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
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Gutterdrunk: The Poe Revisions
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!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
WILD BLUE photos
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.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
REVIEW: The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic
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.”
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!****
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Media Updates and Teasers
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
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thank You, and Official Performance Schedule
Dearest friends,
Wild Blue, inspired by former Jet Blue flight attendant, Steven Slater
Performances:
The Actor's Nightmare and Titanic
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
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
Both shows will appear at:
*actors appear courtesy of AEA
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