examining america
For our second season, we expected to look at contrasts between life in America and other countries, to discover what draws so many immigrants here, and to find the challenges they face once they arrive. Just a month after we settled on this theme, not only were American immigrants thrust into the limelight by September 11, but the idea of examining our country became unpatriotic. And for the first time in our lives, being unpatriotic became dangerous. We began this season with an open mind, figuring it too easy to study America and look at only laws and politics, we aimed to re-examine America with immigrant eyes.
fun/five posts
by Howard Korder/Algirdas Landsbergis
John Houseman Theatre, Studio Too
450 W. 42nd Street, NYC
August 22-25, 2002
This production merged two plays together to explore universal choices made by young people in our country and elsewhere. Fun by Howard Korder about two middle-class kids living in a generic suburban American town. Lithunian playwright Algirdas Landsbergis' Five Posts in a Marketplace detailed the struggles of young terrorists attempting to overthrow a brutal dictatorship. These two plays were combined, scene by scene, to highlight the similarities in seemingly disparate liftestyles. After the final performance, we hosted a talkback session with Landsbergis, who's play had not been produced in New York in over 40 years.
Featuring: Dondrie Burnham, Marissa Goldberg, Jason Koth, Sean Linehan, Marsha Martinez, Joe Moran, Carlos Morris, Kelly Scheid, Suzie Syta, Ben Trawick-Smith, Nick Urda, Danielle Velkoff
breathe free
an original play
The Access Theatre
380 Broadway, NYC
March 13-16, 2003
The original intention for this production was to have our ensemble interview immigrants new to New York and use their stories to create original characters. However, after meeting members of The International Center, that idea quickly changed and our cast included immigrant actors sharing versions of their own stories. The show chronicled the lives of immigrants to New York from Argentina, China, Pakistan and other parts of America, and explored what happens when these diverse communities must overcome difficult circumstances together.
Featuring: Yasser Akhtar, Carlos Dono, Nadine Friedman, Shi Wei Hsu, Jun Liu, Marsha Martinez, Liz Racster, Sandra Rodriquez, Winnie Sun, Suzie Syta, and Ben Trawick-Smith
Jason Koth and Sean Linehan in Fun
Joe Moran and Marissa Goldberg in Five Posts in a Marketplace
Carlos Dono and Liz Racster in Breathe Free
