Tag: New York City
NYU Playwriting I Starts 6/1
by Jefe Von Stanley on May.18, 2010, under Uncategorized
If you’re spending summer in NYC consider my 8-week, non-evaluative summer course. This lecture and workshop class in dramatic writing and theatre history covers the exact same content I teach to undergrads in a 3-credit, full semester course. You’ll write a lot, you’ll learn a lot, you’ll have fun. Click to learn more and enroll. Operators are totally standing by.
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Rachel Corrie’s Ghost Gets Her Day in Court
by Jefe Von Stanley on Mar.17, 2010, under Books, Journalism, New York City, Politics, Theatre
Originally posted 3/10/10 by jefevonstanley on MediaElites.com.
Rachel Corrie
Theatre changes nothing, but at least it changes that. The BBC reports that the Rachel Corrie murder trial is finally underway in Israel. Well, okay, it’s a civil suit but still. Never heard of her?
Seven years ago, idealistic human rights activist Rachel Corrie, a Seattle native, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer on the Gaza Strip. Four years ago this month, the US premiere of the play based on Corrie’s poignant if naive political and philosophical ruminations, My Name is Rachel Corrie, was canceled by New York Theatre Workshop. The play, pieced together by actor Alan “Severus Snape” Rickman and Guardian editor Katharine Viner, had had a successful run in London in 2005.
NYTW’s PR nightmare began when conflicting reasons were given for the cancellation. Had they merely postponed it due to scheduling difficulties, or was it canceled because they’d consulted with New York City religious leaders who’d insisted the play was anti-Semitic and incendiary so they chickened out of premiering it? Hard to believe; after all, this was the organization that brought us Shopping and Fucking. Then again that play featured Philip Seymour Hoffman, so if he was bugged by the cancellation (see below) then maybe something was up after all.
Continued here – http://mediaelites.com/2010/03/10/rachel-corries-ghost-gets-her-day-in-court.
Roll Over, Fat Albert, Tell Charlie Brown the News. ’70s R&B meets kids’ animation
by Jefe Von Stanley on Mar.11, 2010, under Film, New York City, TV
Originally posted 3/4/10 by jefevonstanley on MediaElites.com.
Mark Stansberry's hoping Puddin can bring home the bacon.
So I’m on the 3 train yesterday morning creeping towards Brooklyn when a guy comes on around Chambers Street with, “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen…” which I would have immediately tuned out except he was right in front of me. Turns out he’s not soliciting donations nor is he part of a haggard, hat-passing do-wop quartet. He’s an animator and filmmaker. No wonder he’s broke.
He explains that he’s created a “kid and family friendly” cartoon called Puddin, (“Pictured here,” he said, gesturing grandly to his professionally silk-screened Puddin t-shirt), about a little girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early ’70s. He’s got a duffle bag full of DVDs containing six brief episodes, “and these are not flash animations, these are not computer generated, they are hand drawn by my colleagues and me. Over 25,000 hand drawings…” This filmmaker-huckster’s name is Mark Stansberry.
Long story short I dug up a Washington and bought one of the Stansberry-autographed Ghett-O-Gram Films (yes) discs and checked it out. Continued at http://mediaelites.com/2010/03/04/roll-over-fat-albert-tell-charlie-brown-the-news-70s-rb-meets-childrens-animation-in-puddin/
Unheavenly Host
by Jefe Von Stanley on Feb.12, 2010, under New York City
SNACKERS WILL BE EXCOMMUNICATED. A hilarious Yelp review reminds tourists that Manhattan’s the kind of place where even a charity thrift store can be elitist, and that between-meal snacks should be avoided. I don’t know about the resta yous but I’m stickin’ wit Goodwill.
Angel Street Thrift Shop
“Beware the moronic staff
Beware the snooty staff who think they work in Bloomingdale’s, or that they own all this stuff and wish you’d leave quickly. It’s a THRIFT STORE, people. Wake up. I’ve lived near it for years and have liked shopping there knowing about the social programs they support, and have tolerated the silly little staff, but really, lose the attitude, today you went too far. You’d think their motto might be Love Thy Neighbor, but Berate Thy Neighbor or Loathe Thy Neighbor would be more appropriate. Won’t be back after my experience today; there are many other charities in the city who don’t try to gouge me on the prices, don’t shower me with pretense, and don’t yell and pitch a bitch fit because I dropped some nuts, SOME NUTS (egad!) onto their DOORMAT an inch from the front door, had the kindness and maturity unusual in New York (most people would have walked on out and thought nothing of it) to go let them know I’d spilled some nuts on their mat -
‘Guys? Sorry, I made a little mess up here.’
Middle-aged bitch comes over and stares down his nose at the nuts on the doormat, then stares down his nose at me, rolls his eyes, and walks away, presumably to get a broom.
‘Do you want some help cleaning it up?’ I offer, this clearly being a two-second cleanup job, and hey, I felt bad about making someone else have to clean up my spilled nuts from their doormat.
‘No. That’s why you shouldn’t bring food into a store,’ he added smugly. Golly thanks, Mom. Get parental on your customer; way to get repeat business and spread good word of mouth.
‘Well, now, I did look before I came in and there’s no sign saying Please No Food or Drink,’ I pointed out, because if I’d seen a sign I certainly would have put away my nuts before this man got a look at them.
‘You shouldn’t need a sign. It’s courtesy.’ Oh, now the customer who sought out someone to point out his spill and offer to help clean it up himself is DISCOURTEOUS. Brilliant answer. You’re batting a thousand with the customer service skills, bud.
‘Oh, like you’ve never eaten food in a store before!’ I yelled. I was done being polite. ‘It’s on a mat an inch from the door! You open up the door and you shake it out, it’ll take two seconds, I even offered to do it myself!’ No response. I stormed out. You know what else stormed out the door with me? My money, my partner’s money, my friends’ money, and my neighbors’ money.
Way to go, coolio! Golly, you must be the MANAGER! Neato! You’re so IMPORTANT.
- Pros: only occasionally will you find something worthwhile here
- Cons: pretentious prices, snooty staff”
