Alfresco Theatre

Hi guys!  Sam C. here.  (Crazy that we have TWO Sams in RSP now.  The more, the merrier, I say!)

I wanted to bring up a summer treat that I have been taking advantage of lately - alfresco theatre.  We are halfway through summer and the humidity has settled into our pores.  Sometimes it takes a swift kick in the bootie shorts to even exit an air conditioned building.  (You know I'm right.)  But I urge you, theatre-lovers to push yourself to see some outdoor theatre before summer is over.  Single tear.

Outdoor shows flood NYC public parks (and parking lots) during the warmer months.  As we know, the Public Theater hosts Shakespeare in the Park and people line up at the crack of dawn for tickets.  But you don't have to sleep in Central Park in order to score some outdoor theatre deliciousness.  No, friends.  In the past two weeks, I ventured out of doors to see not one, but two Shakespeare plays, and neither of them were at the Delacorte. 

Smith Street Stage recently closed Twelfth Night in Carroll Park, conveniently close to the F train and Shakespeare In The Parking Lot just opened Merry Wives of Windsor down on the Lower East Side.  Both productions had shining moments and less stellar ones, but due to the nature of alfresco theatre, the pitfalls didn't bother me much because of some glorious aspects of most outdoor theatre...

Alfresco theatre:

*is often FREE!!!!  How's that for a recession special, folks?  Due to the open nature of parks and outdoor spaces, companies can't/don't want to charge their patrons.  Yes, they often ask for donations, but it's your choice to donate (and you SHOULD, as we actors are poor and so we can keep providing said free theatre to you)

*allows you to bring a PICNIC!  Who doesn't love picnics?  I was prepared with guacamole, chips, sandwiches, fruit salad, sparkling water....but I was definitely eyeing the provisions of other audience members

*is completely UNSTUFFY.  Sprawl out on a mat, sit cross-legged on the grass, even perch on a free folding chair or bench.  Seating options abound.  Also, sometimes, we're running late due to trains, etc. and we can't get into a theatre because we aren't allowed and/or we don't want to be rude.  But with outdoor theatre, audience members can come and go as they please.  Kids will run around in the background; a jogger ran through the performance of Twelfth Night I saw.  Much of the fun of outdoor theatre is the environment and the randomness that can occur during each show. 

*it's about COMMUNITY outreach.  What better way to advertise a company than to provide free theatre that is available to all ages and classes because it pops up in a public park?  Most companies have a mailing list sign-up on hand, which is a smart way to go.  And if you attend a show one summer and enjoy it, chances are you'll show up the next summer and bring friends!  Bonus - outdoor theatre inspires a new generation of artists and audience members (toddlers LOVE theatre).

So go forth, dears!  Grab a blanket or a beach chair, pack a picnic basket (I might steal yours - I don't have one and I WANT one), gather some loved ones or head out solo and find some outdoor theatre near you! 

Off to find a red-checkered tablecloth....

Sam C.

A note from Ensemble Member Stephon

There was just some thoughts that I needed to get off of chest and out there for the world to see. Here I go:


In the last two years I have realized that life is not fair. You do not always get want and if you want something you must be prepared to fall many times in order to get it. What has been bought to my attention about theater and why I do what it is that I do is because I want to tell a story. I want continue adding on to a history that formulated centuries ago when actors stood on stage in the greek theatres and created something so ground breaking that society could not live without it today.
To see people on stage baring their souls in such an honest creative fashion is one of the most rewarding gifts that an actor has and that he can show an audience. In order for this to happen he/she must realize that they are not perfect and the sooner you accept that the better chances you have in enjoying the process of your work.
I believe in most plays every character is searching for love or acceptance from another person which is kind of the reason why some of us act in the first place.The trouble is when you go through life constantly trying to seek approval from others you lose yourself in the process. I can not quote Biff's monologue from Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" but Biff struggled with this situation until finally he had a break down break and spewed of his feelings to Willy. Biff was a man bleeding inside and all he ever wanted was his father to love and accept him for who he is.
The lesson I hope you all take from this long post is that you are who you are. Enjoy what it is that you do, love yourself, and carry an umbrella because it rains nay sayers who critize and scrutinize what it is that you do everyday. The umbrella is to keep you dry and protect you from that. You know who you are, you know what you want, you know how much it will take to get what you want, and if your scared; that is the first step being an adult.
If you have not already purchased your tickets for Rising Sun Performance Company's  "Henry's Wives", and/or "Crapshoot" I recommend that you all get on that ASAP. We  need your support to keep it going, and we promise that it will be money well spent. We will not disappoint you.

I am off to work, so everyone enjoy your day.
Stephon Pettway

STRIPPER LESBIANS

Got your attention, didn't I?

Hi all, it's Amanda and I am SUPER HAPPY AND EXCITED (!!!) to announce we will officially be a part of the 2012 Frigid Festival! After hard work fundraising and hard work sitting by the computer, finger-ready-on-the-mouse-until-the-clock-strikes-midnight (thanks Jeff!), we are officially in!

We have a lot of work ahead of us but Frigid here we come!

RS Show Development

Hello, Internet.

My name's Kate Foster and I'm the resident playwright for Rising Sun, this fabulous downtown OOB theater company. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you've lusted after them, maybe you've seen EVERY show Rising Sun's EVER mounted... Good for you!

We have an exciting fall coming up, pulling on the talents of our fearless leadership, a brand new Rat-Pack of AMAZING directors and a wildly beautiful and funny ensemble. No, but seriously, I'm being modest.

Look out for upcoming development and production of:

Cabaret- PROJECTED Fall 2011

Using song, text and sexyness, five actresses talk about what brought them to NYC from Israel, Texas, Turkey... New Jersey, and what keeps them under NY's rent-poor spell.

STRIPPER-LESBIANS et al- PROJECTED Fall 2011/Winter 2012

A new play by Kate Foster. Directed by Jeff Woodbridge. Featuring: Temi Hason, Amanda Berry, Joe Beaudin. A woman's studies major becomes a stripper for her thesis while falling in love with.. a stripper. Do stripper's really make the best girlfriends?

Michelle Bachmann- PROJECTED Winter 2012

A solo show about the most exciting woman in America.

Wives of Henry 8- PROJECTED Fall 2012

A show that puts Big Love to shame.

Keep checking the blog for show updates!

http://risingsunnyc.blogspot.com/

XOXO,

Gossip Girl & Rising Sun

CREATIVE PODS...

We're creating "Pods" this fall.

What is a "POD" you ask.. Well the dictionary version states the following:

pod
Spelled [pod] Show IPA noun, verb, pod•ded, pod•ding.
noun

1. a somewhat elongated, two-valved seed vessel, as that of the pea or bean.
2. a dehiscent fruit or pericarp having several seeds.
3. Entomology .
a. a insect egg case.
b. compact mass of insect eggs.
4. a streamlined enclosure, housing, or detachable container of some kind: an engine pod under the wing of an aircraft.
5. a protective compartment, as for an automobile's instrument gauges.
6. Mining . an orebody that has an elongated or lenticular shape.
7. Radio and Television Slang . a cluster of brief commercials or spot announcements.

We are spending the next 3 months trying out our "Pods" and we look forward to seeing what happens!

Whats a "POD" mean to you? What do you think the "Pods" mean for us?

Only 3 Chances Left To See Cravings!!!

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP

PRESENTS

RISING SUN PERFORMANCE COMPANY’S

5TH ANNUAL

ONE ACT SERIES

"Cravings..."

Six plays that explore human desire and its consequences.

July 7th - 23rd

6 Plays, 5 Directors, 11 Actors, 9 Shows

One Intense Line Up

Limited Run! Limited Seating!

Only 9 Performances!

Advance purchase recommended!

Don't miss your ONLY CHANCE to see the Critically Acclaimed Ensemble of RSP this summer!

"Rising Sun Performance Company is a youthful, enthusiastic company and I look forward to seeing more from them." William Coyle, Off Off Online

"It's worth the price of admission to see the Rising Sun Performance Company's aspiring talent." Jennifer Rathbone, Theater Online

Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays

ONLY THREE SHOWS LEFT!

July 21st, 22nd, & 23rd

8PM

The Red Room Theater

85 East 4th Street, NYC

3rd Floor

ALL SEASON 10 TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT WWW.SMARTTIX.COM

or call Smarttix: 212-868-4444

Adults $15

Students & Seniors $12

Pay What You Can Thursdays

Trains: 6 to Astor Place, L to 2nd Ave, R/N to Broadway/8th St NYU or F to 1st Ave

Selected through a collaborative and intense vetting process, these plays were chosen out of over 450 plays submitted to Rising Sun Performance Company. Each piece was reviewed and approved by at least two company members and then moved on to our three month long reading series for audience feedback. The final plays presented in RSP's 5th Annual One Act Series were the top scorers from Audience & Ensemble Ballots- only 14 plays from 450 moved onto the reading series.

Delilah

Written by Len Cuthbert

Directed by Mia Y. Anderson

Featuring Andrea Cordaro & Tedra Millan

A girl asks her best friend to cheer her on one last time, the hardest yet. A compassionate, witty way to tell a story about one of the most difficult choices we will ever have to make in our lives.

On Top

Written By John Patrick Bray

Directed by Jeffrey Woodbridge

Featuring Lindsay Beecher & Joe Beaudin

Does it count as cheating if you're on top? A couple redefines their relationship, and infidelity, in a grocery store.

Vultures

Written By Greg Abbott

Directed By Ted Gorodetzky

Featuring Rick Benson, Joe Beaudin & Charissa Jones

1994 Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Kevin Carter's photo of a dying child with a vulture in wait brings him fame, but also controversy on when a journalist also has a duty to help a fellow human being.

Sit Still

Written by Jae Kramisen

Directed by Tim Errickson

Featuring Jason Vinoles & Ashley Bloom

Memory and truth collide as a man tries to get to the bottom of a woman's missing husband.

Some of All Parts

Written By Mrinalini Kamath

Directed By Derek Shore

Featuring: Lindsay Beecher, Jarrod Luke & EJ Assi

If he seems too good to be true... he probably is. Dating in this city just got a whole lot weirder.

The Craving

Written By David L. Williams

Directed by Mia Y. Anderson

Featuring Ashley Miller & EJ Assi

Sometimes a carrot isn't just a carrot. And sometimes what you think you're agreeing to in a relationship takes you to a place you never thought you'd go.

Please note that shows have adult content and language. Recommended for 13 and older.

RSP on Facebook!

Tweet Tweet In The Sun, RSP on Twitter

www.risingsunnyc.com

www.horsetrade.info

ONE ACT FRENZY!

Hi Rising Sun fans, Amanda here. I'm a new member of the company but I've been mucking around with these awesome people for about six months now (already?!) and it's been crazy, confusing, exciting, and inspiring; but mostly, as I am happy to report, it's been a lot of fun.

We're gearing up for season 10 and we've just finished selecting our one-acts! After months of reading through hundreds of plays by (mostly) talented new authors, we've picked the cream of the crop. Drumroll, please....

Sit Still by Jae Kramisen

Vultures by Greg Abbott

The Craving by David Williams

Delilah by Len Cuthbert

The Male of the Species by Mrinalini Kamath

and On Top, by John Patrick Bray

It's safe to say that we've got some really challenging material, for both actors and audiences, in this line up and it's sure to be a wild ride. From sexy cannibalism to justified adultery and murder-induced psychosis (in 2 cases!) - we've got it all! And talking apes, too!

Performances will be July 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23. Get ready.

PS: My fingers are crossed that someone will come across this post by googling "sexy cannibalism." Or maybe not...