Tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival Concludes Tonight! Q&A with Garry Novikoff

Tongue in Cheek Theater is delighted to be continuing its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival tonight. Buy your tickets now at www.tictheater.com. All performances are at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th floor, NYC).

For the price of one $20 ticket, an audience member sees 4 short, original funny shows plus musical guest Garry Novikoff performs between the pieces. The evening of short solo shows runs 2 hours with an intermission.

We recently interviewed Garry Novikoff, and here's what the talented song man had to say.

What is your favorite thing about being involved in Plus 1?
I love how we see how the parts of peoples lives get distilled in these stories. Whether they are about racism, an unhappy childhood or getting the drapes to the living room right, there is always a good slice of humanity for me to digest, think about and relate to. And of course they are wildly entertaining!

When I choose which songs to sing in between solo shows, I need to figure out if I'm going to try to blend my songs in with the piece before it, the piece that follows, or to simply be the "palette cleanser," and not relate my songs to the solo shows at all. I love that puzzle!

What's your favorite piece to perform and why?
Some of my own songs are story songs as well, so they are always fun to do. The big crowd pleaser seems to be my song "Dog on the Moon" a fictitious piece about the first canine space traveler and the average Joe who envies him. Since the crowd knows they are already they to hear stories, it's a great set-up for the song.

Where can we catch your music and in performance next?
On November 15th I will have a CD release party for my innocent gay pop song, "I Like Men." It will be at 8pm at Rockbar NYC, 185 Chistopher St. The video also tells a story - the day in the life of a gay office drone who lives a double life as a gay pop star. Think "queer Dilbert meets Hanna Montana." My CD, A Normal Life is available in iTunes and CD baby, all easy to access from my website www.garrynovikoff.com.

Series B of the festival concludes tonight, Monday, October 28 at 8 pm.

This series features the following artists and their original works (links to their Q&As, below):

• Kaitlan Emery's DTMM: Don't Tell My Mom (She Thinks I'm Mormon)
• Alan Fox's Dear Mr. President
• Rose Andrez's Lost in Suburbia: The Demise of the Domestic Diva
• Andreanna Buccheri's Ballad of a Beauty Queen

Tickets are $20 by calling 212-868-4444 or online at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11

Thank you for being a part of seriously funny theater!

Plus 1 Series B Opens Tonight!

Tongue in Cheek Theater is delighted to be continuing its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival today.  Buy your tickets now at www.tictheater.com.  All performances are at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th floor, NYC).

For the price of one $20 ticket, an audience member sees 4 short, original funny shows plus musical guest Garry Novikoff.  The evening of short solo shows runs 2 hours with an intermission.

We interviewed the solo show artists (click on their names, below, to read TIC's interviews with them about their work) and read their bios here!

Series B of the festival opens tonight, Sunday, October 27 and also runs tomorrow, Monday, October 28 at 8 pm.

This series features the following artists and their original works:

• Kaitlan Emery's DTMM: Don't Tell My Mom (She Thinks I'm Mormon)
• Alan Fox's Dear Mr. President
• Rose Andrez's Lost in Suburbia: The Demise of the Domestic Diva
• Andreanna Buccheri's Ballad of a Beauty Queen

Tickets are $20 by calling 212-868-4444 or online at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11

Thank you for being a part of seriously funny theater!

Plus 1 Solo Fest: Series B runs Sunday & Monday

Solo shows are theater in their purest form: storytelling.

This Sunday, October 27 and Monday, October 28, Tongue in Cheek Theater is thrilled to be presenting 4 wonderful storytellers in its Plus 1 Solo Show Festival Series B.  Both nights of the festival start at 8 pm at the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.

Tickets still remain to both nights, but get yours now!  http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11 and by calling 212-868-4444.

For the price of one $20 ticket, you gain access to 4 smart and funny solo shows:

DTMM: Don’t Tell My Mom (She Thinks I’m Mormon) by Kaitlan Emery
My mom thinks I’m Mormon.

Dear Mr. President by Alan Fox
Race: Maybe it’s not so black and white?

Lost in Suburbia: The Demise of the Domestic Diva by Rose Andrez
One woman’s wild adventure in and out of suburbia, in search of the true meaning of home.

Ballad of a Beauty Queen by Andreanna Buccheri
This big hair is full of secrets.
We're also thrilled to have singer/songwriter Garry Novikoff emceeing and seranading the evenings of solo shows.

For more about the festival, visit www.tictheater.com.


 

TIC's Tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival Starts Today!

Tongue in Cheek Theater is delighted to be launching its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival today.  Buy your tickets now at www.tictheater.com.  All performances are at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th floor, NYC).

For the price of one $20 ticket, an audience member sees 4 short, original funny shows plus musical guest Garry Novikoff.  Each performance runs 2 hours with an intermission.

We interviewed the solo show artists (click on their names, below, to read TIC's interviews with them about their work) and read their bios here!

This October, TIC will feature two line ups of solo shows in the Plus 1 Solo Show Festival:

Series A will run on Sunday, October 20 and Monday, October 21 at 8 pm.
This series features the following artists and their original shows:

• Aizzah Fatima's Google: It's Complicated
• Dale Davidson's My Personal War on Terror
• Anna Fox's Our Common Deception
• Nora Vetter's Unfinished Adventure

Tickets are $20 by calling 212-868-4444 or online at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER9

Series B will run on Sunday, October 27 and Monday, October 28 at 8 pm.
This series features the following artists and their original shows:

• Kaitlan Emery's DTMM: Don't Tell My Mom (She Thinks I'm Mormon)
• Alan Fox's Dear Mr. President
• Rose Andrez's Lost in Suburbia: The Demise of the Domestic Diva
• Andreanna Buccheri's Ballad of a Beauty Queen

Tickets are $20 by calling 212-868-4444 or online at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11

Appreciating Audience Appreciation and Other Markers of Success

I was recently interviewed on video by StageBuddy.com (those videos will be up soon!), talking about Tongue in Cheek Theater and indie theater in general, delving into topics like casting, solo show submissions, and measuring success for our work.

The Greek Chorus sings 'Blue Moon' in How I Learned to Drive

There are many ways that I measure TIC's success, from a wonderful first read through (oh, good, this cast is gel-ing and we're going to tell this story right!), to a rigorous rehearsal that gets everyone on the same page with the pacing, to that first night bow when the audience really hoots and hollers for us.

But one intangible marker of success that makes it all feel so rewarding is when someone gives a very specific compliment to a small detail they noticed in the show and why it resonated with them.  And when it's someone I don't know at all, it feels even more profound that they took the time to reach out to me after the show to deliver that compliment.

Recently, I received an e-mail from Anthony Spaldo, an audience member who came to see opening night of How I Learned to Drive.  Here's what he wrote:

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The gifted actors gave excellent ensemble performances, embodying the characters they played with sensitivity and cinematic interpretations.  A company to watch!

That is pure magic to hear (and read!) and I could not be more grateful to everyone who has come to see this show so far and for future audiences for giving us such love!

Hope to see you at one of our remaining shows (selling out so far, so please buy your tickets online now!).

How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel runs Oct. 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 2 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 W. 54 St., 12th Fl.).  Tickets are $18 online and 212-868-4444.

For more about Tongue in Cheek, please visit www.tictheater.com and like us on www.Facebook.com/tictheater

Q&A with Alan Fox for October's Plus 1 Solo Show Fest - Series B

Alan Fox, solo show artist

This fall, Tongue in Cheek has selected 8 solo show artists to take part in its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, which runs October 20 & 21 followed by 27 & 28.  For tickets and more, visit www.tictheater.com.

We recently interviewed Alan Fox, whose piece, Dear Mr. President, will be featured in Series B in the festival, running October 27 & 28.  Read on, and then go grab your tickets!

Who or what got you interested in telling your solo show? 
I was lucky enough to see John Leguizamo on Broadway a few years back and was blown away. Here was a guy blending socially relevant topics with humor in a way I had never seen....and people were listening to him. Or at least I was, and that was all it took to become interested in the idea of a solo show. One day I was looking through a bunch of short stories I had written and realized they all dealt the idea of "the man" (young, straight, white americans) commenting/reacting to a society they were watching change before their very eyes. Inhabiting the form of the oppressor/villian through out American history (the straight white male), I had a bunch of early 20's characters trying to make sense of expectations they were taught compared to what they were actually finding reality to be. For whatever reason this reminded me of Leguizamo's show in that it captured a certain demographic of America at a certain time. I figured "hey, maybe this could be turned into a one person show" and then "Expectation: Tales From The Majority Minority" was born. "Dear Mr. President" is a piece from that.

Who has helped you along the way with creating this piece? 
I want to send a thousand thanks to my director and acting teacher Kimberly Ryan. To be around her for an hour is to be exposed to the countless gifts she possess. I could spend pages going on about her coaching/teaching abilities but what I'd like to thank her for the most in this process is her tireless support and her unique way of trusting whole heartedly in where a performer is headed before they themselves can even see it. Also I want to thank Marc Glick (he deserves a novel) but I will keep it short at: It is my hope that everyone can name the first person that made them really believe in themselves. Marc is that person for me.

What do you hope to do with your piece after Plus 1?
After Plus 1 I hope that I can continue to work/rehearse/work shop on the piece as a whole and in time have a run at a theater here in New York. More than where is lands, I am focusing and excited about who it will land with. Often times I feel as if I am writing it for my grandfather, conservative and apprehensive about where America is headed in every sense of the word, and it's my hope that one day he will see it and maybe not feel so threatened by the changes he sees in the country he loves.

Thanks so much, Alan!  Cannot wait to see your piece later this month!  

Series B of the Plus 1 Solo Show Festival runs Sunday, October 27 & Monday, October 28 at 8 pm 

@ The Bridge Theatre (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor)

Tickets are $20 at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11 or by calling 212-868-4444
Everything you ever wanted to know about the festival can be found at www.tictheater.com, too.

Q&A with Andreanna Buccheri for October's Plus 1 Solo Show Fest - Series B

This fall, Tongue in Cheek has selected 8 solo show artists to take part in its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, which runs Series A: October 20 & 21 followed by Series B: October 27 & 28.  For tickets and more, visit www.tictheater.com.

We recently interviewed Andreanna Buccheri, whose piece, Ballad of a Beauty Queen, will be featured in Series B in the festival, running October 27 & 28.  Read on, and then go grab your tickets!

What inspired you to write this piece?

This big hair is filled with secrets.

Whenever I meet someone, I feel like I have to "out" myself every time I have to reveal that I am actually a pageant girl. And then as people find out, the stream of questions and comment ensue.

I wanted to write this show to address what it's really like to be in our shoes- six inches with platforms and all- and denounce a lot of the misconceptions I often hear.

What might an audience member be surprised to learn about you?
A part about me that is not revealed in my piece is that I'm absolutely in love with my two German Shepherds, Gunnar and Tanner. They're huge dogs, but they're both very gentle and loving. I adore taking naps on the couch with them, especially during winter!

What are your goals for the piece after the Plus 1 Solo Show Festival?
After Plus 1, I would love to keep writing my show to expand it to be a full hour to an hour and a half, and keep performing it. It would be wonderful to bring it to the stage again!

Absolutely, Andreanna!  Here's to a great ballad of beauty queenery later this month!  

Series B of the Plus 1 Solo Show Festival runs Sunday, October 27 & Monday, October 28 at 8 pm 

@ The Bridge Theatre (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor)

Tickets are $20 at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER11 or by calling 212-868-4444
Everything you ever wanted to know about the festival can be found at www.tictheater.com, too.