Crazytown

A TASTE OF FRESH FRUIT

The summer is full of theatre festivals, and the Fresh Fruit Festival, a multidisciplinary LGBTQ arts festival, offers something for everyone.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

While Greg has been participating in the summer festival season as an artist, I've found myself on the opposite side of the table, having taken a summer gig helping do marketing on the festival-organizing side for the Fresh Fruit Festival. An LGBTQ multidisciplinary festival for artists, Fresh Fruit will present several plays, cabarets, dance pieces, and films over the course of two weeks (July 8-21) at The Wild Project, with some additional programming at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Leslie Lohman Museum. It's been a pleasure to work with a lot of talented, enthusiastic artists, and you can view the full line-up of the festival--which includes the US premiere of a hilarious comedian, a Fringe-award winning one-person show, and one of the earliest portrayals of homosexuals in film-- here.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a Q&A with Artistic Director/Founder Carol Polcovar about Fresh Fruit's origins and what it's like running a festival now in its 11th year:

ME: What was the origin of the Fresh Fruit Festival? Considering its political roots, how did you decide to incorporate all the different genres of performance and art?

CAROL POLCOVAR: One rainy afternoon, three members of the New Village Productions Board of Directors, Kevin Brofsky, Keith Angora and myself were sitting in an empty theater asking each other what’s next.  The focus of New Village Productions was diversity and putting on plays about people who were not usually presented on the commercial stage. It was not queer oriented theater but many of us working in the organization were gay. As we imagined our next steps, our conversation drifted to all the people in the LGBT community who were seldom featured artists and how past great LGBT artists were never acknowledged as such. Everyone enjoyed the work of LGBT artists, singers, writers, etc.,  but so often the public failed to note that these artists were members of the LGBT community. It was also true that the many groups within the  LGBT community did not really connect with one another and that, in fact, there was sometimes even prejudice within our own community.

We agreed art was universal and LGBT artist’s continuing contribution to world culture throughout the must be recognized and celebrated in order to break through the walls that separated us from each other and from the greater community.  As working playwrights and writers we knew the problems of getting our work seen, especially when it was not mainstream work.  We agreed that we would want to deal with diversity,  and offer opportunities for  LGBT art and artists. A festival, we agreed, could do that, could open doors.  The three of us wanted to present the work of LGBT artists past, present and future, artists in all disciplines. We believed seeing the richness of our community's creativity would fight prejudice both inside and outside the community. Next we needed a name, something that would sound like fun and let people know we were a LGBT group presenting exciting, new work by our artists. Keith Angora listened to this description and said, half joking, "Then it has to be called 'Fresh Fruit.'" Kevin and I laughed and thus the journey began and the Fresh Fruit Festival was born.

THE GREATEST FUTURE EVENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY

Hey, Adam Scott! First of all-- you are the best. Second, I've got some suggestions for your next creative endeavor.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

Have you seen The Greatest Event in Television History? Or what about The Greatest Event in Television History? First, Adam Scott blew our minds by teaming up with Jon Hamm to recreate the opening credits to Simon & Simon. Then, last week, he premiered the next installment in the series: a recreation of the opening credits for Hart to Hart with Parks & Rec costar Amy Poehler. Didn't catch it? Watch the final products below. Don't worry, I'll wait.

   

 

Adam Scott revealed there are two more Greatest Events in Television History (yes, they just keep getting greater), and many want to know what shot-for-shot recreations will come next. While it might be a while before we find out, I would like to humbly submit some suggestions:

1. The opening credits of Charles in Charge
2. The opening credits of Hercules the Legendary Journeys
3. The opening credits of Who's the Boss
4. The opening credits of Doogie Howser MD
5. The opening credits of Quantum Leap
6. The opening credits of Walker Texas Ranger
7. The opening credits of Perfect Strangers
8. The opening credit of Friends with the cast of Friends with Kids
9. "Cool" from West Side Story
10. A live action recreation of the opening credit for Ducktales
11. The music video for Brandy and Monica's "The Boy is Mine"
12. The entirety of The Room

KIMBERLY LEW is a playwright with two published one-act plays for high schools, as well as full-length Searching for Candi (co-written with Gabriella Miyares), which debuted at Mt. Holyoke college. Her play, Other People's Children, was featured as a part of The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective's new works reading series and was a semi-finalist for the 2012 O'Neill Playwrights Conference and Ashland New Play Festival. Her latest play, The Memory Queen, received a reading at The New Ohio in January 2013. She also created/manages the Emerging Musical Theatre blog. www.kimberlylew.com
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THE WISDOM OF CROWDS(OURCING)

Crowdfunding, like many inventions of the internet, has proven to be a double-edged sword, both providing emerging artists with a funding outlet while also allowing just about anyone to campaign for money for any purpose. Lately people have been declaring crowdfunding all but dead with the emergence of high profile, already-wealthy celebrities starting their own campaigns. Where do we draw the line? And is the original idea of crowdfunding really dead?
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger) 

I have always been fascinated with the idea of crowdsourcing and websites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo that have made it possible for artists and entrepreneurs to raise money through user donations. I've enthusiastically given money to campaigns from some of my favorite emerging musical theatre artists. I've watched as some of my favorite writers have been able to put out amazing albums and readings of their work. I was even granted this amazing theme song for my other blog as a perk from a donation I made to a campaign a few years back, which has proved priceless (and truly, an embarrassment of riches):

  

That being said, crowdsourcing is not perfect. Or, rather, I should say that the way that many artists use crowdsourcing is not perfect. A few campaigns have been called out lately for their "abuse" of crowdfunding as a platform. While the Veronica Mars campaign was the first big budget (and high profile) team to push the limits of Kickstarter, subsequent campaigns from the likes of Zach Braff (which really just brought out a lot of Garden State hate) and Zosia Mamet that have been met with particular vitriol.

And while I will say that it's frustrating to see when people are not doing enough research to create a well-thought-out, reasonable campaign ($32,000 for a music video? Really?), the truth is that celebrities and other "industry" people are not the only ones who push the limits and good faith of crowdfunding. A lot of crowdfunding sites don't have any means of policing whether or not users actually fulfill perks or use the money they raised towards the goals they originally set out for. So no matter how much a campaign is asking for, your money may not always be applied the way you think it will.

But the truth of the matter is that you, as the factor that puts the crowd in crowdfunding, have the power in whether or not these people get their projects are funded or not. And while it certainly is your money to spend as you wish, here are some things I always like to consider before giving money to a campaign:

GETTING BACK IN THE KITCHEN

My kitchen is not necessarily a drunk one, but it can get just as messy.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

While I do enjoy cooking, I'll be the first to admit I'm a lazy chef. I am more likely to throw a bunch of ingredients together than follow a recipe, and even I'm likely to get tired of my own cooking. I prefer salad out of a bag to making things from scratch, and on more than one occasion, I've made baked goods from a box and passed it off as my own. When I lived in California, I actually went a year cooking meals for myself regularly, but that all came to an end when I accidentally gave myself food poisoning. Since moving to the city, I've been mostly living out of takeout containers, since any fresh food I seemed to keep around the apartment would spoil before I had a free evening to cook it.

Lately, however, in an attempt to save some money, I've been making a conscious effort to cook more, and I've been attempting to expand my culinary horizons. The best way to do this? To get some new cookbooks.

But as someone who works with hundreds of cookbooks regularly, I can be really picky about choosing a good collection of recipes. The recipes can't be unnecessarily fussy. They can't require too many crazy ingredients. The layout of the book has to be easy to read and include lots and lots of pictures (and yummy looking ones at that). With all this in mind, I wanted to recommend my top 3 favorite cookbooks as of late:

Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen by Edward Lee

Former Top Chef contestant Edward Lee comes through with this delicious-looking book that marries Asian flavors with Southern staples. Given my heritage and time living in Georgia, this seems like a natural union. The pictures are mouthwatering and Lee offers a lot of great anecdotes. Some of the recipes are a bit complex, but the book also contains one of the simplest, yet effective roast chicken recipes (that involves stuffing the skin with shredded potato) and some really cool pickling recipes that will undoubtedly be good in the summer.

THE TROUBLE WITH SHAKESPEARE

Trying to understand the place of Shakespeare in modern theatre--starting with the mighty Macbeth.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

I am going to come out and say it, blasphemous as it may be: I have always had a problem with Shakespeare. Okay, maybe not with Shakespeare. Never met the guy, so I can't say it's a direct kind of thing. Maybe it's more like I have a problem whenever I see a production of Shakespeare.

I've always had difficulty getting through Shakespeare's text, whether on the page or on the stage. Part of it is the language. I can't tell you how many times I've read some soliloquies over and over again, realizing halfway through that I had no idea what exactly the words I was scanning meant. Another part of it is the sheer reverence that his work seems to garner-- this pressure that everyone has to not only respect his work, but also know it, too. As a result, productions of Shakespeare's work, adapted and reinterpreted every which way, always abound, and everyone feels an obligation to go to these shows and familiarize themselves with these stories because there is an obligation to the cultural zeitgeist to do so.

 

A few weeks ago, Ali Gordon asked whether or not artists (and critics) should ask of productions "Why bother?" And while I wholly agree that this question should never intimidate artists from creating work, I actually think that the question "Why bother?" should always be on the table, especially with revivals in the case of Shakespeare (and Orphans, which her post originally referenced). I think in some ways people view Shakespeare as being an easy choice, because of its reputation and public domain status, and as a result, lots of new productions attempt to reinterpret the text with modern concepts that only highlight some aspects of Shakespeare's work on the page, or drudge through the text without any attempts to inject new life into the show. While both of these approaches attempt to put Shakespeare front and center, in a lot of ways they only seem of point out the irrelevance of his work to our everyday lives. Yes, we owe him much both in language and in theatre in general-- but does that mean that we need multiple commercial celebrity-studded interpretations? Maybe we could afford to cut back a bit...

WHY I LOVE VINE

How creative can you be in 6 seconds?
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

Though I am a firm believer in the digital revolution and our need to adapt to these changing times, I will admit that sometimes it seems like social media is out of control. There are new platforms popping up everyday-- and the truth of the matter is, even as someone who loves the idea of marketing and being a part of a social (albeit digital) community, I'm a strong believer that not everyone needs to be on every big social media platform.

 

Maybe this is why I was so resistant to Vine, the video-driven social media platform that allows people to post 6-second videos to a personal feed (and Facebook and Twitter). Basically, it's a video version of Twitter.

Okay, but wait! Hold your Liz Lemon eyeroll for just one moment. Because while I once shared in your skepticism, I now have to admit that I am a true believer. I am a Vine convert.

Why do I love Vine? Let me count the ways:

STREAM THIS: HER MASTER'S VOICE

Nina Conti's revisionist documentary about a puppet pilgrimage is strange, deceptively simple, and ultimately devastating as it reveals the madness behind art, life, and love.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

As I've probably mentioned before, one of my favorite discussions of art and creation on Crazytown was B.T. Ryback's rumination on writing based on "what the author knows" and whether or not autobiography is where an artist should draw inspiration. While I certainly believe that as creators that we need to continue to push ourselves and reach outside of our experiences for new, compelling stories, I also have to admit that I personally have a fondness and fascination with artists who are not only willing to dig deep into their well of personal experiences for inspiration, but are also willing to attach their name to the final product. Going beyond simple storytelling, a lot of amazing artists have elevated their experiences to art, bringing into question what it means too retell history and how people can transform their experiences for the sake of an audience.

A particularly potent example of art-as-autobiography that I had the pleasure of experiencing recently was ventriloquist Nina Conti's docu-mockumentary, Her Master's Voice. An accomplished performer usually accompanied by Monkey, her crude counterpart, Nina Conti herself is an affable woman who will be the first to admit that ventriloquism is not everyone's idea of a good time. However, through her accomplished mentor and once-lover, Ken Campbell, Nina found ways of elevating puppetry and ventriloquism to an art form, one she executes quite entertainingly, as you can see from the following clip:

 

KIM & ERIN EAT CHEESECAKE (AND TALK ABOUT "BUYER & CELLAR")

The lastest episode of our podcast where we discuss a new piece of theatre over a slice of cheesecake.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger) with Erin Salvi

Yes, we have a new podcast for you guys to check out. But first things first: are you aware that Barbra Streisand has a mall in the basement of her dream mansion?? Like a whole street of Victorian shops of antiques, sweets, costumes, and ribbons on display-- all owned by the Funny Girl herself, but displayed as though it were a fancy promenade. If your mind is as blown as mine was when I found out this information, you'll need photographic evidence, and have no fear for there is a lot of it.

And as much as I wish I was bringing up Babs's mini mall just for funsies, it is also the genesis of the play we covered for our latest podcast. Buyer & Cellar, currently playing at The Rattlestick, imagines how things would shake out if our favorite Yentl hired someone to man her private playground through a one-man show starring the talented and wonderfully coiffed Michael Urie. We holed up at Bosie Tea Parlor to discuss this intriguing and hilarious play (and eat free pastries)! Click on the player above to find out more about Buyer & Cellar, our takes on Barbra, and whether or not the mall has a frozen yogurt station. We know inquiring minds want to know! (Warning: this podcast will contain spoilers)

*Also, since this recording, the run of this show has been extended until May 12-- get on it!

KIMBERLY LEW is a playwright with two published one-act plays for high schools, as well as full-length Searching for Candi (co-written with Gabriella Miyares), which debuted at Mt. Holyoke college. Her latest play, Other People's Children, was recently featured as a part of The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective's new works reading series and was a semi-finalist for the 2012 O'Neill Playwrights Conference. She also created/manages the Emerging Musical Theatre blog. www.kimberlylew.com
EMAIL HER |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR

ERIN SALVI is a Brooklyn-based writer who enjoys theater, drinking copious amounts of coffee, rocking out to David Bowie, and thinking about the space-time continuum. Her writing has been featured in The Expeditioner and My Dog Ate My Blog.
EMAIL HER |  TWITTER | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR

REAL SONGS FROM FAKE MUSICALS

The shows might not be real, but that doesn't mean that they can't create real great songs.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

They say if you introduce a loaded gun in the first act it should be fired in a subsequent act. Well, I say if one of your characters announces they are going to be in/writing/directing/seeing a friend in a new musical, there better be a big original musical number. The zanier, more outlandish, and dramatic, the better. Here are some of my favorite musical numbers from not-real musicals in TV, movies, etc.:

 
"Dr. Zaius" from Planet of the Apes: The Musical in The Simpsons

The Simpsons has a ton of great musical parodies, including Streetcar: The Musical! and a Betty Ford Musical. But, in the words of Bart Simpson, Planet of the Apes: The Musical has it all-- from singing monkeys to a big reveal in the grand finale.

 
"Don't Forget Me" from Bombshell in Smash

Bombshell finally opened, y'all! And while I have to admit that I haven't been exactly keeping up with the show, save for Rachel Shukert's brilliant recaps, I did see this last episode, and I found myself strangely misty-eyed at seeing the show finally on its feet. There are a lot of great moments and songs from drafts upon drafts of Bombshell, and perhaps in the not-so-distant future, this Marilyn Monroe musical will be a real Broadway production. But for now, I'm giving Ivy Lynn some credit for hitting it out of the park this week. Get it, girl. 

MOVE ON

Moving is the worst.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

One day, you may take a look at your New York apartment and think to yourself, I wonder if it's time to move on. Maybe you've enjoyed the memories you've created in your little home, but you'll also wonder what's beyond those walls, whether or not there's something better out there for you. Maybe it's time for an upgrade, you'll think. I wonder if I can find something better. Well, I am here to tell you, dear reader, that you should tell that little voice to shut up and hold on to your current housing with an iron grip.

 

Talk about killing me softly with his song

Moving is an awful experience, no matter where you are or where you are going. It requires meticulous planning, organizational skills, and more boxes and sweaty men to carry them than you've ever wanted or needed. But moving in New York is a special circle of hell plagued with exorbitant rent prices and bathtubs in the kitchen-- Ugly Betty doesn't lie (and I would kill for that amount of floor space). Here are some reasons why moving in New York is the worst:

• Brokers. Sadly, more often than not, you'll need one to gain access to half the apartments you find online. Luckily, the last broker I've had has been good, but prior to that was a parade of pushy salesmen and immature frat boys. One broker even almost got in a fistfight with a tennant before asking my soon-to-be-roommate and me out for drinks... did I mention the apartment he was supposed to show us also had already been rented?