A Fresh Take on Shakespeare

skullcrownred

Occasionally, my facebook wife and fellow ICBINS business partner Julia will invite me along to some off-off-off production or workshop and I’m usually skeptical and almost always half-dreading it in the days preceding.  But one thing remains constant: I am ALWAYS proven wrong and end up enjoying the hell out of the performances.  Never again will I doubt her.  This past weekend Julia asked if I’d come see NYNEO’s workshop performance of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI.  To be honest I had never read this play or seen a production of it before and I was a little unsure of how I’d receive it.  You see, a few years ago Denzel Washington shot me with a tranquilizer gun, wait no – I saw him in an excruciatingly soporific Broadway rendition of Julius Caesar, and since then I’ve been afraid of falling asleep through Shakespeare. (more…)

Published in:  on August 26, 2009 at 3:13 pm Comments (2)
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The Chronicle of the Bed

the infamous bed

the infamous bed

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away (Queens), I Can’t Believe It’s Not Shakespeare premiered its first production: The Bros’ Play by our very own artistic director Julia Rae Maldonado.  Of all the excitement and goings on of a putting together a production there was one aspect of the entire process that seemed to demand a lot more of our time and attention than we had expected.  One word: Bed.  The focal point of the stage, the place where sin and filth would merge, and believe me, it did.

All of the other props and set dressings were easy enough to come by and fairly painless to schlep to the theater.  But where on Earth do you find a place that sells nice enough beds for dirt cheap AND provides cut-rate transportation in the form of sketchy van rides from “Big Bob” to the Theater?  I’ll tell you where: IKEA – the bastard child of capitalism and meatball loving Swedes.

We opted for the second most inexpensive model, the DALSELV.  So now all we had to do was put it together and Voilà! A bed for the set, right?  Not so fast – the bed frame was made of that inferior pale wood they call pine.  So we had to stain it a nice “walnut” color.  After hours of toxic fume inhalation and extensive brain cell death (which lead to my commandeering of the downstairs bathroom) we had successfully stained the bed frame “carrot piss”.

But before we stained the bed we made one grave error that would cause many many epic fails in the coming days, namely – during the performances.  Word of Advice: Use ALL of the parts that IKEA tells you to in their nice little picture instructions.  Do not let the playwright tell you “oh yeah we don’t need THIS part”.

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Published in:  on July 3, 2009 at 3:49 pm Comments (1)
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High Entertainment with a Low Budget, Not Just a Technique for the Film Industry

I Can't Believe It's Not Shakespeare

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of attending a reading of Mariana Carreño King’s play OFELIA’S LOVERS.  Not only was the reading free but they also provided the audience with wine, and since I’m not exactly rolling in cash these days and still enjoy the dubious benefits of alcohol, this was most agreeable.  There really is nothing quite like live theater, and I certainly don’t require a large production budget to be entertained.  Ofelia’s Lovers may not have had the money to construct a detailed set and elaborate costumes but what it did have was a captivating script and actors that captured and performed the characters beautifully.

I may be new to the working world and to my post as managing director of ICBINS but I’m no stranger to theater. Sure -  I somewhat enjoy fancy theatrics like actors disappearing in a cloud of smoke or swinging across the stage, but when it really comes down to it and what I will take away with me and ponder for weeks to come is the dialogue.  Some of my all time favorite performances had a minimal set with one setting and actors that sat around (they didn’t fly) and just talked.  That’s right, they talked – for two hours, and I could have sat through 10 more.  Not to say every dialogue heavy performance I’ve seen was spectacular but with the right story and the right cast everything else is just eye candy.

This is good news for a broke ass company like ICBINS.

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Published in:  on June 19, 2009 at 4:05 pm Comments (1)
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Indicators of Success – Are You a GREAT Producer?

If anyone attempted to spout off what they believed to be indicators of success you’d get quick thoughtless answers like Money, Respect, Position, etc. etc.  But there are underlying indicators that exist only for those who’ve truly reached their potential.

producer benefits

producer benefits

No one is satisfied with their paycheck – except you. If there’s anything easier than stealing candy from a baby, it’s stealing money from an artist.  This includes anyone on the creative side of the production team.  These folks are fulfilling some kind of “dream” of theirs and would be willing to work for mere pennies.  YOU on the other hand, and those on the business side of the team are the brains of the operation – the reason these artists are successful.  Therefore, YOU should be paid liberally. That is after all why you studied something practical and boring like Finance, Economics or Cinema Studies.

cack              cack                                                         cack

perfect worker

perfect worker

Your production staff includes twice as many medics than normal productions.  Not only do your employees tremble in fear at the sound of your voice, inflated occurrences of stress induced panic attacks are humdrum around your set.  Better to be feared than loved so they say.  I couldn’t agree more.  Nothing encourages a more dedicated and enthusiastic worker than unmitigated fear.

cack

you at night

you at night

Crying yourself to sleep at night.  It takes a superhuman ability to create the perfect work environment with the most efficient methods of operation.  As the producer, you not only have the most responsibility but the most important responsibility.  You must summon divine Herculean powers to endure such a task.  It stands to reason you’d need ample time at night to return to normalcy.  If you’re not crying yourself to sleep, you’re doing something wrong – obviously, you’re not working hard enough.

cack

And finally, the foremost indicator for success:                           cack (more…)

Published in:  on May 29, 2009 at 6:00 am Comments (1)
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Sex is selling, perverts are buying!

Is this missing from your productions?

Is this missing from your productions?

It’s no secret that scantily clad ladies and bare-chested men have been drawing audiences to all types of media since Adam and Eve noticed each other’s naughty parts.

Even with a failing economy one thing remains constant….SEX IS SELLING

To Producers: If you’ve been struggling to get people in the seats it may be time to reevaluate the material you are presenting to your audience.   You need to be asking your writers a few questions before you decide to take on their projects:

Writers: Is your work inspiring? Is it well written? Would your renowned professors at that prestigious university you went to be proud? If you answered yes to these questions- that’s great, no no, that’s terrific!  But the question you should be asking is: Does your stageplay/screenplay contain two or more smoking hot women making out? Skim through your stage directions…is there sideboob?

Here are a few Statistics, after the jump:

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Published in:  on May 13, 2009 at 5:00 am Leave a Comment
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The Corner Office – Pro Bono Advice from a Producing Guru

Producing Guru

Producing Guru

It gives me tremendous pleasure to introduce myself to the world of blogging.  To be honest, when I was first asked to be a part of the ICBINS blog my initial feeling was that of aversion and quite frankly annoyance, but my distaste for the idea has now turned into genuine excitement.  As you may know, my game is producing, and to keep my expertise a secret would be a disservice to aspiring producers everywhere.  I’m sure you’re aware that it’s not easy to succeed in this business, but I’m here to show you the way, to shed a little light on the path to victory if you will.  I’ve never considered myself a mentor per se, but the notion that there is someone more qualified than myself to brave this task is laughable at best… (more…)

Published in:  on May 4, 2009 at 5:30 am Comments (2)
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