and Fiction Writing.

Her answers (refer to the other spotlight posts for the questions):

1. Penultimate
2. Pudding
3. Coffee and grace
4. People who do not listen.
5. Shithead
6. The final water droplets falling from the tap into a hot, full bath.
7. The sound of teeth scraping a fork.
8. Teacher
9. Accountant
10. There would be this fantastic dinner party going on - with all these interesting people from history. God would pull me up a chair, give me a wink and invite me into the conversation.

Chapter Seven: Spotlight on Sarah Ann Masse

Meet Sarah Ann Masse. She plays Chelsea, a well-adjusted and lovely 11-14 year-old girl. Sarah is a founding member and the Producing Director of The Vagabond Theatre Ensemble.


NYC acting credits include: The Constable/The Fiddler in The last 40 minutes of Fiddler (The Cell), Mrs. Darling in Peter~Wendy (walkerspace), The Wicked Witch of The West in The Wizard of Oz, Lord, I’m Coming Home (VTE, The Cabin Fever Festival), Madame Sosostris in February, a Pageant (the tank), The Wife in The Wendy Complex (VTE, The Access Gallery April 08 and @ 9th Annual MITF July 08), and Schaunard in Speaking Bohème all directed by Jeremy Bloom. Other NYC credits include Kate in Animalia (reading, VTE Cabin Fever Festival), Hitler/Warhol’s mother in Wintertime for Warhol (reading, The Cell, Exhibit Z productions), Isabella in Measure for Measure (TSI/Playtime Classic Series) and the workshop of DeCADEnce (Rising Sun Performance Company). Regional: Anything Goes (Dir. Roger Rees) and Uncle Sam I am (Dir. Sam Breslin Wright/Kris Kukul) at The Williamstown Theatre Festival. Louisa in Toes at The Stratford Festival Theatre. She has worked extensively with The Greylock Theatre Project at The Williamstown Theatre Festival which is based on The 52nd Street Project. As a singer she has performed at Birdland in NYC and at The Williamstown Theatre Festival in their Late Night Cabarets, performing with Malcolm Gets, Kerry Butler and Sandra Shipley. Sarah is a producer of theater and film collaborating often with Cal Robertson, Mark Maclaine, Jeremy Bloom and The Silence Corporation. In addition she is a nanny, a singer of all sorts, a traveler and a writer of an internet sitcom.

What is your favorite word? wonder
What is your least favorite word? moist
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? honesty
What turns you off? selfishness
What is your favorite curse word? motherfucker
What sound or noise do you love? drums
What sound or noise do you hate? Nails. Chalkboard. ::shudder::
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Photo Journalist
What profession would you not like to do? Prison Guard
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “You did well. Come in. Everyone you love is here or will be joining us soon.”

Chapter Six: Spotlight on Briel Pomerantz

Meet Briel Pomerantz. She plays Dina, a first generation Anglo-Turkish 11-14 year-old girl, funny and a little on edge. Briel is a California girl with an East coast sensibility. She holds a BA in Theatre from UC Irvine and has been living in New York City for two years. She has appeared in numerous productions regionally in California and here in New York City. She is also a proud company member of the Vagabond Theatre Ensemble. She is a single lady looking for a man to make her laugh and loves chocolate. And most importantly, she is excited to be performing again, because she loves it. She also lives to laugh. Check her out at her website at www.brielpomerantz.com.

The Pivot Questionnaire:

What is your favorite word? Equilibrium

What is your least favorite word? A toss up between clammy or moist

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Good food

What turns you off? Negativity

What is your favorite curse word? Fuck

What sound or noise do you love? Laughter

What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of someone smacking their gum

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Chef/Baker

What profession would you not like to do? Mortician

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Welcome to heaven, you look fabulous, your family is over there, and have whatever you want to eat.”

Chapter Five: Spotlight on Louiza Collins

Meet Louiza Collins. She plays Anna, an 11-14 year-old girl with a mean streak. Louiza attended the fine "educational" institute known as the California Institute of the Arts. She received her BFA in theater in May of '09. Having become a recent New Yorker she has also become a huge fan of happy hour. Her New York credits include this production of Hangman School for Girls and the world premiere of Unum by Will Eno, directed by Jim Simpson at The Flea Theater.

And the Pivot Extra Credit Questions:

Favorite Word: uniun
Least favorite word: totally
Favorite Sound: Nina simone's voice
Least Favorite Sound: people yelling out of anger
What turns me on: Spontaneous public art
Turn off: pretty much turned on by everything
Favorite curse word: Fuckin-A
Profession I would like to attempt: Own and run a bakery
Profession I would never want to attempt: politician!! Agghhh so scary!
If God exists: "It's fine, everything is fine"