Current Projects
In Circles at Judson Memorial Church
Our third New York
City production was performed February 12-22, 2008. In Circles is Al
Carmines' seminal off-off-Broadway masterpiece, a musical
setting of Gertrude Stein's A Circular Play. We presented it
at Judson Memorial Church at 55 Washington Square South where it originally
premiered.
IN
CIRCLES
a musical by Al Carmines
based on A Circular Play by Gertrude Stein
with
Anthony Wills Jr. (Dole), Maureen Taylor (Lucy), Meghan Hales
(Sylvia), Michael Lazar (Brother), Noelle McGrath (Mildred),
Paul Boesing (William/musical director), Paul Lincoln (Ollie), Robin Manning
(Mabel), Sarah Ferro (Jessie), and Steven Patterson (George)
John
Sowle (director/set designer)
Jack Dyville (choreographer/stage manager)
Mike Floyd (costume designer)
Joe Novak (lighting designer)
Graphics by T. Hachtman
Steven in Shakespeare's Macbeth and Gareth Armstrong's Shylock in Orlando
Steven returned to New York in late April after appearing as Duncan and the Doctor in Jim Helsinger's Butoh-influenced production of Macbeth for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater where his performance (along with several others) was singled out for praise by Elizabeth Maupin of the Orlando Sentinel.
Steven was also down in Florida during the fall of 2007 for a run of Gareth Armstrong's Shylock at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Here are links to a couple of feature articles on the production in the Orlando Sentinel and Watermark.
"SHYLOCK SUCCEEDS: GRIPPING PRODUCTION SHINES ... In Shylock, writer-director Armstrong fills in all of Shylock's backstory. He doesn't let the intractable moneylender off the hook. But this one-person play so engagingly makes its case that your anger turns to pity, and understanding replaces disgust ... As Shylock, Patterson appears tall, shrewd and bitter; as Tubal, he's small and unprepossessing, and not only because he takes off Shylock's imposing hat. Patterson's apologetic, remorseful Tubal draws the audience into his story. And he makes the persecution of Shylock, and of his people, hit home in a new way."
Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Sentinel
"Perhaps the most entertaining master’s thesis I’ve ever seen on stage. The first act backgrounds the historical context behind the Jew-free England of Shakespeare’s age, from the 1190 York proto-pogrom through King Edward I’s 1290 edict of eviction. Act Two explores the evolution of Shylock onstage, affording Patterson an 'excellent excuse for overacting' in re-creating the acting styles of legendary hams from Richard Burbage to Charles Macklin. We are finally brought to the 20th century with a stark reminder of the horrors born from ancient anti-Semitic blood libels: Hitler was a big Merchant of Venice fan ... Though it delves into deep topics, Shylock never gets too heavy, thanks to Armstrong’s fluid direction and Patterson’s engaging delivery ... The play is neither apologia nor indictment, but rather a sober celebration of the problematic play’s possibilities, by turns funny, thought provoking and haunting."
Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly
"PATTERSON ENTHRALLS AS TUBAL ... Shylock, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s riveting one man show, is part theatric chronology of The Merchant of Venice and part history lesson of anti-Semitism throughout time. Shylock is presented through the eyes of Tubal, a character with only eight lines in the Shakespearean play. Steven Patterson stars as Tubal, Shylock’s friend - his only friend, but also takes on double duty, playing Shylock and other characters in the play. Not to mention, he plays Shylock as different actors playing Shylock. Patterson shoulders the heady role with care. He is a master at filling the stage with his presence ... This engrossing production is not to be missed for anyone who loves Shakespeare, and for anyone who enjoys storytelling at its best."
K J Roberts, ArtsBlog
"'They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat!' That pretty much summarizes all of Jewish history, and except for the food, that captures this rather unusual one-man show that deconstructs The Merchant of Venice ... A gripping piece. My eyes never left Patterson. His Tubal was a bundle of energy, probing and questioning everything thrown at him except the fundamental rightness of his ethnicity."
Archikulture Digest @ blogs.ink19.com
IT Award Nomination!
Kaliyuga Arts' production of Dan Carbone's Kingdom of Not at the Cherry Lane Studio received a 2007 nomination for "Outstanding Solo Performance" from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Hey, positive recognition is always pleasant, Dan's work is nothing if not "innovative", and these are really the only awards out there honoring the amazing and risk-taking work taking place Off-Off-Broadway. The nomination announcement came at a party held at Our Lady of Pompeii on Monday evening July 16th and fortunately Dan (as well as one of his long-time associates, Erica Blue) was able to be in attendance. Several friends and colleagues also received nominations (including Brian Linden, Daniel Talbott, Brian Garber, and the folks at eavesdrop, Working Man's Clothes, and Banana Bag & Bodice). The awards presentation was held held on September 24 at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Congrats all around (and to those few who were fortunate enough to see Kingdom of Not back here during its brief run)!
SFist (the
Bay Area equivalent of New York's GOTHAMist) recently published a
terrific interview with Dan to which you can link by clicking
here.
And click here for more information
regarding the IT Awards themselves.
Kaliyuga's All That Fall Goes Academic!
Kaliyuga Arts' 2006 production of
Samuel Beckett's All That Fall was featured in the March 2007 issue of
Theatre Journal, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press in
cooperation with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Presented as
part of the Samuel Beckett Centennial Celebration, our presentation, reviewed by
Jacqueline O'Connor of Boise State University, was favorably juxtaposed with
reviews of other Beckett Centennial plays presented by the Gate Theatre and Trinity College, Dublin.
This is in addition to the extended article on the Beckett Centenary (including
a review of our production and an interview with Rand Mitchell, our Dan Rooney)
in the October 2006 issue of the
Brooklyn Rail.
You can check out
excerpts from both articles on our production's
page.
New
York Experiences Dan Carbone!
2006 San Francisco
Fringe Festival "Best of Fringe" Award Winner
Kingdom of Not, the latest (and probably the most exquisitely beautiful) emanation from the mind and sensibility of writer/performer Dan Carbone, was presented by Kaliyuga Arts at the Cherry Lane Studio from November 1st thru the 18th, 2006. Click here for further info on the NY production! And for more information about the San Francisco Fringe Festival production, visit the EXIT Theatre website.
5 (out of 5) Stars!
"Kingdom of Not is superbly written and beautifully acted. Mr. Carbone is
a treasure who needs neither a supporting cast nor scenery. Just let him on
stage, and turn on the lights."
Robert Hayden, SF Fringe Audience Reviews @ sffringe.org
"With Kingdom of Not, Dan
Carbone has created his own special universe that is as memorable as it is
unique. This hilarious and moving solo show is bursting with deftly drawn characters and poetry that is rich and
surreal. Very strong direction, script, and acting. The audience on the night I
attended loved it, and I did too."
Mia Paschal, SF Fringe Audience Reviews @ sffringe.org
"This is a phenomenal piece of work.
Beautifully written, lapsing into all manner of literary forms, and exquisitely
performed. Hysterically funny and stonily sober as it moves from place to place
in a biblical story gone awry. A multi-level and not so remote experience."
Eryka Fraczek, SF Fringe Audience Reviews @ sffringe.org
"Holy moly! I'd never seen one of his
performances before - he is amazing and absurd. I would tell anyone to go see
this show!!"
Kim, SF Fringe Audience Reviews @ sffringe.org
"The most brilliant and imaginatively creative
mind inhabits one Dan Carbone, who conjures his sorcery in the premiere of his
latest solo performance titled Kingdom of
Not (dir. Joseph Graham). This is one of those rare Fringe
shows that you should RUN, not walk, to see. Carbone is one of those geniuses
who only gets better with age. And lucky are we to see his work as it has grown.
With only a baby carriage and white rocking chair, the quirky Carbone creates an
entire world and a world of characters, each with a unique noise and distinct
physical characteristics (including the old house they inhabit) that have you,
between tears of amazement and tears of laughter, on the edge of your psyche.
Buh-buh-buh-Baby Randall, whose 'father was a train whistle and mother was …more
complex,' comes to life along with Anita Hummmmmm, who adopts him as her own
after her sister Bonnie shot herself in the head. This is one instance where
meandering sidesteps — including the incredibly extended two-year, one-billion
ant-mile voyage of the sugar ant scout across the floor, up the wall, along the
sink, up to the cabinet, and into the blissful ecstasy of the crystalline white
stuff — always magnify the central journey of his characters. All of Dan’s
pieces fit so exquisitely together that by the end, one feels as blissed out as
that ant by the perfection of it all. And we are thankful to have 'borne
witness' to the one who sometimes 'feels pressed up against a huge balloon…just
holding onto the edges trying to see it and see things coming together.' They
come together all right. While all hell is breaking loose right there in Turkey
Bluff with biggest town gossip Rebecca Nagle, who looks like a 'marshmallow
Easter Peep,' all the creatures in the rug are calling to Randall who is banging
his head on the wall at the spot he later manages to crawl through to get to the
other side! If all this sounds bizarre, it is and yet, it all makes sense by the
end.
Heading for a run at NYC’s Cherry Lane Theatre after its Fringe
performances, Carbone’s Kingdom of Not will probably take NYC by surreal
storm. See him here first where he started out! Kingdom of Not is a MUST
SEE!"
Linda Ayres-Frederick, SF Bay Times
From: Dan Carbone [mailto:buffalofosis@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 8:32
PM
To: john@kaliyuga.com; steven@kaliyuga.com;
altarboyz@aol.com
Subject: "Kingdom of Not" as a
Substitute for Drugs
Hey Guys,
Getting responses on my website to the show which are all very flattering but I've got to remove my phone number from the site because today I got a call from an audience member asking me to comment about what the show means. It was really funny, "Saw your show last Friday with my buddy. We're comin' back again this weekend with a bunch of other people, but like, can you please call me back and describe what your show is about because I'm having difficulty describing it to my friends. And like, this time around we're not gonna SMOKE, we're not gonna DRINK, we're not gonna do ANYTHING. We just wanna take it all in so we don't miss out on anything!"
Sort of reminds me of Dali - "I don't take drugs, I AM drugs!"
Who knows, may be the beginning of a cult following. We should all be so lucky!! Keep those psycho cards and letters coming - but no phone calls please!
Dan
Below is information on a few additional projects in which we were involved in the not too distant past.
VANILLA
Now available on DVD from TLA Releasing and for rental from Netflix!
Our friend and long-time San Francisco Stage Manager Joseph Graham completed shooting in May of 2003 on his first Digital Video narrative short film, VANILLA (with Steven playing a small role, John serving as an extra & designing one of the sets, and our late, lamented front room at Albion adding "blue screen studio" to its resume before biting the dust). Kaliyuga Arts was granted "Associate Producer" status on the finished product (name before the title and everything -- see above) which was both gratifying and humbling. VANILLA had its world premiere on May 27, 2004 at the 18th Festival Internazionale di Cinema Gay Lesbico e Queer Culture in Milan, Italy. A San Francisco screening of the final film was held Saturday evening June 12, 2004 at the Film Arts Foundation. VANILLA was one of the winners of the Cinequest Film Festival's "Viewer's Voice" competition and received its official U.S. premiere as part of their 2005 Festival on Thursday March 10th, 2005 at San Jose State's University Theatre. It took a "Best of Festival" Award in the Short Feature category at the 2004 Berkeley Video and Film Festival, and has been released commercially on DVD (honest, you can actually rent it from NetFlix and Blockbuster) in North America by TLA Releasing (click here for information on how to purchase it - and be sure to check out the special features, including footage from Unfinished, a first attempt Joe made to deal with the same material, featuring Steven as the serial killer!) and by Les Films de L'Ange for distribution in France and Belgium, as well as being picked up for broadcast on cable by the HERE Network. It has also screened at the Image+Nation Festival in Montreal (in late September 2004), the 9th Festival de Cine Lesbico y Gai de Madrid (during November), Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals in Miami, Florida in April, Toronto in May, and Philadelphia in July of 2005 and quite a few others we've since lost track of. For a hilarious (and astoundingly perceptive) encapsulation of the film, check out Rick Trembles' cartoon/review at snubdom.com. And click here for a link to the complete review on CampBlood.org and here for the complete review of the DVD recently published in the Bay Area Reporter,
"Thoughtful. Dreamlike.
Beautiful. Dangerous. Real. These aren't words you'd normally associate with
serial killer films, but 'Vanilla' isn't your average slice-and-dice: in fact,
it seems to take pride in bucking convention whenever it can. A mesmerizing,
bittersweet story of self-discovery, this film puts out its scent and dares you
to follow it. In short, Vanilla is anything but ... If you're in the mood to be
taken on a thoughtful, occasionally disturbing, and overall quite beautiful
trip, definitely give Vanilla a try -- it's a sweet and refreshing approach to
an oft-mistreated subgenre."
Buzz, CampBlood.org
"I LOVED IT! 'Vanilla' has a very intriguing
story, great acting, and is shot in a way that is both dreamy and nightmarish,
all blended together in a forty-seven minute package ... An
outstanding film that could easily become an underground sensation!"
Josh Haney, The Hacker's Source, Issue #18
"A new talent is on the horizon in Joseph Graham and that is evidenced in
this at times surreal featurette about a teenager who discovers a body in the
woods and its sexual after-effects."
kleptomaniac.com
"A must see for anyone curious what
wonders can be achieved in low budget digital video nowadays!"
Rick Trembles, Motion Picture Purgatory @ snubcom.com
"
Funding is also almost in place for Joe to begin filming his next project - a gorgeous, self-penned feature called Beautiful Something. Check out the website for the film here.
THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS
Steven is featured (discussing his work with playwright/director Oakley Hall III during the summer of 1977 at the Lexington Conservatory Theatre in upstate NY) in an exquisite documentary by San Jose film-maker Bill Rose called THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS. We attended a Film Arts Foundation screening at Yerba Buena Center in August 2003 and the official premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose on March 7, 2004. It's been snatching up fistfuls of awards, was broadcast on the PBS program "Independent Lens" in February of 2006, and is now available from Netflix. You can also purchase the DVD for your own personal library by clicking here and learn more about the film by visiting www.thelossofnamelessthings.com.
Kaliyuga Arts is the proud owner of
a co-op apartment in a swell, semi-funky pre-war building in the Hell's Kitchen
(or Midtown West for those with more delicate sensibilities) district of
Manhattan. We moved in on
Thursday, September 23rd, 2004 and John has already served two terms as
President of the Board! The address is 520 West 50th Street Apt. D4,
New York, NY 10019 and our phone number is 212.400.7571. We've also purchased
and are deep in the midst of home construction on
10 gorgeous acres upstate in Catskill, just a couple hours north of
Manhattan, where we
eventually would love to have a sort of mini artists' retreat -- our friend Bill Parker
has begun to refer to it, only half-jokingly, as the Kaliyuga Katskill Kollective -- and
also a place to which we can retire when that time comes (John is counting the
days). In the meantime, it's
already providing a terrific getaway when the pressures of big city livin' get too
intense.
Kaliyuga Arts, 520 W. 50th St. D4, New York, NY 10019 212.400.7571
mailto:anyone@kaliyuga.com
Copyright © 1998, Kaliyuga Arts