Monk Parrots are proud to present the second production and NYC premiere of TERMINUS by Gabriel Jason Dean (Princeton Hodder Fellow, Paula Vogel Award, Broadway Blacklist), directed by Lucie Tiberghien (The Other Thing, Don’t Go Gentle, Soldier X, Hoodoo Love). TERMINUS is the second chapter in Dean’s The Attapulgus Elegies, a semi-autobiographical collection of plays about the slow fade of a American mill town. TERMINUS received its premiere at The VORTEX in Austin, TX in 2016 and ran to critical acclaim, receiving the Austin Critic’s Table Award for Best Drama and an unprecedented 11 B. Iden Payne Awards including Outstanding Script and Best Drama. Described as “a masterful work of great power and beauty,” (Broadwayworld.com) and “part of an important, groundbreaking cycle of American work that we can only hope will receive the widespread national attention it deserves.” (Austin-American Statesman). TERMINUS centers around Eller, a poor, white matriarch, and her mixed-race grandson, Jaybo, who live together down by the railroad tracks in rural Georgia. When Eller's mind begins to fade, her violent past haunts her from the very walls of the old family home. And as she descends terrifyingly closer toward the truth about who she is, Jaybo’s capacity to love his grandmother is put to the test.
The New York Premiere of Terminus was made possible in part with support from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Councilthe, Venturous Theater Fund of Tides Foundation, Liz and Jon Weiswasser, and individual donations.
Photo by Maria Baranova-Suzuki
Welcome to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Written by Luke Leonard
Music by Peter Stopschinski
Lyrics by Katie Pearl and Luke Leonard
DESCRIPTION
A musical play set in Dhahran that looks at the lives of U.S. expats searching for the American dream in a foreign land.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
59E59 Theaters
OCT 8, 2015 - OCT 25, 2015
PRESS
"an extraordinary surrealistic theatrical production...a virtuoso use of humor" - A Seat on the Aisle
Welcome to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is made possible in part with public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Bum Phillips: All-American Opera
Music by Peter Stopschinski | Libretto by Kirk Lynn | Directed by Luke Leonard Set/Light Design by Marie Yokoyama
Costume Design by Alison Heryer
Choreography by Charlotte Griffin
Projection Design by Darwin Gilmore
“Gary Ramsey offered a tour de force as Bum Phillips…this will undoubtedly make for a fine evening’s entertainment.” – The New York Times
"The quirky and earnest production by the Monk Parrots…is like biting into a deep-fried madeline.” – Texas Monthly
"This is not your typical night at the opera...unique, audacious, quirky, a proud underdog striving to succeed on its own terms." -- USA Today Sports
"You're in for a treat 'cause there's a lot of talent on view in this production...The music by composer Peter Stopschinski is stunning...it's bound for even bigger venues and accolades." -- The Artsy Voyager
“Ramsey’s charisma, talent, and range pay tribute to Bum while also making him feel like a fully realized character. The music, from Peter Stopschinski also shines.“ -- Letters from the Mezzanine
“Charlotte Griffin’s choreography and Luke Leonard’s direction score…visual and cerebral delight.” – Theatre Reviews Limited
“The adrenaline-fueled fervor of professional sports merges with the dizzying passion of opera, creating perfect harmony.” -- TheaterMania
“We applaud this production. The stodgy, traditional opera world would be wise to take notice of Bum Phillips.” - Maxamoo
Bum Phillips All-American Opera (World Premiere) was made possible in part with public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Supported by Bum Phillips Charities, Drift Studio NYC, La MaMa ETC, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Artist Residency, Manhattan Community Arts Fund Grant, Monk Parrots patrons via Hatchfund, Opera Moderne, and the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Long Island University, The Baker Hughes Foundation, and an amazing bunch of individuals (click for the full list) PRODUCTION HISTORY
September 24, 2015: Houston Premiere/Benefit Performance at The Stafford Centre
January-February 2013: Workshop: Act One at Long Island University Post Campus
Taking a cue from philosopher Jacques Derrida, After an Earlier Incident blends various Romeo & Juliet tellings (Mariotto and Gianozza, Pyramus and Thisbe, et al.) with hypnagogic music, choreography, text, and visual art to explore the concept of “hauntology”, i.e. the past inside the present. With contributions by playwright DavidTodd, director-designer Luke Leonard, associate director Joey LePage, co-designer Marie Yokoyama, costume designer Alison Heryer, sound designer Michael Howell, and, properties designer Allee Ilardi-Lowy, the piece searches for a way to move forward in order to become unstuck in history.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
March 8 - 17, 2013 at The Club at La MaMa, New York
"Director/Designer Luke Leonard mines the associative imagery of the subconscious to surprising effect...a disorienting sense of the rush of conflicting thought and emotion..." - Arterynyc.com
"...lives up to the promise...a soundtrack for heartbreak...very engaging..." - T&B On the Aisle"HERE I GO is a brilliantly conceived and executed performance work...Go see this significant gem of a performance." - Theatre Reviews Ltd.
Here I Go hitches the emotional gamut of classic, country music with a romanticized depiction of Lynette, a cowgirl in her 60s contemplating suicide. Accusation and acceptance are major themes that prompt questions related to loss and sacrifice. As Lynette prepares her famous banana pudding for her late husband she is visited by her pet horse, memories of herself at various ages, and a man who tries to take her hand...Will she go?
Direction and production design by Luke Leonard. Text by David Todd. Made by Monk Parrots.
Supported by
PRODUCTION HISTORY
European Premiere at the La MaMa Spoleto Open in Spoleto, Italy - August 30 and August 31, 2012
Featured: Michael Howell, Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Gates Leonard, Natalie Leonard, Julie Nelson, and Jessica Pohlman.
World Premiere at 59E59 Theaters - May 22 - June 3, 2012
Featured: Michael Howell, Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Gates Leonard, Natalie Leonard, Julie Nelson, and Jessica Pohlman.
Workshop Performance at Dixon Place - June 23, 2011
Featured: Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Joey lePage, Gates Leonard, Natalie Leonard, Jessica Pohlman, and the voice of Denise DeMirjian.
Here I Go began workshop development in 2009 under the guidance of director Katie Pearl at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2011, director Luke Leonard and playwright David Todd began discussing ideas for a new text and performance structure, which led to a three week rehearsal period supported by The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space Artist Residency. Dixon Place marked the first public presentation of Here I Go.
Special Thanks at the 2012 La MaMa Spoleto Open: Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Offucina Eclectic Arts, La MaMa Umbria International, La MaMa ETC, A.R.T.-New York, MFTA, 59E59 Theaters, Monk Parrots patrons, and Brian and Karen Lowy.
Special Thanks at 59E59 Theaters: Elysabeth Kleinhans, Peter Tear, Nina Segal, Ginger Dzerk, Jim Sparnon, Becca Euliss, John Rotondo and all of the 59E59 Theaters staff, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Karen and Brian Lowy, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, Mia Yoo, Core Staffing, 59E59 Theaters, Dixon Place, John Harmon, Joey LePage, Corey Torpie, Capstone Equities, Magnolia Bakery, Mountain View Studios, Spencer Throckmorton and Kraige Block, Throckmorton Fine Art, A.R.T.-New York, Materials for the Arts, George Hirst, Harriet Taub, Sheri Rhodes, Mitch Heine, Allee Lowy, Nat Shelness, David Hinkel, Justin Haskel, John Harlacher, Kiku Sakai, Ellie Covan, Jen Skura, Jack and Kathy Lynn, and Christopher Trujillo.
Special Thanks at Dixon Place: Monk Parrots Patrons, Ellie Covan, Dixon Place, Capstone Equities, Leslie Strongwater, Katy Einerson, TD Rob, Interns Brittany/Michelle, Michael Burke, Brian and Karen Ilardi-Lowy, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space, Sean Carroll, Will Penrose, Melissa Levin, LMCC, Materials for the Arts, Magnolia Bakery, Katie Pearl, The University of Texas at Austin, Ravelle Mantoura, Martin Zimmerman, Gina Jackson, Sarah Gardner, Bobbie Lloyd, Misty Martin, Eric Hunt, Corey Torpie Photography, and Frank Monteleone.
GAY RODEO BY-LAWS "Describe this unusual production...it would require Thousands of Key Strokes." - Glenn Loney -- nytheatre-wire.com Loosely inspired by the poetic-documentary style of James Agee's book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, GRBL examines 'citizens' while spurring questions about Western heritage and social perception.Gay Rodeo By-Laws (GRBL) explores assumptions and distance as major themes. During the performance, scenery drops to show another new performance space and as the piece unfolds, each layer allows for an accumulation of potent symbols and visual fields evoking a journey through the 'world' of GRBL.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Workshop Presentation in The Vaults at LMCC Swing Space, 14 Wall Street, New York, NY, May 21 and May 22, 2011
Featured: Nathan Baer, Joey lePage, John Harmon, Eric Hunt, Annalisa Loeffler, Clark Loeffler, Natalie Leonard, Gates Leonard, Jessica Pohlman, Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Greg Skura, and Jennifer Skura.
January to May, Swing Space Artist-in-Residence, Director Luke Leonard worked in The Vaults at 14 Wall Street developing Gay Rodeo By-Laws (GRBL), a new performance event with his theater group, Monk Parrots.
Monk Parrots’ GRBL at 14 Wall St. was supported by the following organizations:
Adelman, Katz & Mond LLP, Capstone Equities, Corey Torpie Photography, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space, and Materials for the Arts.
“That’s the Word Repetition Game. It musn’t go too far; I won’t let it.” -- Sanford Meisner
“How you live changes your brain--Thought changes our life and our behavior." -- Milton Glaser
Inspired by Sanford Meisner’s Word Repetition Game and brain scholar Gerald Edelman’s theory shared with friend Milton Glaser about the brain’s susceptibility to almost every encounter in life, THE ART OF DEPICTING NATURE AS IT IS SEEN BY TOADS is a progressive art event featuring two performers, amphibians, one referee, and a herp wrangler engaged in a two-act endurance test. Part theatre, part performance art, all exploration, THE ART OF DEPICTING NATURE... challenges human behavior and perceptions of reality.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Saturday, September 24, 2011: New York Premiere, Dixon Place, New York, NY With: Nathan Baer, John Harmon, Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Luke Leonard, Joey lePage, Jessica Pohlman, and Shaun Patrick Tubbs.
First premiered January 29 and 30, 2010 in the Lab Theatre in Austin, Texas Designed, directed, and conceived by Luke Leonard. Animals provided by Austin Reptile Service. Featured Ben Schave, Luke Leonard, Joey lePage, and Jon Cook.
