The Hyper Aware Theater Co.

GUTTEReview

2011-10-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Just what did the NY Theater Review blog have to say about Gutterdrunk?"Spooky . . . Compelling . . . Energetic and clever . . . Captures the fear of mortality and cynical wit of [Edgar Allan Poe] . . . The show brings us into a little world of its own, one which, while not always comfortable, is always interesting. . . . The music of the production, performed live by a banjo, drums, and a few guitars, is nearly worth going for on its own. Reminiscent of a scaled down Decemberists, it perfectly accentuates the old-timey stories. . . . People will be troubled, so many of the stories [center] on the approach of death, making that abstract notion of an unknown future come into clearer focus."

Full review:The plaque outside the John Street Church says that it sits on the former site of a late 18th century theater at which President Washington attended performances. We can only hope that the first chief executive was treated to as energetic and clever a show as Hyper Aware Theater Company's, GUTTERDRUNK: The Poe Revisions.

A retelling of several stories by Edgar Allen Poe, this partially environmental piece, captures the fear of mortality and cynical wit of one of America's great 19th century writers. Presented as a series of vignettes, which span various periods of history and storytelling styles, the show brings us into a little world of its own, one which while not always comfortable, is always interesting. The show takes place in two locations, the first and most compelling, is the alleyway between the church and it's neighboring building to the west, in this skinny sliver of real estate, the first three short plays occupy the early evening with a kind of atmosphere no set builder can recreate. During this section of plays the fourth wall and temporal reality of the production begin to fray a bit, a technique that continues after the plays move indoors, into the dark confines of the church's basement.

Once in the basement, the show becomes a bit more traditionally presentational. Rows of seats and a staging area, though the shadowy room does provide a spooky backdrop for the remaining 4 plays. Throughout all of this, the figure of Poe himself, wanders about, quill in hand, as if ready to jot down all the strange happenings before him. As the production moves through the 7 plays, multiple styles and time periods are used for the retelling of the tales. Generally speaking, the actors handle these shifts quite effectively, though occasionally some of the more arcane language is stumbled upon in ways that might not be noticed with a more modern script. The music of the production, performed live, by a banjo, drums and a few guitars is nearly worth going for on it's own. Reminiscent of a scaled down Decemberists, it perfectly accentuates the old timey, troubling stories of the master of horror.

Fear is difficult to achieve in a live stage audience, an I don't think anyone will be scared by Gutterdrunk, but I do think people will be troubled, so many of the stories focus on the approach of death, making that abstract notion of an unknown future, come into clearer focus. The writing, done by 7 different playwrights, actually manages to have a single stream kind of feeling, resisting the choppiness that often comes with such projects. And the direction neatly sews everything together, creating a very solid whole. The fun that the actors and band have while guiding us through these stories, keeps it from dipping too far into depression. On the whole, this balance provides for a very recommendable evening of theater.

Guttertour

2011-10-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Take a flash tour of Gutterdrunk's home with director and Hyper Aware Artistic Director, Gary Ferrar.

Gutterdrunk Trailers

2011-10-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Gutterdrunk opens in just one week! To whet your appetite, we're sharing two liquor-soaked promo videos. Enjoy them, and we'll see you soon.

Are you feeling sufficiently teased yet? If so and you haven't bought tickets, you can still get them online here or by clicking on the Gutterdrunk image at the top of the blog. We can't promise that tickets will be available at the door, but we understand that some of you like to live on the edge and we'll do our best to reward your reckless lifestyle.

Small but significant changes!

2011-09-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

As this blog serves as the Hyper Aware digital portal, our online hub, we recently made a few minor changes to its content and layout in an effort to streamline our various social media pages. So please take a look around. You'll find that:

Up top, you can now watch a slideshow of all our production photos from Flickr. While on your right, you can read our most recent Twitter posts and "Like" us on Facebook without ever leaving the blog! But if you happen to want to head over to our full satellite pages, we've installed handy buttons for all three media sites, and one for YouTube (also in the right-side frame). Venturing beyond the blog will bring you deeper into Hyper Aware's rabbit hole, something we highly recommend.

Additionally, you can buy tickets to our latest production, #Gutterdrunk, at the top of the page (via our lovely friends at Brown Paper Tickets), or join our new mailing list courtesy of MailChimp by entering your email over in the ever-popular right panel.

Most importantly, we also updated the color scheme.

Back to rehearsing,
The Hyper Aware Team

Gutterdrunk: The Poe Revisions

2011-09-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween, The Hyper Aware Theater Company is thrilled to announce our newest original production, "Gutterdrunk: The Poe Revisions." We're tremendously excited to start rehearsals tonight with our gifted cast, and to bring to life these stunning and startling interpretations of Poe's greatest works. We've been lucky enough to rent out John Street Church in lower Manhattan, built in the 1840s when Poe was living in NYC, just as "The Raven" made him a household name. This is by far Hyper Aware's most ambitious, exciting, and interactive (oh, yes) project to date.

Here's the official poster art and press release:

New York, NY -- The Hyper Aware Theater Company presents its newest work, GUTTERDRUNK: The Poe Revisions, which brings viewers deep into the hallucinatory mind of famed writer, Edgar Allan Poe. GUTTERDRUNK unites seven international playwrights whose original works reimagine many of Poe’s famous stories and poems, such as “The Tell Tale Heart” and “Annabel Lee.” GUTTERDRUNK will have six performances presented both on the grounds and in the basement of the historic John Street Church.

GUTTERDRUNK blends theater, performance art, and live music into a cohesive, interactive evening. As the action unfolds in the shadows, audience members will shape their own intimate experiences by illuminating the environment with flashlights. Actors are buried alive, bricked behind walls, smothered and stabbed, until only a rattled and wasted Poe remains, without fiction to blur his dark reality. GUTTERDRUNK explores the hysterical and haunting effects of alcohol on actor, character and author in a way that tests the limits of theatrical experience. As Poe wrote, we must “consider anew what are the capabilities of the drama—not merely what have been its conventional purposes.”

GUTTERDRUNK is directed by Gary Ferrar and features Louis Aquiler* ("All About Walken"), Naomi Bland (Yale School of Drama), Vance Clemente, Risa Cohen (Circle in the Square), Andrew Huber, Katarina Hughes (NYU Tisch), Rachel Lynn Jackson (The PIT), Chad Miller ("An Ordinary Family," "Wild Blue"), Michael Pantozzi, Clea Rivera* (La MaMa), Charles Rohlfs, and George Walsh; and includes original music and underscoring by The Live Nudes. Playwrights include Lance Tait of France’s Theatre Metropole and author of Plays Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (Enfield Publishing). *actors courtesy of AEA

John Street Church is located at 44 John Street (and Nassau Street). Closest subway is the Fulton Stop (2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J, and Z trains). Tickets will be available shortly!!

PERFORMANCES (rain or shine):
Thursday 10/20 8PM
Friday 10/21 8PM
Saturday 10/22 8PM
Thursday 10/27 8PM
Saturday 10/29 8PM
Sunday 10/30 8PM

Stay tuned here, and on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

WILD BLUE photos

2011-05-05T19:42:00.001-07:00

We've added select performance photographs from WILD BLUE to our Flickr Account. Click the slideshow at the top of the blog or visit Flickr to see these and additional shots from our previous productions.

REVIEW: The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic

2011-04-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Titanic and The Actor’s Nightmare
nytheatre.com review

Debbie Hoodiman Beaudin · March 31, 2011

The Hyper Aware Theater Company is smart. In the Director’s Note in the program, Richard Pepio writes, “Your dreams can be filled with the craziest absurdities, the most embarrassing realities, and thoughts you didn’t even know you had inside you. Hopefully, we can all find some truth in what is said and done here. But if all else fails, at least it is something to laugh at.” That quote shows the balance between heart and humor which makes this combination of Durang’s well-known The Actor’s Nightmare and his more obscure Titanic a bizarre but worthwhile night of theater.

The two pieces are performed with an intermission between them and using the same cast. Both plays start off a little strange and escalate to higher and higher levels of absurdity and crazy shenanigans. In Titanic, especially—which tells the story of a group of fools on a ship that may or may not be heading toward an iceberg—the entire world of the play gets so out of whack that, by the end, nothing is surprising. It’s strange, dirty, funny, and oddly captivating. The Actor’s Nightmare begins with a fairly straightforward concept and spins out of control. All of this is okay, of course, if you know what you are getting into, which you probably do just by showing up for a Durang play.

The Actor’s Nightmare is, by far, the more accessible of the two plays but probably the more difficult to pull off. A man—not an actor—finds himself on stage, in front of an audience, unrehearsed and completely unprepared. He doesn’t even know what play he’s in and by the time he sort of figures it out, it changes. I think the lead role in this play must be almost impossible, but Louis Aquiler does a fine job. He handles the monster monologue in the middle of it well. I do think he could have found more levels in it (like more joy and more of a wish to “get it right”) but I enjoyed the piece so much and the audience—as evidenced by the hysterical laughter of those around me—did as well.

All of the actors are impressive in both works. I am particularly in awe of Alexis Rhiannon, especially in Titanic, as she probably has the most far out part and through her commitment she makes it completely believable. I also respect Ariana Murphy and Chris Dippel as the closest thing these plays have to “straight men.” In The Actor’s Nightmare, Dippel captures the “serious, famous Shakespearean Actor” in his delivery as Horatio, but without coming off as mocking or commenting. As the captain in Titanic, he maintains an air of authority even when everything—his words, his actions, even his head gear—contrasts with that authority. Chris D'Amato and Christopher Norwood also give sincere performances that live up to the high level of this company.

What I found impressive about the production of these two plays is the commitment of the actors and how they play it all so straight. In Titanic, the actors are asked by Durang’s script to dance, to chase one another, to forcefully undress one another, to fight, to run around, and more (much, much more!), and their seriousness balances out the absurdity. As my companion said after it was over, and as the director wished, “You get drawn into the world and it seems real.”

****Tickets are still available here. Come out this Wednesday, 4/6, and you'll receive a free glass of wine with admission!****

WILD BLUE Promo Video: Playing Steven

2011-03-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Media Updates and Teasers

2011-02-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, loves,

All rehearsals have been going splendidly. We're incredibly excited over the recent media and blogger interest in Wild Blue, and have been quite surprised at the big response from the travel and flight attendant communities—by turns welcoming, suspicious, excited, and hesitant. Tickets have also been live for about a week and the advance support is very uplifting. So thank you, all, for your involvement so far.

Speaking of involvement, we’ve always made a concerted effort to keep our fans, friends, and potential audience members included in the evolution of our projects, and this time is no exception. We’re currently putting together a video series for Wild Blue as a way for you to meet the cast and learn a bit about their characters and the play. The first segment will run next week. In the meantime, please enjoy some early rehearsal photos an extremely brief promo video for one of our sister productions, Titanic (below).

And one last reminder about our Kickstarter fundraiser. We’ve got 7 days to go and only need $108 to reach our goal. It would help us tremendously! If you can’t make any of the shows, please consider donating to the cause. Your wallet may be a little lighter, but your heart will be too!

Affectionately,

HATC

Thank You, and Official Performance Schedule

2011-02-21T19:26:00.001-08:00

Dearest friends,

Thanks to all who came out to support us on Sunday (and a HUGE thanks to Quinn and the folks at Prohibition for hosting the fundraiser). We appreciate the kind words and smiling faces. 100% of your donations will be put directly toward funding our production of Christopher Durang's Titanic. And if you were unable to attend last night, and will be indisposed come performance time, there's one more way you can support the show. Please visit our Kickstarter page, where you can donate any amount of money you'd like ($2 minimum). All proceeds go toward securing rehearsal space for both Durang pieces. Asking purely for money is not our strong suit, and we know times are tough, but even if you can spare just the cost of subway fare or a bagel with cream cheese or a Starbucks coffee, we will be forever thankful and will list you on both our blog and programs as the generous benefactors we're affectionately calling "HyperActives."

For those of you who can make it to the shows, here are the official performance schedules!!

Wild Blue, inspired by former Jet Blue flight attendant, Steven Slater

written by Gary Ferrar and Louis Aquiler

directed by Gary Ferrar

with Chad Miller (UCB), Erin Ronder (The PIT), Ariana Murphy (The Magnet), Jeremy Weber (AMDA), Nastasha Strang (Algonquin Theater), Rick Benson, Robert Rottkamp, and George Walsh

Performances:

Wednesday, March 30 @8pm

Friday, April 1 @8pm

Sunday, April 3 @2pm

Monday, April 4 @8pm

Thursday, April 7 @8pm

Saturday, April 9 @2pm

Saturday, April 9 @8pm

For tickets to Wild Blue, click here.

The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic

written by Christopher Durang

directed by Richie Pepio (D.C.’s Synthetic Theater)

with Christopher Dippel (founding member of the award-winning Neo-Futurists), Alexis Rhiannon (UCB), Ariana Murphy (The Magnet), Louis Aquiler* (Time Traveling with Cannibals), Christopher Norwood* (NYU’s Tisch), Chris D’Amato (The Legend of Johnny 15).

Performances:

Thursday, March 31 @8pm

Saturday, April 2 @2pm

Saturday, April 2 @8pm

Tuesday, April 5 @8pm

Wednesday, April 6 @8pm

Friday, April 8 @8pm

Sunday, April 10 @2pm

For tickets to The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic, click here.

Both shows will appear at:

The Access Theater

380 Broadway (at White St.), 4th Floor

*actors appear courtesy of AEA

TITANIC's cast presents the "Ship Happens" Vaudevillian Dance Party

2011-02-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned, our new original work, Wild Blue, is running alongside an evening of Durang plays, The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic, also produced by HATC and appearing at The Access Theater from March 31 - April 10, 2011 (official schedule to follow shortly).

In preparation for these shows, we're throwing a fundraiser this Sunday evening, 2/20, 6PM, at (the very awesome) Prohibition. Come out and party with the characters from Titanic (and try and get them to break character--it'll win you a free beer)!

Just 5 FIVE DOLLARS gets you:

Update: $2 off all drinks, all night! (you'll receive a wristband upon payment)

Also: Automatic enrollment in our raffle for two VIP tickets to Hyper Aware's production of Durang's Titanic and The Actor's Nightmare! There will be free wine during the show. Also win a $25 certificate to Black Finn Cajun Steakhouse.

There will be music, magic, and comedy performances, along with a sneak peek at the production.

Live music and dancing to follow...

And we know it's a Sunday night, folks, but this time that's no excuse: Monday is a federal holiday thanks to our nation's most famous cherry tree hater. So please come out to wish us bon voyage!

Hope to see you there,

HATC

P. S. There's a teasingly short promo video for Titanic here.

Details wrap-up:

The "Ship Happens" Vaudevillian Dance Party

(a Hyper Aware Theater Company fundraiser)

Sunday, 2/20

6PM - 11PM

@ Prohibition

503 Columbus Avenue (btwn. 84th and 85th)

CASTING CALL!

2011-01-22T16:08:00.001-08:00

The time has come to begin casting our next production! Below you'll find a brief description of the show and select casting notices. Please pass along this info to anyone you think may be suitable and interested, or send in your own headshot and resume to the email address at the bottom of this post.

The Hyper Aware Theater Company is casting Wild Blue, a full-length play inspired by Steven Slater's (in)famous farewell to Jet Blue last year. The piece works to tease out the humanity and history behind Slater's 15 seconds of fame, moving passed the obvious gimmicks of the incident and creating legitimate theater in the generally shallow world of pop culture.

Seeking:

Steven Slater: Caucasian, male, 25-35, a flight attendant with his life falling apart around him. Must be comfortable performing in underwear. Must be comfortable screaming. Must be comfortable sliding down a large inflatable slide. Must be comfortable getting sprayed with soda. LEAD

D. B. Cooper, male, 60-75, the only person to hijack a commercial airliner and never be caught. After parachuting out of a plane with $200,000 in the 70's, he went into hiding and is discovered by Steven living in a back woods cabin. A quirky, odd-ball recluse, DB takes Steven under his wing and mentors him on the trouble with society. Improv experience is a plus. LEAD

Winston Martinez, Hispanic, male, 15-25, a troubled teen immigrant that lives with D.B. Cooper in exchange for running errands, trying to get his life on track. Hispanic accent is a plus. SUPPORTING

Professor, male, 40-60, Hired to lecture the audience on-the-fly, regarding whatever happens, as it happens. Poor sense of humor a plus. SUPPORTING.

Audition by appointment only. Email headshot and resume to hyperawaretheater@gmail.com. Rehearsals begin mid-Feb, NYC. Performances March 29 - April 11, 2011, NYC. Credit and Copy provided. (First Posted: 1/21/11)

VOTE: Subsidized Run at the Brooklyn Lyceum

2010-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

Happy Holidays! As 2010 blazes into history, we wanted to give you a quick, if somewhat vague, update on our plans for next year:

(Gary performing "Antic Disposition" at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 2007)

First, on December 18 and 19, from 7AM to 11PM, the Brooklyn Lyceum is hosting it's annual Holiday Marketplace. Please come out, buy some stocking stuffers, learn how to crack a safe, maybe win an iPad, and VOTE FOR US! We could win a subsidized run or event at the Lyceum for next year! We've been in love with this space since we first discovered it in 2007 (see above photo); it would be an awesome opportunity for us, folks. Plus, we'd love to see you. So let us know if you're coming and we'll try and meet up. **Note: voting takes place in person at the market**

Second, our next production is scheduled for March 2011. It'll be a two-week run, and we're offering a delicious combination of original work and the beloved musings of one Christopher Durang. Stay tuned for the details.

Third, we'll be hosting our first-ever FUNdraiser! If you're interested in being part of the event (attending, performing, donating, etc.), please get in touch.

That's all for now. Until we have more details, stay warm and go easy on the egg nog.

Yours,

HATC

Limited tickets still available!

2010-07-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday's 8PM show is now officially SOLD OUT (thanks, friends)!! And tonight and Friday are close behind.

While online ticketing is over for this evening, you can still buy at the door. We encourage you to arrive as early as possible to make sure you get a seat. $15 at the door, an extra $3 to upgrade to preferred seating and the delicious wine bar.

Tickets for Friday's shows will be available online until 10AM the day of, and we strongly suggest you buy in advance.

The cast and crew sincerely appreciates all the support. We hope you have as great a time watching the show as we've had making it!

Also, here's a little tidbit from TimeOut.

Sneak peek: some early rehearsal photos!

2010-06-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

In an effort to keep our fans as involved as possible in the development and growth of our productions, we've decided to share some photos from last Monday's rehearsal. More to come as we get closer to production!

Louis Aquiler, David Lawson, Tyler Ham Pong
Louis Aquiler
Alissa Laderer, Kate German
Tyler Ham Pong, Alissa Laderer, Kate German, Mary-Nicole Dorn

The Facebook event is up and running!

2010-06-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

We've created an official Facebook event for "Time Traveling with Cannibals." Please let us know if you're coming and show your support here.

And for those of you whose souls have yet to be compromised by online social networking, you can still grab some tickets here.

Finally, please stayed tuned for some rehearsal pictures, which we plan to post by the end of the week!

Welcome to the blog

2010-06-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
The Hyper Aware Theater Company is proud to unveil our new blog/website. We hope to use this site, in conjunction with our Facebook and Twitter pages, to keep you updated on our current projects and company-related news.

That said, we're currently in rehearsals for Gary Ferrar's newest piece, "Time Traveling with Cannibals." All performances are at The Spoon Theater (38 West 38th Street, NYC):

7/28: 2PM and 8PM

7/29: 8PM
7/30: 8PM and 11PM

General tickets are $15, VIP tickets (including an open wine bar) are $18, and can be purchased here.

Directed by Gary Ferrar
With Tyler Ham Pong, Louis Aquiler, David Lawson, Cynthia Shaw, Joel Haberli, Alissa Laderer, Mary-Nicole Dorn, Kate German, and Ashton Crosby.

Set design by Ashley M. Lewis
Lighting design by Kelvin Moon Loh
Sound design by Brendan Byrne
Stage Managed by Jessica Monahan

We'd love to see you there!