NJ.COM
Petersburg People's News
Progress Index
Richmond Times Dispatch
South Coast Magazine's A-List
Southcoast Today
South Philly Review
The Gay Places Magazine
TheRichardUrbanShow.blip.tv
(Click on Dec 23rd Show)
WHAP Radio, VA Interview with Director Natasha Lee Martin and cast on “Nickel and Dimed” April 2008
Request Transcript of Audio Available
_________________________________________________
South Philly Review
The Alternative Route
by Caitlin Meals
Aug 30, 2007
Aug. 31 begins the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival with a slate of performances featuring residents representing their roots.
The stage is set, costumes pressed, make-up done and the curtain moments from rising. A faint buzz hovers over the workweek, as Friday brings the opening of Philly Fringe and the Live Arts Festival. Residents — in unprecedented numbers — are among the sea of talent that make the next two weeks unlike any other for the city’s arts scene.
In the second of a two-part series, the Review highlights neighborhood performers whose passion for expression unleashes a new set of one-of-a-kind productions.
Thirteen has proven lucky for The Waitstaff. In its fourth year in the Fringe, the 60 minutes of sketch comedy dished up in “Served the Way You Like It!” by the 13-member troupe “runs the gamut from silly to sophisticated and ridiculous to raucous,” group writer/performer/General Manager Kurt Runco of the 900 block of Bainbridge Street said.
Runco calls the group, who joined forces when they met at the Brick Playhouse, 623 South St., “a true Philadelphia success story.” Jumping into sketch comedy, The Waitstaff consistently sold out shows at the Brick, and eventually moved to the bigger Five Spot in Old City before it burned down.
The show’s material is completely new and characters are taken right from the streets, since “they’re so distinctive and recognizable,” Runco said. Past sketches have included the pain of being an Eagles fan and the destruction of Veterans Stadium.
Members’ backgrounds include directing, producing, dance, music, acting and, of course, improv and each has collaborated to write material for the show, which premieres Aug. 31. The piece spans cultural satire to slapstick dance, a type of performance Runco says is unique to the event.
“The Fringe is a safe environment to do something risky. That goes for the audience as well as the performers,” he said. “With the Fringe tickets so inexpensive and the shows usually only an hour long, someone doesn’t have to plop down a lot of money or time. They can risk going to a show they might never normally see.”
Keeping in line with a lighter performance is New Paradise Laboratories (NPL) “BATCH: An American Bachelor/ette Party Spectacle.” Opening Aug. 31 as part of the Live Arts Festival, this bawdy and sometimes suggestive twist on the popular pre-marital tradition uses the talents of six actors — including Jeb Kreager of the 200 block of Federal Street and Lee Etzold of the 800 block of Pemberton Street — playing three characters each in the story of a betrothed couple who have never touched.
“BATCH” co-creator/director/sound designer Whit MacLaughlin, who also is NPL’s artistic director, started the company in Virginia and brought it to Philly, now their home base.
MacLaughlin said, while it’s good to bring theater everywhere, for this part-performance art, part-sporting event show in particular the area is key. “South Philly is the center of the bachelor/bachelorette party universe,” she said.
And, as far as residents go, they are just the type to be cast in an NPL show.
“In South Philly, the men are men and the women are women,” she said. “We really mess around with that idea, but we respect it nonetheless.”
Natasha Lee Martin is bringing good karma to the neighborhood that welcomed her to Hoffman and Front streets three years ago.
“I moved here literally a few days after I lost my mom to cancer,” the co-producer/writer said. “I was amazed by the support and selflessness of my neighbors who didn’t even know what I had been through until later. I feel it is right to give something back that is a reflection of them.”
The actress, along with a cast and crew of 14 make up Trajectories Theater Group. “Acts of Sedition,” opening Sept. 5, consists of original pieces, stand-up comedy, live music, burlesque and video montage that comes together by way of “no topic too scared to explore” Martin said, citing terrorism, consumerism and ethnic diversity as just a few. By presenting an array of issues, the show relates to the “common, hard-working American having a say in what’s happening in their own neighborhoods,” Martin said.
For their third year in the Fringe, Martin strives to give her neighbors an event like no other.
“Aside from the Mummers’ Parade once a year, most of the South Philly audience come to see a show expecting for it to exist within the confines of a theater where they are observers of an experience, but not a part of it,” she said. “The Fringe Festival is a great addition to allowing South Philly’s audience to participate in an unconventional performance … such as outside in an alley, or inside someone’s bedroom or a local South Philly restaurant.”
OK, so vacation time is almost over, but those looking to take a trip half-way around the world will relish “Tar.” Charles Anderson’s Live Arts contribution has 11 dancers and 10 collaborators bringing the traditional African and trickster tales that later became part of American folklore in “Uncle Remus” and “Br’er Rabbit” to the stage starting Sept. 5. As artistic director and founder, Anderson, from Broad and Reed streets, dancer Michael Velez, of Broad and Federal, and costume designer Heidi Barr of Moyamensing Avenue and Ellsworth Street, represent the area Anderson said has been literally experiencing an arts movement since the late 1990s.
“Since then, I have seen a huge number of my former students at both Temple University and Muhlenberg College move here because there is such a strong artists’ community,” he said. “Some of my strongest artistic relationships were forged and nurtured here.”
The piece, presented at the 2006 Live Arts Festival as a work-in-progress, is set to the beat of traditional African drumming and song, remixed Southern blues and recitations of folklorist Joel Chandler Harris.
Living in an art-friendly neighborhood allowed Anderson to form bonds he said helped him “develop a rhythmic exploration” for the piece.
“I don’t think it’s about bringing performance to South Philly, but more to the point, performance thrives in South Philly,” he said. “This area boasts some of the most prolific and interesting artists in Philadelphia. If anything, it is important to bring greater attention to how much performance takes place here.”
Michael Passafiume is a newcomer to the Fringe and his one-man show is inspired by another known for his solo stage performances. “Swimming to Spalding,” premiering Sept. 6, was penned by the resident of 21st and Jackson streets after the 2004 suicide of monologist Spalding Gray.
Although written while living in Brooklyn, Passafiume draws a great deal of motivation from his home turf.
“I like the diversity and watching it as an area, such as Passyunk Avenue, transform right before your eyes,” he said, “but mostly I draw inspiration from the people. Sometimes they’re so stereotypical, like some of the folks who gather at the Starbucks at Broad and Jackson streets. It’s like they just walked off the set of ‘The Sopranos’ and yet those people aren’t stereotypical at all: there’s a real genuineness to them. And I’m equally inspired by how approachable folks in South Philly are — whether it’s a silent smile as you walk by, a quick ‘hello’ or a conversation when you’re least expecting it from the least likely of candidates.”
The Fringe is a perfect outlet, despite the obstacles.
“I like the variety of the shows and performers, and the fact that the Fringe is open to anyone,” he said, “but it’s definitely a challenge putting a show together with limited resources.”
New York City transfer Stone Soup Theatre Arts makes its Fringe debut with “Stone Soup by Edward Bond” Sept. 7. The piece, based on the fable of cooperation during difficult times, has a young man delivering a stone to a mason’s house that ultimately is a journey to find his place in the world. A corruptive and chilling tale, it is told through original music, iconographic costumes and a striptease.
Managing director/producer Leigh Goldenberg said, upon moving to the area in June, she wanted some place with a sense of community and history, both of which she found in the 1400 block of Franklin Street.
“South Philly has the perfect balance of historical pride and community-driven growth, along with being affordable, adorable and convenient,” she said.
The four-member group met in college in Manhattan. Their concept, which they first tried in China six years ago, was to create by targeting a specific area, going there and writing and performing. Jumping back to the States, and Franklin Street, Goldenberg said she was greeted with open arms — literally.
“When we pulled our moving van into our street, the entire block came out to greet us and immediately started carrying our furniture into our new house,” she said. “I had never seen such a welcoming group of people that actually want to know about you and look you in the eye when you pass them on the street.”
Despite the uproot from New York, Goldenberg likes what she has seen of the Fringe.
“From the perspective of a spectator up until now, it has proven to have the highest caliber of work I’ve seen in any festival of its kind,” she said. “The artists are unafraid to make a statement and amaze me with their talent. It is a much more genuine support network than we have found in New York City.”
As if putting together one show isn’t enough, The Collaborative’s Artists’ Collective goes for a twofer with “‘Heebs in the House:’ Word to Your Zada!” and “‘Heebs in the House:’ Oy, the Drama” Sept. 8 and 9, respectively. The Jewish performance group features two actors — Matt Sutin of the 2600 block of Carlisle Street and Molly Russakoff of the 1000 block of Ninth Street — who bring spoken word, poetry, monologues and music to the shows. Director Ross Berkowitz said the productions “combine a Jewish sensibility with concepts born of living in a multiethnic, diverse community.”
By using “heeb” — an empowering form of “hebe,” a slur against a Jewish person — Berkowitz said the troupe is reclaiming the fun and humor found within Judaism.
“Zada” is a mix of melodies and spoken word with topics from romance to stream-of-consciousness. Several guest collaborators, including Q102 on-air personalities and musician Todd Young and his Rock Band, will be on hand as well. “Drama,” featuring theater company Tongue & Groove, takes a slightly different approach with monologues becoming long-form improv.
As a Fringe first-timer, Sutin used past experiences to make the transition from audience to stage.
“As an audience member, I always wanted to experience quality creativity that I would not normally see,” he said. “As I gear up for my performance, I go through my poetry and find the poems that will speak to the spectators. Philadelphians don’t just walk into a pretty art gallery with landscape paintings. They want something edgy and they have an entire festival for this.”
A tragic car crash splits people into two quasi-existences that go back and forth between a miniature world of dolls and a relay race of unattractive, self-important characters.
The dark comedy “Machine World Gospel” takes screens, projectors, lights, cameras and even puppets, using it all to make the stage come alive.
Writer/director/performer David Commander, of Third and Wharton streets, housemate and fellow performer Violet Sweet, and actors Jimi Mooney, of 13th Street and Passyunk, and Gwen Witherspoon, of 18th Street and Washington Avenue, are part of the six cast members that share several roles, as well as backstage duties, like live video mixing, moving screens, and controlling lighting and puppets.
The work in putting the 45-minute piece together is “exhausting,” Commander said. “There is an endless amount of work to do and an ever-approaching army of deadlines to meet. Fortunately, there is a very strong support network in Philly that manages to make the most impossible things happen.”
And it’s the people in these areas Commander and crew are targeting in the show, which opens Sept. 12.
“Most of the people I cast … [are] kind of more homegrown performers,” he said. “Less formal training and more of a blue-collar work ethic. It’s a more hands-on approach to performing that I think the South Philly resident can relate to.”
It’s all Greek to Tribe of Fools and evident in “Echo,” their second year in the Fringe marked by a myth about a female nymph known for her beautiful voice. Six artists — with five of them local, including Managing Director Terry Brennan of the 700 block of Reed; director Adrienne Mackey of the 200 block of Snyder Avenue; actress Kate DeRosa of the 1700 block of 11th Street; actress Karina Kacala of 12th and Clarion streets; and actor David Sweeney of the 600 block of Reed — perform multiple roles in the production that has gods Hera, Zeus and Narcissus in a movement-based piece that begins its run Sept. 12.
Although the telling of this ancient story won’t be modernized, Brennan said it is interesting and accessible to a 21st-century audience.
“I’ve found that a lot of people in South Philly, especially the older folks, have a really great understanding for and appreciation of classical work,” Brennan, who began performing during a break between high school and college, said.
DeRosa added it is these people, as well as their neighbors, she’d like to see at this year’s festival.
“It seems that the audience base is growing steadily as the Fringe reaches into more and more neighborhoods,” she said, “but I do wish more people would realize that the Fringe is for them, too, not just artists.”
{Back}
| "Actress with Fall River Ties Makes a Run at the Silver Screen" by Richard Costa, Fall River Spirit Correspondent January 24, 2007 |
Natasha Lee Martin has it all working for her: a diversified life, a well-traveled history, an excellent education, remarkable acting ability and disposition. The photogenic 33-year old lives in Philadelphia where she teaches acting at a community college. She also performs in many theater events. But the Providence-born and -raised Natasha also has roots in Tiverton and Fall River, where her grandparents are from. In many ways, it's where her journey started. I asked her about that journey over a cup of coffee at King Philip Lunch when she visited her father in Tiverton over the holidays. "It began when I was 5," Natasha remembers. "My uncle, David Tully, worked for WSAR in Somerset. In the evening he was a radio persona. He commissioned and produced 'The Man in the Snow,' a radio play. He needed the character of a little girl." The little girl was the character who finds a lost Santa Claus freezing in the snow. She leads Santa to her parents and brother. Natasha rehearsed and performed the show on microphone for a broadcast audience in the late 1970s. She would continue her stage work in high school and move on to travel the world, including undergraduate work in acting at the University of New Mexico and graduate studies at the Actor's Studio Program in Manhattan. But her roots always tug at her heart wherever she goes. Her paternal grandfather, John Martin Sr., grew up in the Flint while her grandmother, Evelyn Martin, was from the Globe district. Evelyn lived on Heatley Place off Spraque Street along with her parents until she married John Sr. and moved to Tiverton. Natasha remembers the area well. "I've been to various parks in Fall River and I used to sail in Fall River and Tiverton. My grandpa had a 25-foot sailboat. We'd sail to Newport and back to Fogland and the Tiverton Bay. "I also knew all the local Portuguese bakeries and I was introduced to Polish food here at places like the Ukrainian Home. My dad would take us to the factory outlets and flea markets in Fall River. We used to go the China Royal and Burlington Coat Factory." The memories never leave. "The ethnic food here is a tradition within my family, like the Portuguese food. When I'm here I realize how much I miss it. I miss the smells, the sandwiches and the way people speak. It becomes a part of you." She's also seen the city change dramatically over the years from the end of the textile era until now. "It's now an artistic hub. The factory/warehouse on the waterfront is where the Narrows Center for the Arts is. It's good to see." Natasha's Uncle David was so involved with the arts it sparked a creative flame within her. As a teenager, she used to go to Newgate Theatre in Providence. Her Uncle David performed there while other relatives, like cousin Patricia Tully, ran much of it. Natasha watched him work and hung around the Trinity Repertory Conservatory backstage, where she eventually acted in a Christmas Production at Rhode Island College. "I saw so many performances, I became completely enamored with acting while I observed it." Her family was equally inspirational. David Tully was very arts savvy, as was her cousin Patricia Tully, who is presently the chairwoman of the Salve Regina University Theatre Department. But it was Natasha's family, friends and professors who proved to be her greatest source of inspiration. "I owe a tremendous thank you to the late Marvin Simms, my acting teacher, and Dr. Noreen Barnes-McLain, who's been an incredible mentor. She gave me many opportunities to direct and teach and develop my work as an actress. I also couldn't have done this without the support of family members who stuck by me, especially my mother, Judith Dimaio, and my father, John Martin." Judith passed away in 2004. Natasha's father John owns a Fall River based business called TCIC, The Competitiveness Improvement Co. It provides grant-funded training to strengthen a company's ability to compete. In her late teens, Natasha was accepted at Salve Regina but elected to go to the University of New Mexico instead. "I studied under some unbelievable people and ended up fully enrolled in production. I had many leading roles there." While she was enrolled for her MFA in acting at the Actors Studio in Manhattan, she had the opportunity to ask Jennifer Jason Leigh a question on James Lipton's now famous A&E show, "Inside the Actor's Studio." "I stood up and I was nervous. I asked her what she does when her 'gut' fails her as an actress. She described her 'tool box;' her life experiences, the methods and techniques which she draws on. That's what I do now, draw on my growing experience." She also witnessed the beginning of the artistic renaissance of Providence, which has culminated recently with the growth of 'Hollywood East' and numerous Providence- and Rhode Island-based productions. It's an effect that has rippled to Connecticut and Massachusetts as well. The 2002 film "Passionada" was produced in New Bedford and Disney is presently producing "Dan in Real Life" in Jamestown. Natasha recently did an episode for Japan's Nippon TV on a program called "Astonishing News" in which contestants try to solve famous American crimes. In short, the audience is shown dramatized parts of the case and has to solve them. Natasha played Betty Gow, the nanny for the Lindberg baby and chief suspect in the case. Between sips of hot coffee, she mentions another recent project which was very special to her, a short film called "The Audition." It's about a struggling actor who has an endless array of things go wrong for him in a single day. "I play one of the horrible things that happen to him. It was a role that was dark, maniacal and mysterious." She embellished what she thought about playing these "nefarious" parts. "I enjoy playing the antithesis of what I believe. I enjoy acting opposite my nature to get to know myself. You stretch your limits and realize your potential. I also like historical re-enactments for the same reason. In some films, history is speaking to you in a way you wouldn't otherwise realize. You get to know a culture or environment and how people function in it. You come to understand how much humanity we keep alive — it's a universal feeling to see a character struggle." Natasha's done numerous short films and continues to do a lot of stage work as a writer, director, and actress. She was an extra in films like the "Summer of Sam" and more recently in "Annapolis" starring James Franco. She co-starred in the 2005 independent feature film "St. Cecelia." The film was shot in the Northeast and distributed to numerous film festivals. Natasha plays Gloria, a bar owner in the middle of a love triangle with the main character. Her character has a tough, world-wise demeanor on the outside but a softer sensibility on the inside. Natasha was also in an episode of the third season of the "Simple Life" with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton and in 2005 and played in the short comedy film "Posse," which won best acting at the Philadelphia Film Festival. "I played an office worker who kept falling asleep at the meetings." This year, she plans to work on a ghost story that's slated to be shot this summer. "1,000 Words" is a combination of film noir, detective story and psychological thriller. It will be filmed in rural Pennsylvania and parts of the Northeast. But Natasha never forgets where she's from. "Every actor experiences some shock when they come from a small city or town, such as when I went to New York City and now Philadelphia. You realize you're just one of many people trying to have your voice heard in this industry and still stay true to yourself. When I go home, I look at the faces of the people here, and it reminds me of what's important in life. But this is where I'm from, who I am and I can always go back. It's a comforting feeling to know — it makes you comfortable in your identity. This area is so much about family. At heart I'm a small town girl." Let's hope Natasha keeps coming back to visit and when more films get cast and developed here she'll have the opportunity to lend her experienced touch to the project. That may include a project in Fall River or the surrounding area. "I would be honored to film in my hometown if the opportunity arose. I would love to work on a project in this area. I can't imagine what a thrill it would be. I always felt that this area would be good for a project. It has such a rich cultural history that people don't know about it." She'll keep us posted. Meantime take a look at www.natashaleemartin.com if you want to find out more about Natasha and her work. {Back}
SUSAN HAUBENSTOCK/SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Published: May 17, 2008
Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 book "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" was an eye-opening exposé of the lives of minimum-wage workers after the welfare reforms of the mid-1990s.
Journalist Ehrenreich went undercover for three one-month stints in various low-wage jobs to see if it was possible to feed, house and clothe herself on what she made. Working as a waitress, a hotel-room cleaner, a member of a housecleaning team, a dietary aide at a nursing home and a clerk at a big-box store (there are that many jobs because it took more than one at a time to come close to making her rent), she found it impossible to get by as the single person she pretended to be. And her co-workers with kids to support were that much more desperate.
Dramatist Joan Holden adapted the book for her 2002 play, which works mostly as a rueful comedy. It has multiple roles that are meant to be played by six actors, but in Sycamore Rouge's ironically curtailed production there are just five (except for a sixth, uncredited person who comes onstage as an extra once in a while).
The spare production directed by Natasha Lee Martin moves along well on the sleek Keith Saine set, well lit by R. Jon Shelley. Martin accents all the right notes -- the anti-management rants, the anti-upper-middle class grumbles, the warm bonds formed between struggling workers -- but eventually the play just runs out of gas.
Holden's play has less impact than Ehrenreich's book; going for the laugh makes for fun theater but tends to dissipate the message. So we get amusing nursing-home residents and caricatured short-order cooks punctuated by the occasional audience-discomfiting statement, such as "Our whole lives are subsidized by the working poor."
H. Lynn Smith plays the leading role of Barbara with the right spirit but a disappointing lack of line mastery and insufficient projection for the large room at Sycamore Rouge. We know that the room can be mastered because her castmates Adamna Oneydike and Kirsten Riiber do it with seeming effortlessness.
Like the other actors, Logan Connor and Jennifer Catton, they undertake several roles apiece, and they all do well in creating distinctive characters for each one. But Riiber's Holly -- the newly pregnant leader of a housecleaning team -- is particularly poignant and real, and Oneydike is most affecting as a single mother on the team who's left her young children home alone because there is no day-care option for them.
There's a message here, all right, and it's a significant one. The effort to make it cuter and more palatable with comedy makes it appeal to a broader audience, but to get Ehrenreich's full argument, you need to read the book.
{Back}
The Progress Index "Getting ‘Nickel and Dimed"
By Robert Parlier- Correspondant
Published: Thursday, May 22, 2008
As sometimes today, the women of the 1990s filled low-paying occupations for the American society.
The production of “Nickel and Dimed” aptly includes jobs at or below the poverty level, nearly always assigned to women: waitresses, cleaning ladies, low-paid nursing home low-paid and store clerks.
The upper and middle classes are subsidized by the low-income working class. This could be the theme of the production, played by six actors, at the Sycamore Rouge in Old Towne Petersburg.
Barbara, the leading lady, Pamela Bradley (in absence of H. Lynn Smith), played an undercover journalist who chose to live part of her life among the nearly indigent hard-working women who had no union to represent them.
The other female actresses are Jennifer Catton, Kirsten Ruber, Adama Oneydike, who each played multiple parts. Logan Conner, the only visible man, acted several parts, also.
A highlight of the show was Adama Oneydike as she jettisoned her body out into the middle and upper class audience and shouted, “What would you pay your cleaning lady? Would you wash your own car?” This seemed to cast a guilt feeling among the audience when confronted by such accusing questions.
Job interviewers for these women were quite liberal, and hiring was assured when employers discovered that these ladies were willing to work for low wages. In fact, the interviews lasted only a few minutes.
Pamela Bradley, with her lone, almost confidential statements to the audience, gave the play a cohesiveness. As an understudy, she must have been a quick study as well. She, as Barbara, could not endure the hectic life of a waitress and promptly quit.
Finding that Holly, portrayed by Kirsten Ruber, was pregnant and later injured, Barbara tried to persuade her to take time off. Holly resisted because, although it was meager, she wanted to get paid something for her hard work.
Barbara often talked to a shadow behind a screen, like it was her inner voice. The audience could not view the person’s visage, but the shadow spoke like a professional consultant.
Logan Conner, with his many parts, did a splendid job especially when he described wealth is according to the numbers.
Jennifer Catton, also with many roles, offered stability to the thespians when she tried to comfort Holly and supported others in their plight.
Very little, if any, humor was injected into the play, for comic relief was not needed. The production had a platform: People are often paid too little for their thankless, menial labors. Economic inequality for women was most evident in this production. The man was the manager/supervisor and they were his workers.
Director, Natasha Lee Martin has reason to be proud of her versatile players.
The play is based on a book by Barbara Einherich, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.”
{Back}
Petersburg People's News
Children’s musical, Gospel Night, and Acting Workshops
April 30, 2008
This weekend at Sycamore Rouge:
1) “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, Theatre with Children for Children, Sat. May 3, 11:00am, $5.
2) The Petersburg Music Festival presents “Gospel Night”, Sat. May 3, 7:30pm, $15.
3) Interested in Acting? Two workshops….
1) “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, Theatre with Children for Children
This light-hearted musical is a fun version of Little Red Riding Hood, with an important message to children of all ages. The half hour show has colorful costumes and sets, music, and a great deal of audience participation. With another rainy weekend looming, take advantage of this chance to get the kids out of the house, get some culture, and have some fun! Doors will open at 10:30am.
2) The Petersburg Music Festival presents “Gospel Night”
Sycamore Rouge is partnering with the Petersburg Music Festival to bring a great set of Gospel acts to the downtown stage! Saturday evening will feature performances by Harrowgate Christian Singers, Sisters In Hymn, and Littlechurch. Come out for some great music, good felowship, and good fun!
Doors will open at 6:30pm for food, drinks, and seating.
3) Interested in Acting? Two workshops…
WORKSHOP #1: Audition Technique for Acting for the Camera
WORKSHOP #2: Audition Technique for Stage Acting
Natasha Lee Martin, the director for Nickel and Dimed, brings her years of experience in film, television, industrial video and the stage to two special workshops at Sycamore Rouge on Sunday, May 4, 2008! Workshops will run $60 for each three-hour session, or $90 for the full day.
Get Yer Halloween Costume on and Head to Netcong's Growing Stage for 'How I Became a Pirate'
by Warren Reporter
Saturday October 25, 2008
Halloween weekend is expected to attract a whole new cast of characters to The Growing Stage performances of "How I Became a Pirate."
Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to performances on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2. The youngster judged as having the "most imaginative costume" at each performance will win four tickets to an upcoming Growing Stage production.
Based on the award-winning, best-selling book by Melinda Long and David Shannon, "How I Became a Pirate" is a hilarious tale of young, soccer-loving Jeremy Jacobs as he joins Captain Braid Beard and his pirate crew as they embark on a voyage for buried treasure.
Originally produced in 2007 by Emerald City Theatre in Chicago, the show features veteran Growing Stage actors Jeremy William Hilgert, Danny Campos, and Jason Szamreta.
Hilgert brought the beloved Toad to life in the 2006 production of "A Year With Frog and Toad" while Campos last performed at the Palace Theatre as Armando in last year's production of "The Dinosaur Musical." Szamreta played the title role in last year's production of "The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)." Making their Growing Stage debuts are actors R. David Robinson, Scott Zenreich and Natasha Martin.
The show will be on stage at The Palace Theatre through Nov. 9, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday evenings and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets are $12 for children and seniors and $16 for adults and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-347-4946 or online at www.growingstage.com.
Founded in 1981, The Growing Stage was the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award presented by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education. The award, named in honor of Sara Spencer, founder of Anchorage Press, and one of the founders of the Children's Theatre Foundation, was presented to The Growing Stage for sustained and exceptional achievement in the field of theatre for young audiences.
The Growing Stage, the Children's Theatre of New Jersey, is located in the Historic Palace Theatre, 7 Ledgewood Ave.
{Back}
SouthCoast Magazine's A List
Stars Turn out for Showtime's Series Brotherhood
22. Natasha Lee Martin
{Back}
Green Light Productions Presents
GLO 2008 July 16, 2008
Featuring inspiring new plays written and directed by women
July 16th-20th at Theatre 54@ Shetler Studios Please RSVP at 215-681-0211 or at glo@greenlightplays.com You are also invited to join us for a reception at the theatre immediately following the Friday night performance
GLO, created in 2005, provides great opportunities to women theatre artists. Each year, Green Light opens its doors and receives hundreds of submissions from playwrights all over the country. The GLO plays tell unique and provocative stories and are powerful examples of the work being created by women theatre artists today.
GLO 2008 Performance Info At Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios- 244 W. 54th Street, 12th Floor July 16th- 20th Tickets are $15 in advance at www.greenlightplays.com and $20 cash-only at the door Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm A reception at the theatre will follow the Friday night performance
GLO 2008 Plays The Opal Show by Kim Carney. Directed by Michele Pace. Featuring Allison Walton and Rob Alicea.
Who Gives This Woman by Linda Suzuki. Directed by Natasha Lee Martin. Featuring Monica Cortez and Sherry Lorraine.
Militia Slumber Party, or Embracing the New World Order by Crystal Jackson. Directed by Shauna Horn. Featuring Phil E. Eichinger, Tom Lacey and Michael Sadler.
Maggie Misplaced by Alexandria Dilks Pandola. Directed by Shannon Fillion. Featuring Becca Schneider and Scott Troost.
Green Light Productions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit institution that is dedicated to exploring the role of women in society and creating new opportunities for women theatre artists. Founded in 2003, Green Light has presented the new work of over one-hundred women theatre artists and history is an amazing collection of premieres that feature non-stereotypical portrayals of women.
{Back}
The Gay Places Magazine
August 7, 2009
Featured Artist - New York - Natasha Lee Martin - August 7, 2009
HI!
Well, the heat wave has passed. The summer is trying to maybe wind down a bit. What a great time to go out and see something unique in your own neighborhood or in some city that you may be visiting.
We have so many recommendations on our website. You will have to stack things in order of importance. Our listings are all artist recommended. Who better to tell you where to go than someone who is really involved in the community that they live?
Have a look this weekend. You may just find something you have never seen, in your own back yard!
This week's artist is Natasha Lee Martin. She is an actress. A woman of many characters. I met Natasha on my trip to New York at a little place in Brooklyn for a benefit 
performance by some local artists. They were amazing! I had not seem my high school friend Gabi for a really long time! We picked up right were we left off. It was such a nice evening. Natasha sold me a raffle ticket and I WON! I won a wonderful gift certificate to the tea house.
We talked about the benefit and got to talking about Natasha as an artist and thought she was really great. So this week we are bringing her to you! Thanks Natasha for sharing your favorite things about New York City with us this week.
Spread the love! Tell a friend about our newsletter.
See ya next week!
Jen
thegayplaces.com
Featured Artist - Natasha Lee Martin
Natasha Lee Martin began her career at the age of 5 when she was cast in a radio play for WSAR Radio called "The Man in the Snow". Directed by her uncle David Tulli, this was to become a source of inspiration for many roles to come. In 
the years since Natasha has appeared in television and film roles on FOX, TLC, DISNEY, NIPPON TV JAPAN and many stages throughout Philadelphia, NYC and the east coast. Trained at the Actor's Studio Program in NYC, Natasha also lectures, teaches workshops and private acting coaching. She is a professor of Theatre at several colleges and universities in the tri-state area.
Natasha has performed in many productions over the years. In our conversation with her, she elaborated on portrayal of LGBT characters in theatre:
I played Garnet Mclit (the butch dyke detective) in "The Well of Horniness" by Holly Hughes a few years ago. Holly Hughes came to see the show and had dinner with the cast and she was really lovely. When I asked her what she thought of my slapstick portrayal of Garnet and Holly said "I was drunk when I wrote it. I thought you did a great job" she was being very modest at the time.
There is also a role I played that would be cool to mention is when I was cast as Al/Kate Bornstein from "Hidden A 
Gender" (book- Gender Outlaw- She is now writing a new version "The Next Generation"; the role of Herculine was originally played by Justin Bond (Kiki and Herb) and directed by Noreen Barnes.)
Since I played such roles like the transgendered Al/Kate there has been a shift in consciousness through the accessibility of the once underground performance of LGBT and Queer characters with the development of festivals such as the fringe in NYC and Philly and the Humana some of which I have worked in. Now previously limited producible work is happening in the streets, cafes and found spaces. Media constructs such as twitter, facebook, etc, have enabled these artists to have a mass level of marketing and exposure to the mainstream previously unattainable.
It is so refreshing to see people like Justin Bond doing Kiki and Herb on such a grand scale touring the world. It is inspiring to see this visceral response by the community when they have an outlet for their voice in order to overcome those limitations once observed in a conservative theatrical regime.
{Back}
