Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Lessons for a theatre artist from Smash


The new NBC musical dramedy Smash has entered my life and I hope it never leaves. Instead of doing my own writing, I have sat through the first three episodes... and all of the buffering that occurs when watching Hulu at my house.

To justify this dedication, I present the top lessons from Smash for a theatre artist. Take notes, guys.

1. To write a musical, you must own scarves and you must love them.

2. "People sleep together in shows, it happens." -The lady from Will and Grace

3. If you are feeling bummed about getting cast in a pre-Broadway musical go to Iowa and sing karaoke. This will give you the strength to suffer through that Broadway credit.

4. Gentlemen, forget Hamlet, Lear, Loman, and Sweeney Todd. Everyone knows playing Joe DiMaggio is where it's at.

5. If you want to be a successful Broadway director/Choreographer don't go to Oxford. Go to the other place.

6. Resist the urge to buy a Marilyn Monroe wig and wear it while singing in fantasy dance numbers. Trust me, no one wins.

7. Be careful when making your daily walking commute over the Brooklyn Bridge. Hunky actors in your musical will try to ruin your marriage.

8. Also be careful of personal assistants. They will steal your notebook, then your writing partner, and lastly: your soul.

9. Finally, if you have parents in town and they want to go see a jukebox musical, you should probably take them to La MaMa.

I cannot wait for next week.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Sh*t PFTC members say


Sh*t (insert your favorite group or type of people) say has become a recent Internet phenomenon.
Here at PFTC we can play this game too. This is because we too say a lot of sh*t. Here's our top eleven quintessential utterances.
If we are missing some let us know.

1. When can we meet?

2. NO U-hauls!

3. Can I get student tickets for that?

4. I love this theater. We should totally do a show here.

5. Are you ready for more coffee?

6. Can you CC me on that?

7. New pages coming tomorrow.

8. Can we add that to the budget?

9. I'm at Gizzy's (pronounced Jizzy's)

10. You're the worst. (Subtext: you're the best.)


and our very very favorite...



11. YOU SAID YES!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

In honor of Turkey Day: A short list of the people we are thankful for at PFTC


Over here at PFTC, there is so much to be thankful for. Here's a very short list of some of the people who have said "yes" to PFTC. We couldn't have done it with out you guys. Warm wishes to you all on your Thanksgiving!

Love,
Diane, Erin, and Ross

Darren Mallett, Alex Kaplan, Lauren Connolly, Ariana Shore, Katie McClellan, Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Cody White, Niki Budnick, Nikki Mirasola, Karen Marshall, Eric Schwartz, Mike Gurrieri, Anthony Comis, Sara Andreas, Harmony Stempel, Molly Stoller, Robby Sandler, Melanie Zooey, Courtney Smith, Dahee Kim, Bekah Hernandez, Alda Leung, Jose Luaces, Jillian Watson, Alex Numeroff, Glen De Kler, Stephen Gelpi, Randall Pollard, John Bixler, Panicked Productions, Thomas Recktanwald, Lauren Kirby, Kelly and Lindsey, Rachel Park, Elliot Crown, Brittany Vaughan, Whitney Fincher Gelpi, Sus and Chlo on the Go, IndieTheatreNow, Kyle Axman, Pearl Taylor, Bar 82, Joseph Rende, Brett and the City, Jenny Dunne, Erin Rashbaum, Sue Smith, Anthony Hollock, Alex Paige, Clyde Voce, Chris Harbur, Eddie Austin, Nichole Yannetty, Rebekah Voss, Lindsey Gentile, FringeNYC, Erin McDonald, The Austin family, The Zelenka family, The Evans family, Brad Bauner, Kim David, JD Salinger, Kristen Hamill, Cory Sylvester, Professor Thom's, Kelly Swindall, Tim McCann, Nick Cobey, Professor Thom's, Holly Williams, FringeNYC, Gizzy's, and many many more.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Here's to friendship and PFTC plans for the future





“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
― William Shakespeare

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Happy Halloween from PFTC!


It's been an exciting Fall for PFTC.

Here are all the FUN places you can find us:

ONLINE... Two PFTC plays are published and available for purchase on IndieTheatreNow

Finger Paint: by Erin Austin and Ross Evans
-Martin Denton of nytheatre.com calls it “sexy, funny, and intriguing”!
http://www.indietheaternow.com/Play/PlayDetail/171
and
FIT: by Erin Austin
-Selected by IndieTheatreNow as one of 11 top Fringe 2011 picks!
http://www.indietheaternow.com/Play/PlayDetail/172

NYC... Check out Venus in Fur on Broadway. Assistant directed by PFTC co-artistic director Ross Evans

Hong Kong... Fit actor Harmony Stempel is a Timeout Magazine Top Five Pick for her one-woman show in the Hong Kong Fringe Festival

On Set.. Company members Darren Mallett, Ariana Shore, Alex Kaplan, and Lindsay Gentile are shooting episodes of "Brett and the City". Coming soon to a computer near you!

FINALLY, get ready for a new season filled with the launch of PFTC's Book Club, exciting collaborations and a return of Shakespeare’s Sons and Daughters.

www.plasticflamingo.org

AND DON'T FORGET TO LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @PFTCo

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Fit at Fringe: A smash hit!


PFTC WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING FIT: A new play a SMASH HIT
AT THE 2011 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL.

Hear what the critics had to say -

"Austin’s dialogue, Ross Evans’s direction and three fine actresses keep things interesting and unexpected"
-Heather Lee Rodgers, nytheatre.com

"A high level of writing and acting, compassionate direction, and a live string trio playing traditional Scottish songs combine to create an original and involving look at three generations of women.' *BACKSTAGE CRITICS PICK
-Robert Windeler, Backstage

In addition, Fit was selected by Nytheatre.com to be a part of their Best of the NYC Fringe series. We are proud to announce Erin Austin’s play Fit will be published with IndieTheatreNow this fall.


Also, look for a past PFTC hit appearing on IndieTheatre Now soon. More details on all of this coming soon.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Time is Ticking!


As I write this, there are only 32 hours left to donate to Plastic Flamingo's World Premiere Production of Fit: A New Play.

Now is your chance to help keep PFTC creating theatre for years to come!
It's also just a good time to click on this link and see our awesome video about Plastic Flamingo. Thank you again Darren Mallett.

We have some unbelievable donors. Join them, score some music from the show, and nab a t-shirt all while making Flamingos happy. What a win for all!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/10200831/plastic-flamingo-presents-fit-a-new-play