Candid Camera

In scene 3 of The Inn at Lake Devine, it's a rainy summer day, and the Marx family drives over to The Inn to check it out.

Yesterday was rainy in Manhattan, too, and Holly Lynn Ellis (filmmaker and actor) came over to shoot a bunch of short videos of producing artistic director Jake Lipman in her apartment.

Jake Lipman talks TIC

Aside from an attack of the giggles and the roar of a motorcycle, we got tons of footage, about TIC, adapting The Inn at Lake Devine from the book by Elinor Lipman into a play, and a few other fun tidbits.

These videos will be shared over the summer, including in TIC's first ever IndieGoGo campaign.  Tickets are on sale now, too.

More soon, but here's to things heating up and sunny days ahead!

Tickets On Sale for THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Tickets went on sale today for the world premiere of The Inn at Lake Devine, which will run for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015 at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios in midtown NYC.

Tickets are $18 online or by calling 212-868-4444, and for more about the production, visit our website.

Media passes, photographs, interviews and additional materials are available upon request.  For group sales, book groups, faith-based organizations and school group performances (with study guide materials and talk-back following the performance), please contact us.

Jake Lipman adapted the play with music, based on the popular novel by Elinor Lipman.  The fall production will be directed by Kimberly Faith Hickman and assistant directed by Molly Ballerstein.

A Lipman E-mails Another Lipman: Collaboration Ensues

It all started in May of 2014.  I was acting in the TIC-devised piece Buffalo Heights, which was going really well.  It was going so well that I wanted to jump in and create another new piece.

As I was running my lines in my apartment on the UWS, I looked over at the bookshelf and saw my favorite novel, The Inn at Lake Devine, by Elinor Lipman, beckoning to me.

I should also say my late mother had planted a seed in my head, years ago, that we were related to Ms. Elinor Lipman.  Call it chutzpah.  I sent a fan girl, long-lost cousin e-mail through her website that very day, asking if The Inn had ever been turned into a play, and if not, if a conversation could be had about adapting it.  I expected some publicist to reply weeks later, but mere minutes later, I heard back from Elinor Lipman Herself.  Wow.

She was incredibly gracious from the outset, and encouraging.  Let's meet for a drink, she said.  I live in NYC also.  Wow wow wow.

We met, and a couple of glasses of champagne later, I was the proud owner of an autographed book from my favorite novelist, and that same novelist had put me in touch with her fancy agents at William Morris Endeavor.  Sadly, we soon established we were not related.  Nope.  Not at all.  But I didn't care.  My mother's chutzpah had emboldened me to reach out and now I was in talks to adapt this story I love into a play.  HOLY COW.

In the months since, Elinor has been an incredible collaborator.  We've met to tweak dialogue, share more bubbly, and she's come to see me in another play.  She's hard at work on her latest novel and jet sets around the world to promote her other works, and yet continues to make time for me.

On April 23 at 7 pm at Shetler Studios, we're presenting a staged reading of the work-in-progress, and I'd love for you to join us.  E-mail info@tictheater.com to reserve your free seat.

And we'd love to have you see the fully-staged run this October at Theatre 54 in midtown NYC.

More here: http://www.tictheater.com/innatlakedevine.html

From left-to-right: Elinor and Jake, both Lipmans.

Come to our staged reading of THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE, April 23 at 7 PM

As you may know from recent posts, TIC is developing a new full-length play adaptation of the popular novel, The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman.

Today's read through added in several choral arrangements, led by Philip Rothman, including Christmas songs (sung with four-part harmony), a round in Hebrew, and an old-timey barbershop quartet rendition of "In the Good Ole Summertime."

March 22 table read of THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Equal parts coming-of-age, romantic comedy, and comedy of errors, the play follows a woman named Natalie Marx, from her teenage years to adulthood, examining the profound effect a single, dismissive letter has had upon her desire to stay at The Inn at Lake Devine.  While her mother says, "It isn't personal: they have a hotel, they don't want Jews, we're Jews," Natalie is determined to understand who is behind this statement and in the course of her pursuit, finds friendship and love.

Join us on Thursday, April 23 at 7 PM for a FREE staged reading of the play (followed by wine, nibbles and general hob-nobbing) at Shetler 1 at Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.  The run time will be about 2 hours, including a 10-minute intermission. 

To reserve your seat, e-mail info@tictheater.com with your desired number of seats.

Making New Work Happen

2015 marks Tongue in Cheek Theater's 10th season, and as producing artistic director, I am especially excited to be working on an entirely new theatrical work, The Inn at Lake Devine.  The source material is the wonderful novel by the same name by Elinor Lipman, about a girl coming of age in the 1960s and 70s in New England, grappling with prejudice, religion, romance, and a bit of revenge.

In the coming winter months, I'll be working on the script with a group of trusted artists on a staged reading of the work in April.  Feedback from the staged reading will be incorporated into the final script, which will premiere October 8-24, 2015 at Theatre 54 in midtown NYC.  More about the piece here.

As I get started on my way with this new piece, I have to say how inspired I am by another company, Going to Tahiti Productions.

Going to Tahiti Productions is run by a dynamic duo, Jessica Ammirati and Molly Ballerstein, producing works that give opportunities to women.  From adapting Within Arm's Reach last year (my favorite new work I saw onstage in 2014), to their TV series "Farm Story," that is in post-production, Jess and Molly regularly make exciting new work happen.

They recently created their first video blog, aka vlog, about choosing the right time to produce their next work.  I can't wait to see their next collaboration!

14 TIC Artists to Celebrate in 2014

As we head into Tongue in Cheek's tenth season in 2015 (TIC @ 10!), we wanted to celebrate 14 creatives and TIC collaborators who had a big 2014.

Artistic Director Jessica Ammirati
She directs, produces, and writes with equal skill and smarts, all while co-running Going to Tahiti Productions, a NYC-based production company with the mission to give women opportunities in the entertainment industry.  In 2014, she developed and shot a one-hour dramatic TV pilot Farm Story, and many great things lie ahead.

Director Shelby Arnold
Shelby is a talented director, stage manager and choreographer who greatly enhanced our premiere of Buffalo Heights with her keen eye and inspired choreography.  Our loss is Philly's gain!

Hyphenate Molly Ballerstein
A gifted Jane of all trades, Molly assistant directed, designed lighting and stage managed TIC's fall production of Whale Song in addition to all her creative endeavors as co-managing director of Going to Tahiti Productions, TIC's unofficial (let's make it official!) sister company.

Soloist Glynn Borders
This gifted writer, actor, and director performed in his third Plus 1 Solo Show Festival with his piece Sleep Well, which went on to win Best Solo Show in the Midtown International Theatre Festival.

Writer and Actress Karen Elliott
She's toured the country in musicals, including Sister Act and Les Miserables, and recently performed her solo work, Home, for the Fall 2014 Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, where she ruminated on the many moves she's made along the way.

Actress Tara Gadomski
A huge year for Tara included many TV and film projects, from Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black, and The Black List.  We knew her way back when, playing Nancy/Joyce TIC's Recent Tragic Events.

Director Brock H. Hill
A freelance director with five TIC productions under his belt, Brock was recently named the producing artistic director of the Planet Connections Festivity, a festival dedicated to making meaningful theater, film, music and art happen in NYC.

Actress Nina Leese
StageBuddy.com says it best, regarding her performance in Buffalo Heights as a congresswoman: "an impressive turn by Nina Leese, a very powerful actress and presence on stage." We hope to work with Leese again and again.

Comedian Leanne Linsky
Since TIC's 2010 with our production of Dead White Males, this funny femme has been working across the country as an actress, comedian, and host of Casual Sketch, which recently celebrated its 7th anniversary.  As she heads out west for the next chapter of her life, we'll be rooting for her.

Writer Elinor Lipman
Novelist and essayist Lipman is no stranger to adaptations of her warm, witty works: Then She Found Me was adapted for the big screen by Helen Hunt, and TIC is thrilled to be adapting her popular novel The Inn at Lake Devine into a play for a fall 2015 run.

Playwright Claire Kiechel
Definitely one to watch, the award-winning playwright of Whale Song or: Learning to Live with Mobyphobia updated her script for TIC's 2014 production, added nuance and whimsy to the play about a woman diving deep into memory and mammals.

Actor Joe Mullen
Every night of Buffalo Heights, Joe brought down the house with his hapless security guard and 11th hour turn as a French-speaking buffalo.  He's workshopping the feature film Tryst, with filming slated to start in February 2015.

Performer Elizabeth A. Phillips
Another solo show artist in our fall Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, Liz is writer and improviser extraordinaire.  She made her TIC debut with a heartfelt and humorous piece about a high school crush on her history teacher, Social Studies.

Actress Tracy Willet
A gifted actress, Tracy brought warmth and whimsy to the roles of a caring sister and a spooky soothsayer in Whale Song this fall.  With feature film Second Chance opening in 2015, we all see great things ahead!

To all our fellow creatives, collaborators, family, fans, and friends: thank you for making 2014 a thrilling year and we cannot wait to see you in 2015!

A Whale of a Fall Season for Tongue in Cheek

A very special thanks to our performers, supporters and production team for a wonderful fall of shows for Tongue in Cheek!

Whale Song or: Learning to Live with Mobyphobia by Claire Kiechel enjoyed a 9-performance (nearly entirely sold out) run.  About our production, a reviewer Jessica Ammirati wrote, "A quirky, funny show... incredibly enjoyable... inventive staging...  The audience is laughing one minute and crying the next."  The production starred Shelley Little as Maya, a woman puzzling out her father's passing while a whale circles the island of Manhattan.  Brady Adair returned to TIC's stage as her father, Tracy Willet played sensible sister Sarah, Jared Shirkey shone as her dutiful boyfriend, and Matt Sydney the fun-loving Shep, a philosophical drummer.  TIC's producing artistic director Jake Lipman played a news reporter and directed, assisted by Molly Ballerstein.

 In the dark nights of our main stage show, TIC held its 14th Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, which was well attended and sold out its closing night.  Audiences were treated to the musical stylings of Ellia Bisker of Sweet Soubrette, and four solo shows by Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Elliott, Caralie Chrisco and Dale Davidson.

Our closing night party is always a blast (photos of the cast and production team, below). Stay tuned for our 2015 developments, notably the adaptation of The Inn at Lake Devine with a three-week run in October 2015.  More at www.tictheater.com