Plus 1 Alum 'Dirty Paki Lingerie' at The Flea for 3 Weeks!

Guest blogger (and Plus 1 alum) Aizzah Fatima has big news:

My solo show Dirty Paki Lingerie is getting a 3-week run at The Flea Theater (41 White Street, NYC), running July 31 through August 18, Wed-Sat at 9 pm and Sat & Sun at 5 pm.  Tickets $25/$15 for students and seniors.  

Solo show performer Aizzah Fatima in Dirty Paki Lingerie

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to study with the amazingly talented Matt Hoverman (www.createyourownsoloshow.com).  I created my one-woman play titled Dirty Paki Lingerie in his class.  I originally premiered a part of this piece in the Spring 2010 Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, Tongue in Cheek Theater's festival for new solo shows (currently accepting submissions!).

My piece has since expanded to 60 minutes, and I play seven female characters ranging in age from 7 to 65.   I describe the piece as "Sex, religion, and politics collide as six Pakistani-American women air their dirty lingerie."  It has been performed at the Midtown International Festival, Toronto, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The All For One Theater Festival, and recently in Pakistan with the U.S. State Department.

The Wall Street Journal recognizes that Dirty Paki Lingerie "Breaks down stereotypes of Muslim women in America" and other reviewers called it a "must-see" production, so get your tickets to see it at The Flea in the coming weeks.

And after you see Aizzah, be sure to submit your solo show to the 10th Plus 1 Solo Show Festival; submissions are due by August 30.

Calling All Solo Shows: Submissions due by August 30 for Fall Plus 1 Festival!

Do you have a great one-person show you'd like to share?  If so, Tongue in Cheek wants you to submit it to our tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival this fall!

Please refer to our submissions page for everything you need to know, but some highlights:
+ 15 minutes or shorter solo shows
+ Funny/thought-provoking subject matter
+ Submissions due by midnight on Friday, August 30
+ Shows will be performed in a midtown theater October 20 & 21 (Series A) and 27 & 28 (Series B)

We've posted our notice to Playbill.com's Job Listings also.

The Plus 1 Solo Festival is always jam-packed with theater-lovers... we always sell out our run!  A great way to get seen by supportive audiences.

Fall Productions Announced!

Whoo-wee, is it hot out there or is it Tongue in Cheek's fall 2013 line up of shows?

Catch our main stage show, the smart and searing How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel.
9 performances, October 17-November 2 @ 8 p.m.

Bright lights, big season!

For more about auditions on August 18, click here, or buy your tickets now.

Our 10th Plus 1 Solo Show Festival showcases one-person pieces with heart and humor. 
Series A runs October 20 & 21 @ 8 p.m.
Series B runs October 27 & 28 @ 8 p.m.
Have a funny, personal story?  Guidelines to submit by August 30.

Peek behind stage for our special event, Places, Please/How to Behave, a night of behind-the-scenes wit and wisdom.
Tuesday, October 22.  

One night only, featuring first person accounts of stage management and ushering SNAFUs, as witnessed by Allison Lemel and Connie Perry.

Check back on www.tictheater.com for updates with the artists involved and more about the stories we're telling this fall.  See you soon!

More MADELINE Accolades from Going To Tahiti Productions' Artististic Director

I feel the opposite of Groucho Marx when he said he wouldn't like to be a part of a club that would have him as a member.  What could be better than finding yourself in the company of wonderful, talented people?

To that point, Jessica Ammirati, producing artistic director of Going to Tahiti Productions, just posted one of the loveliest blog posts/reviews about Tongue in Cheek's spring production, The Mistakes Madeline Made.

Jess' post is entitled The Joys of Talented Friends... (chew on that cigar, Groucho), and here's an excerpt:

"As I'm coming to expect from TIC Theater, this dark comedy was a great evening of theater... filled with very funny/slightly surreal moments, which in and of itself was not much a surprise considering the playwright would go on to create and produce the Fox television show New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel.  But what did surprise me was how moving the play managed to be in the midst of some "wackiness" and though I'm sure that was a factor of the writing, it was also due to the direction of Brock H. Hill and the work of the extraordinary cast."

High praise from someone as accomplished as Jess.  I can't wait to see her company's next production, Bella's Dream, a new play with dance, dreams and displacement by Dana Boll.  Set in current day and 1939, it contrasts the lives of a used car salesman in Florida and newlyweds Bella and Raymond's trek from their homeland of Poland to a displaced persons camp in Germany.  Bella's Dream runs for two weeks in June on the Lower East Side; tickets and more information at www.GoingToTahitiProductions.com.

So, to like-minded, talented friends, thank you for having me in your club and I look forward to when next we meet.

Samuel French recognizes TIC's production of OUR TOWN!

Some productions are so joy-filled that I wish we could do them again and again.  That's how Our Town was for me.  If I could direct and or act in any play for the rest of my life, it would be Thornton Wilder's study in small town life.  (Production companies and casting directors the world over, take note!  Our critically-acclaimed cast is ready, willing and able!)

Looking back fondly on Our Town

When mega play publisher Samuel French reached out to feature our production in their 75th anniversary celebration of Our Town, I was thrilled.

One of Maeghan Donohue's production photos is featured today on Samuel French’s Facebook page here and our photo will also be featured in a slideshow that will be posted to Samuel French's online magazine, [Breaking Character] on Friday!

Seeing Maeghan's striking production photo reminds me of our talented cast and crew, from gifted actors like Shelley Little (now starring in TIC's spring production of The Mistakes Madeline Made) and 15 other of the most lovely actors I have ever met, to my dedicated assistant director, Allison Lemel.  Our production also featured original music by my husband, composer Philip Rothman, which when I hear even now, my eyes well up a little.

Thank you to all who were a part of this production or who attended it... and to all future Our Town productions!

Plus One Premieres Tonight! (Runs Sun 4/7 & Mon 4/8 at 8 pm)

What an incredible start to our 2013 season: every single performance so far has sold out for The Mistakes Madeline Made and we got a rave review from Jon Sobel of Blog Critics, "...pitch-perfect performances ...results in not only the best Tongue in Cheek production I've experienced but the best comedy I've seen on stage so far this year."  Review

Tonight we premiere the spring 2013 Plus One Solo Show Festival at 8 pm!  The festival runs for two nights only, Sunday 4/7 and Monday 4/8 in the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor, NYC. 

Tickets are $18 and we always sell out, so please buy ahead of time online at http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=SPR16 or by calling 212-868-4444.

One ticket grants you entry to see all four solo shows and musical guest.  The running time is 2 hours and there is a brief intermission between the second and third solo shows.

The festival features four fantastic solo shows about love, loss, and lessons learned:

St. Francis written and performed by Miranda Jonte
SBF written and performed by Jennifer Fisher
Cracks in a Concrete Heart by Joel Haberli
Inspiration Whore by Rachel Handler
and musical guest Todd Kramer

For more about these talented performers, visit www.tictheater.com.

The Ninth Plus One Festival Runs Sun 4/7-Mon 4/8

I am a huge fan of solo shows.  A few years ago, I studied with the amazing Matt Hoverman, whose Create Your Own Solo Show classes gave me a primer in creating solo shows with heart and focus.

Todd Kramer returns for our April 7 & 8, 2013 Plus One

So after writing and performing several one-woman shows and watching many other folks' striking stories, I founded the Plus One Solo Show Festival.  The format is simple: four 20-minute shows on a broad spectrum of topics heart-wrenching and humorous, and a singer/songwriter as a palate cleanser between the pieces. 

The festival always sells out and the audiences love it. 

Imagine my delight that we are now doing our NINTH installment of Plus One, running this weekend, Sunday April 7 and Monday April 8 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios.  This time around, we feature solo show artists Miranda Jonte, Jennifer Fisher, Joel Haberli and Rachel Handler, with returning singer/songwriter Todd Kramer.

If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, please do.  We really do always sell out!  Tickets: $18 online http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=SPR16 or by calling 212-868-4444.