| Starters
A look back into previous Stone Soup offerings
By Ben Trawick-Smith
Fun/Five Posts (Summer 2002)
That rarest of things, a reckless dramatic experiment that actually
worked. Fun/Five Posts was actually a merger of two plays, Howard
Korder's Fun and Lithuanian playwright Algirdas Landsbergis'
Five Posts in a Marketplace. Fun, a highly naturalistic
docudrama, concerned the lives of two wayward, lower-middle-class kids
living in a nameless American bedroom community. Five Posts was
a highly passionate work detailing the efforts of a group of young Eastern
European terrorists to overthrow their country's brutal dictatorship.
Korder's work is written in the grunting, monosyllabic prose of teenage
America. Its nihilistic, nominal protagonist, an angry young loser named
Denny, communicates with half-baked insults and brutish gestures. His
spacey best friend, Casper, is even less verbose. The other characters
in the piece are hardly more coherent. Landsbergis, by contrast, wrote
in the florid language of revolutionaries, in passionate speeches and
grand pronouncements. On paper, the two works seemed like oil and water,
too stylistically distant to form a compelling whole.
As directed by Nadine Friedman, the combined words of Korder and Landsbergis
transcended mere stylistic differences to reach a heartbreaking depth
that nobody anticipated. By carefully splicing the two plays together,
Friedman's adaptation formed a striking juxtaposition. The intense fervor
of Five Post's young rebels coupled with the quiet despair of
Fun's societal rejects created a compelling question: is the
absolute faith and fanaticism of a terrorist truly worse than the indifference
and disdain of America's soul rotted youth?
The Summer 2002 production of Fun/Five Posts was a high point
for our company. It was one of our finest acting pieces, without a single
twodimensional part written in either story. At first, the violent,
homophobic, inarticulate world of Fun seemed almost more distant
from our experiences as New York theatre people than that of anti-communist
guerrillas. And yet, there was something in the very American feeling
of hopeless failure that Korder writes about that the whole cast connected
to beautifully.
After the last performance of the show, we had a talk back session with
the entire company and Algirdas Landsbergis. It was one of the most
thrilling and validating moments in our history, the opportunity to
hear the playwright's vision directly from his own mouth; a beautiful
coda to one of the most daring and rewarding projects of Stone Soup
Theatre Arts.
Ben Trawick-Smith has been a member of Stone Soup since its inception.
In addition to acting, he's composed music for a variety of productions,
including Fun/Five Posts.
Late-Night Dip Recipe
A recipe so good you'll want to keep it to yourself
By Anasua Chowdhury
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Line baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt,
and pepper
- Place feta on tray
- Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Bake for 5-10 minutes or until brown
|
Ingredients
1 lb feta cheese
1½ cups honey
Chopped parsley to taste
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
Pita bread
|
Meanwhile...
- Warm honey and cumin in saucepan until it begins to bubble
Then...
- Mix honey and cheese together
- Add parsley
- Cut pita into wedges
- Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Bake at 350ºF until golden
- Enjoy with Dip!
|
Anasua Chowdhury created this recipe especially for Stone Soup.
She is a cook at 'cesca and has worked at Jean George's restaurant 66.
Desserts
Suggestions for a great way to top off your meal
By Teresa Jusino
We know, we know - you're stuffed! But there's always room for
something sweet...here's your chance to prove it! In order for
Stone Soup to continue to bring you the high-quality dishes to
which you've become accustomed, we need your help in the
kitchen....OK, so we're running this metaphor into the ground, but
bear with us. Please show us how sweet you really are by rolling
up your sleeves and whipping up some confectionary delights...
help us keep the kitchen cooking! |
|
New
Fall Entrée
What's cooking with Stone Soup
By Nadine Friedman
Valparaiso by Don Delillo
When we decided to investigate privacy for our fifth season,
the obvious incongruity arose. Stone Soup explores relevant social issues
and isn't privacy, by definition, a personal one? Shouldn't it stand
as the opposite of a social, political issue? But for better or worse,
it doesn't. Lifestyle, culture, sex, and choice are under attack by
the same government that punishes photographers who bring images of
flag draped coffins and victims of Hurricane Katrina to the public eye.
This disparity guides our exploration of what we're meant to see, what
we're not, and who decides it all. We aim to protect what's ours and
illuminate what must be seen.
For the last four years, Stone Soup has upheld our commitment to initiating
concrete change, and our fifth anniversary season continues the tradition
with the first New York revival of Don Delillo's Valparaiso. Rarely
produced, this fable follows Michael Majeski as he recollects a series
of comical and endearing mishaps on a seemingly simple business trip
to Indiana. Michael offers his story to radio hosts, talk shows, filmmakers,
but the spotlight takes a little more; his marriage, his past, and his
soul become sacrifices to the airwaves. Stone Soup invites you to a
frightening, strange, and seductive destination where intimacy is impossible
without an audience, and off-screen lives cannot be verified - Valparaiso.
As is tradition with our productions, Valparaiso will feature an ensemble
cast and original music. Fusing video, sound and fluid, unnerving wordplay,
it is possibly our most challenging and creative endeavor to date, fitting
for a landmark anniversary season. It is in our endless aspiration to
be more than just theatre, to balance entertainment with education,
that makes Stone Soup stand out. Our relentless commitment to social
causes is evident in our past and current volunteer programs. This season,
while nurturing longstanding relationships with High 5, The Community
Dish and NY Cares, we are also devoting our time to improving resources
and facilities for The Actors Theatre Workshop, which creates programs
for at-risk youth and will be the theatrical home for Valparaiso.
Stone Soup is one of the only organizations devoted expressly to change
both inside and outside the theatre. We connect people o f diverse backgrounds
and opinions to make important conversations public, inclusive, and
engaging. Valparaiso begins the discourse, but we need you to join us
for it to thrive.
Nadine Friedman is a founding member of Stone Soup and has been
Artistic Director since 2003. She will direct Valparaiso this
fall.
Soup du Jour
A profile of a Stone Soup ensemble member
By Randy Anderson
 Marsha
Martinez joined Stone Soup in the summer of 2001. She had just graduated
from college and was looking to move back home when she was approached
by then Artistic Director Cara Blouin, who invited Marsha to perform
in their next play. Four years later she's made herself an integral
part of this vibrant theatre company. I sat down with Marsha in a crowded
beer garden in Queens to learn more about this "Nutty, Nutty" 26 year-old
actress/producer.
What is Stone Soup?
Stone Soup is a group of people that gives everyone a chance. A haven
for artists and audiences alike.
What is your ingredient in Stone Soup?
I'm the base spice (I chuckle at the 90's girl band reference).
I'm like salt and pepper. I'm there to add flavor but to also bring
out the flavors of the other ingredients.
What is your favorite Color?
Black... It has the most possibility.
Who were you in a past life?
A Mexican farm girl in a white dress driving all the boys crazy.
What has been the best play you've ever seen?
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. I saw it on Broadway with Brian
Dennehy and I cried for two hours after the curtain fell.
What Character do you long to play?
Juliet.
What message do you want to send to future generations?
Nothing matters more than the people you love. Put all your energy
into the people you love the most.
Marsha and Randy will be playing Livia and Michael Majeski in
Valparaiso this fall.
|
