Q&A with A.J. Heekin (Wilson in 'The Mistakes Madeline Made')

Over the coming weeks, we're featuring interviews with artists in our spring productions.

Our main stage show, The Mistakes Madeline Made by Elizabeth Meriwether, opens Thursday, April 4 and runs for 7 performance, April 4-6 and 10-13 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54 Street, 12th floor, NYC). Tickets are $18 online or by calling 212-868-4444.

Wild Wilson wit and wisdom

Fresh off of rave reviews for his characters in Our Town (TIC's fall 2012 production), we asked A.J. Heekin for a few words of wisdom. 

Tell me about your role in The Mistakes Madeline Made.
I am playing Wilson... he has trouble with words and makes involuntary sounds instead.  He is one of the most unrelentingly hopeful characters I've ever encountered.

What's a quotation or maxim you/your character lives by?
William Makepeace Thackeray said, "To love and win is the best thing.  To love and lose, the next best."

Wilson would say, "Every man must find his own... [makes the sound of a sponge falling from a great height]."

This play features a bit of a coup involving handiwipes.  Which of the following terms is your favorite, and why: handiwipe, wet nap, moist towelette?
 I don't know which term is my favorite, but I can tell you "wet nap" is definitely my least favorite.  It brings up memories of every time I fell asleep as a child.

www.ajheekin.com

A Proustian Questionnaire: THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE, April 4-13

Hello TIC supporters, cast, crew and fans,

We have two productions this spring: THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE and our 9th ever SPRING PLUS ONE SOLO SHOW FESTIVAL.  All tickets are $18 and are available at www.tictheater.com/upcoming.html.  Both shows will be performed at the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor, NYC).

We will be featuring each cast and crew member in a series of blog posts over the coming weeks, so check out www.tictheater.com/blog.phpwww.tictheater.com/blog.php regularly, look for posts on www.facebook.com/tictheaterwww.facebook.com/tictheater.

To kick things off, I've answered a few of our Proustian questionnaire queries... read on!

1. Tell me about your role in THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE.
I'm the producing artistic director of Tongue in Cheek, so I'm involved in a lot of behind-the-scenes, make-it-happen stuff,  from booking space, fundraising, scheduling, prop-procuring, marketing...

I'm also acting in the show, playing the character of office manager "Beth."  Beth loves order, she loves manuals, she loves every small task to which she is assigned and she loves to tell others exactly what to do.  She might just be the most annoying person you'll ever met, but I happen to love to keep lists, so I get her.

2. What's your favorite line or moment in the show, and why?
So many to pick from!

... I love the actor Joe Mullen's 3 roles, "Drake," "Jake" and "Blake," who are all writers who the play's protagonist, Edna, dates.  Each cultural reference he makes (Milan Kundera to Dove bars) makes me laugh and cringe simultaneously.

Shelley Little, who plays our smartly sassy herione "Edna," growls at my character in one scene.  I don't know how I'm not going to laugh when she does.

A.J. Heekin, who plays Edna's co-worker, "Wilson," has all these funny outbursts of words and sounds: his photocopier sound has a "CHUBBA CHUBBA!" bit to it, and I love hearing it. 

Jeremy Patrick Hamilton plays Edna's older brother, "Buddy," and I love when they dissolve into lovingly insulting each other (he calls her "fat hands").

3.  In THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE, an afternoon snack is meticulously prepared in a brown paper bag.  Describe your perfect afternoon snack.
I would have to have a small baggie of Chex Mix (frankly, I just like the salty pumpernickel rounds) and my imaginary snack bag preparer would peal and section out an orange for me (also in an small baggie).  Finally, I would definitely want a moist toilette to clean my fingers after the salt and the sticky orange.

And, if this were the perfect snack bag of my youth, there would be a toy or some other item in there.  Stickers featuring penguins and a brand-new Silly Putty?  Or a piece of Bazooka gum for later.

Spring 2013 Plus One Solo Show Artists Announced!

Thank you to all the talented, inspiring, brilliant solo show artists who submitted to our Spring 2013 Plus One Solo Show Festival (our ninth ever!).

Our festival runs for two nights only, and one ticket gets you entry to see 4 solo artists and a musical guest.

Be sure to get your tickets now for Sunday, April 7 at 8 pm and Monday, April 8 at 8 pm.  The venue is the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor, NYC).

We are thrilled to announce the following artists will be featured with their original work:

Katie Goodland, performing her piece, Ready?
A young woman finds herself breaking barriers at the United States Military Academy.

Jennifer Fisher, performing her piece, SBF
A rite of passage in dating.

Joel Haberli, performing his piece, Cracks in a Concrete Heart
A life long womanizer deals with a series of medical issues that cause him to question the life he's led.

Rachel Handler, performing her piece,  Inspiration Whore
I have to put my leg on.  I forget how weird that sounds.

And special musical guest Todd Kramer returns to the Plus One Festival to sing his original songs.

Please join us April 7 and 8 to see these amazing folks perform!

Seeking Solo Shows by Fri 2/22 for Plus One Fest!

Tongue in Cheek Theater is seeking 20-minutes (or shorter!) solo shows for its 9th Plus One Solo Show Festival, which will run April 7 & 8, 2013 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre. 

Submissions are due by Friday, February 22 at midnight.  Read more about our submission guidelines now.

If you're already really excited about this fest, well, buy your tickets now. 

What are we looking for, you ask?  I read every submission personally and I am drawn to personal stories that find the humor in something that really happened to the solo show artist.  Let me know if you've ever done the piece before, or if it's relatively new (this is a good thing--we want to fill the house with your friends and fans!). 

Past solo shows have included an excerpt of My Salvation Has a First Name by gifted comedienne Robin Gelfenbien, the smartly revealing Dirty Paki Lingerie by Aizzah Fatima (which she later took to Edinburgh Fringe), Call Me by the hilarious Kath Williams (which morphed into 2012 FringeNYC favorite Choosing the Chosen), and more than two dozen others. 

And if you have submitted in the past, please re-submit.  Every single time we do a call for submissions, there are so many that I loved that I couldn't include... but want to see done in the future!  In nearly every festival, I have included a work that was submitted previously.  So put your materials in an e-mail and send them off to me by Friday at midnight.  I can't wait to read them!

Cast Announced for THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE!

As I said in an earlier post, we received over 1,000 submissions for our spring play, THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE.  Winter storm Nemo threatened the ability for actors to audition, but Saturday morning the skies cleared and we ended up seeing more than 80 exceptional actors for the 4 roles we were casting.  Thank you to all who submitted and auditioned!

Please join me in congratulating our cast for THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE, which will run for 7 performances, April 4-13.  Get your tickets now!

EDNA... Shelley Little
BETH... Jake Lipman*
BUDDY... Jeremy Patrick Hamilton
WILSON... A.J. Heekin
DRAKE/JAKE/BLAKE... Joe Mullen

*Appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association.

Amazing Auditions, Snow and All

I have always loved the expression, "The show must go on."  It captures the spirit of theater people: tape up that ripped seam, get that actor some Tums, and then go out there and give it your all.

So when news reports of Nemo started to threaten our Saturday, February 9 auditions for THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE, I was nervous.  But also hopeful: if the snow could hit on Friday and if Saturday the subways would still be running, I wanted the show, and thus our auditions, to go on.

Here's the thing: we received over 1,000 submissions from actors for this show.  Friendly notes, beautiful faces, accomplished resumes.  We could only offer about 8% of those submissions audition slots.  I wanted to see as many of these talented people as possible and get our show going. 

In my e-mail re-confirming, I wrote, if the subways are running, and you are able to join us, we would love to see you.

Saturday morning (was this really just yesterday?)  I looked out the window at a gorgeous sight: clear skies.

At auditions, the conditions were even better: brilliant auditioners.   The day flew by.

So now we deliberate, and in the coming days we will extend offers to our official cast of THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE.  But first: I wanted to take a moment to recognize these wonderful people who submitted and came out to audition for us yesterday.  Thank you for embodying the notion that the show WILL go on.  I love you for it!
 

Saturday, February 9 auditions are ON!

That's right, as long as New York City's subway system is running, we will be seeing actors on Saturday, February 9 for THE MISTAKES MADELINE MADE.

Auditions are by appointment, from 12-6 pm at Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th floor.

We understand, of course, if you are stranded outside NYC, and want everyone to be safe. 

But hey, the snow will have settled by Saturday midday, and the subways should be buzzing along.   Wouldn't you like to be seen for our next show?  Exactly.