What a great pleasure and privilege to talk to Madelyn Blair about reinvention on her intriguing and insightful video program, UNLOCKED (https://lnkd.in/eicbTx3K) . We ranged from our common interest in knowledge sharing to the ways in which any of us can create a new reality in our lives. And thanks to Madelyn for giving me another chance to talk about my latest play, HONOR, with just four performances left at the Gene Frankel Theatre in lower Manhattan: October 3-5 at 7 PM and Sunday, October 6th at 1 PM. Tix at our.show/honor The program is available now on YouTube https://lnkd.in/eMi4i6w9
Photos by Bill Wadman: John Blaylock as Ludwig along with Alinca Hamilton as Ronnee and Ed Altman as Don
“Theatre isn’t real. It’s a refraction of reality, containing feelings and thoughts that are put forth, first, in a primary text, which the actor interprets—an interpretation that the director supports or edits, in an attempt to help build, in a made-up world, an atmosphere of verisimilitude.”
Hilton Als
Hilton Als, longtime critic at The New Yorker magazine, describes above the theatrical experience pithily and — to our thinking — near perfectly: he puts the actor at the heart of the creation. That centrality explains why we adore John Blaylock as Ludwig in HONOR. He built a character — the diligent, conservative General Counsel of a big company — from the foundation of the text giving him a reality that makes lawyers in our audience ask where John studied law. Spoiler: he didn’t. John is just a fine actor who loves to work so hard to put his person into a compelling story. He creates that ‘made-up world’, that atmosphere of verisimilitude. John makes you believe.
We are entering our final week of this run and tickets are available at our.show/honor If you’ve ever worked in a business, HONOR will speak to you as it presents the complexities and ambiguities of trying to do the right thing by each other in that world. Don’t miss John’s stirring electric performance and this story. See you at the Gene Frankel Theatre for seventy minutes of riveting theatre.
Don’t just take our word for it. Read what others have said:
“Honor, by , T.J. Elliott… If you’ve ever navigated the corporate world, you’ll immediately recognize the intricacies of the system – power dynamics, conflict, and behind-the-scenes negotiations that can lead to major frustrations. You might even spot a few familiar personalities from your own workplace! What stood out was the play’s comedic edge, using sharp humor to make the often stressful corporate environment feel both relatable and amusing (although, let’s be honest, it’s a lot less funny when you’re actually living it ). The play invites you to reflect on the nuances of leadership and influence, making you think about just how complex and layered these interactions truly are.”
“The play masterfully takes what appears to be an apparent disagreement over a value interpretation of an issue to a place that reveals the complexity of not only the interpretation of the issue but also each of the participant’s values. The ending provides an excellent explication of the complexity of human character in the interpretation of what constitutes personal honor, leaving one with intriguing ideas to contemplate.”
“Eloquently and dramatically skewers the current business culture… provocative entertainment.” “Elliott also directed and his physical staging is crisp, well-paced and contains momentum. The personable and talented cast of Ed Altman as Don, and Alinca Hamilton and John Blaylock, as the lawyers, all deliver energetic and authentic performances. This trio shines in the concluding sequence… “
Ronnee (Alinca Hamilton) turns the tables on Don (Ed Altman) in HONOR
FULL ADVANTAGE!
“Alinca Hamilton takes full advantage of this space and, acting with her body and face as well as with her words, letting the audience see her reactions, is quite funny…, showing us the ridiculousness of the situation.”
Roberta Pikser, Theater-Wire.Net
We knew that about Alinca as Ronnee Emerson but seeing Roberta Pikser’s review of HONOR in Theater-Wire.Net proved a gratifying confirmation and commendation of our colleague’s superb talent. Come to the Gene Frankel Theatre in lively NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan and see for yourself but you’ll have to do so before October 6th when this run where Alinca is joined by her two partners in corporate comedy, John Blaylock and Ed Altman ends.
“The play suggests that such a thing as honor is all but impossible, at least in a corporate setting, or perhaps that the concept is totally subjective, that no one really knows what it is. White male privilege is touched upon as one aspect of the elusiveness of the concept. Perhaps, as suggested by the insistence of the two men not to listen to each other, but to try to prevail, the idea of honor comes down to dominance. “
You have to see HONOR the play that Andrew Cortes of
Ed Altman, Alinca Hamilton, and John Blaylock make the story sizzle
Okay, one more plea to see HONOR at The Gene Frankel Theatre before it closes on October 6th, but this time the recommendation comes from reviews for which we are SOOOO grateful
1) “Written and superbly directed by T.J. Elliott…All of these actors are first-rate in their performances.”
2) “The play masterfully takes what appears to be an apparent disagreement over a value interpretation of an issue to a place that reveals the complexity of not only the interpretation of the issue but also each of the participant’s values. The ending provides an excellent explication of the complexity of human character in the interpretation of what constitutes personal honor, leaving one with intriguing ideas to contemplate.”from Scotty Bennett, TheaterScene.Net Did that work?
3) “Eloquently and dramatically skewers the current business culture… provocative entertainment.” “Elliott also directed and his physical staging is crisp, well-paced and contains momentum. The personable and talented cast of Ed Altman as Don, and Alinca Hamilton and John Blaylock,as the lawyers, all deliver energetic and authentic performances. This trio shines in the concluding sequence… “
4) “Technical and artistic director Gifford Elliott contributes smoothness to the production with balanced lighting and sound. The realistic,simple scenic design consists of a long table, wheelie chairs, a white board on an easel, and a large running wall clock which add a cool real-time dimension to the stated 45-minute proceeding.”from Darryl Reilly, Encore! Come on, you like theater and this is a well-reviewed relevant piece.
Click here for tickets to a show that is rollicking and relevant Not good enough? How about what…TimeOut says “In this dark corporate comedy by writer-director T.J. Elliott, three executives chew over—and perhaps spit out—the results of an investigation into a case of harassment that has been brought against by one of them. Alinca Hamilton, John Blaylock and Ed Altman play the compromised trio.”You need a night out so go to this link for those tickets 70 minutes of fast-paced fun that surfaces realities all too familiar for many of us in a grand historic theatre in the lively NoHo neighborhood at 7 PM (Sunday at 1 PM)
Bold assertion: you should go see Alinca Hamilton in HONOR at the Gene Frankel Theatre running now through October 6th ONLY at the Gene Frankel Theater 24 Bond Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Tix at our.show/honor
Ronnee (Alinca Hamilton) attempts to referee the constant conflict of Don (Ed Altman) and Ludwig (John Blaylock, seated)
Why? Her performance compels, charms, and cheers in this comedy of corporate culture in ways that you won’t want to miss. You can read more about Alinca here and you can actually hear her via the Stage Whisper podcast of Andrew Cortes, but what would really be to your advantage is to see and listen to Alinca in this play: she’s terrific! We believe in her so much that we are offering you two (2) complimentary tickets to any of our performances of HONOR. Alinca has to be seen. Just reply to this email with your preferred performance date for your free tickets. Her performance is worth a lot more than that.
Oh, what’s the play about, the comedy by T.J. Elliott that actress Sean Young called “hilarious and very clever“? In HONOR, three executives (John Blaylock, Alinca Hamilton, and Ed Altman) meet to review the results of an investigation into a charge of bullying against one of them. In the course of a raucous and rollicking meeting, a free-for-all ensues that tests the outer limits of propriety and procedure. With sharp humor and witty tactics, each brings their own concept of “honor” to the table for debate, only to be left wondering what constitutes honor in our present world. The running time of HONOR is just over an hour, which leaves you plenty of time to enjoy the fine restaurants and nightlife in this lively neighborhood.
We’ve been fortunate enough to have the pleasure of Darryl Reilly reviewing 3 of our Knowledge Workings Theater productions and we are grateful for his considerate criticism of HONOR that you can read in full at this link
And then this morning we discovered that Time Out magazine has a featured listing for our play. The good news for us is that more people will learn about the opportunity to see 3 excellent actors — Alinca Hamilton, Ed Altman, and John Blaylock — lavish their talents on storytelling that is funny, sharp, and timely. We are only running until October 6: get your tickets now at our.show/honor
We are grateful to Broadway World for its interview of T.J. Elliott, Playwright & Director of HONOR, which opens September 19 at the Gene Frankel Theatre and runs until October 6. You can read the full interview here as Joshua Wright talks to T.J. about his journey from theater to the corporate world and back again to theater in 2018. T.J. also speaks about the importance of Joe Queenan, his collaborator on the plays alms, grudges, genealogy, and the Oracle, in his return to playwrighting as well as the circumstances that prompted him to write this latest play, HONOR. Tickets to honor are available at our.show/honor
We appreciate the generous and enthusiastic responses of these two audience members from our run at The Chain Winter One-Act Festival this past February, but you should come and see for yourself.
Thank you to all of those who have already responded to our invitation to participate in an open and free discussion about playwrights so producing. Our convening (after that night’s performance of HONOR at the Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street in Manhattan) is a follow-up to the T.J. Elliott’s online series of brief essays, 13 Ways of Looking at Self-Producing, published in March 2024.
If you haven’t signaled your attendance yet, you can so by clicking here for this discussion on Playwright Self-Producing taking place 8:30 PM Wednesday September 25 th after the 7PM performance of HONOR at the Gene Frankel Theatre in Manhattan.
(There is NO fee for attending this playwright community gathering. If you wish to attend HONOR at 7PM that evening, go to our tickets site here and enter the discount code ‘playwright’ for $10 off the ticket price.)
We feel extraordinarily fortunate to have the folks below on our panel. The whole point of the session is to share knowledge and offer encouragement to playwrights who either are already self producing or contemplating taking that journey. The experiences of others putting up their work and the conversations arising from these thoughtful exchanges should prove fruitful to all playwrights.
Alinca Hamilton is a New York born and bred actor, writer, and creator. Select acting credits include To All the Black Girls Who’ve Waited (Ars Nova AntFest); Clyde’s (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Mud Row (Premiere Stages); Audelco Award-nominated Gong Lum’s Legacy (New Federal Theater); Julius Cesar (Classic Stage Company). After obtaining her MFA in Acting from Columbia University, Alinca doubled down on making her Jamaican immigrant parents happy, and added writing to her artistic pursuits. Under the guidance of the Sundance Collab Program, her first pilot “Rinse. Repeat.” was a semi-finalist for the 2021-2022 NYSCA/NYSFA Artist Fellowship Program and 2021-2022 Fresh Voices Competition. alincahamilton.com
John has an undergraduate degree in painting from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and a Masters in painting from New York University, in NYC and Venice, Italy. He lives and works in New York City. Diva Therapy is his first play. For tickets to this fun and affecting play running in November at to Theater for the New City, click here
A playwright in residence at Theater for the New City, Claude Solnik has written plays seen by thousands, earned favorable reviews and brought memorable characters and stories to life. His work also has been performed Off Broadway, in Paris, Philadelphia and on regional stages.
Janani Sreenivasan is a writer, director, actor, composer, and musician originally from Corvallis, Oregon. She has prioritized art since her early training as a classical violinist (both solo and orchestral repertoire) and pianist. In 2006, while earning an M.F.A. in nonfiction at the University of Iowa, she wrote and directed nearly 40 comedy sketches for the late-night showcase No Shame Theatre. In NYC, she has directed for the Tank’s Rule of 7×7 and the Chain Theatre’s One-Act Festival, as well as acting with Rule of 7×7, Manhattan Repertory, WOW Café Theatre, and Living Room Theater. Short films have screened in the L.A. Comedy Festival and the Iron Mule Short Film Festival (Audience Award w/Lee Jutton) and her jokes have appeared in Reductress and The New Yorker. Her short play “Get Leo” depicted her hunger for Leonardo DiCaprio to portray her onstage and was staged and published by the Bechdel Group. At Under St. Marks Theatre, Janani’s recently directed and produced The Importance of Being Earnest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream infused with Indian classical dance and music and featuring Odissi dancer Jeevika Bhat.
An actor and produced playwright in the 1980s (Lazy Eye, Captive Audiences), T.J. spent the next three decades away from theater making sure his children always had food and clothes – well, most of the time — before returning to Off-Broadway as co-writer with Joe Queenan of the SRO hit play Alms in 2019. In those lost years, he produced, directed, and performed among casts of thousands in a mélange of corporate telenovelas and tragic, comic, melodramatic, and absurd organizational performance art. Since his playwrighting re-emergence, T.J. and Queenan have penned three other problem comedies produced by Knowledge Workings Theater: Grudges, Genealogy (at Broom Street Theater in Madison Wisconsin), and The Oracle. His recent solo works include the mostly fake Swedish screwball comedy Keeping Right, the September 2023 premiere in New York City of The Jester’s Wife and most recently HONOR presented in 2024. Born in the Bronx, T.J. now lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife, Marjorie Phillips Elliott.
Sign up by clicking here for this discussion on Playwright Self-Producing taking place 8:30 PM Wednesday September 25 th after the 7PM performance of HONOR at the Gene Frankel Theatre in Manhattan.
Given that I’ve been in rewriting mode around my latest play, I found this piece about Lucas Hnath, which originally appeared in the New Yorker, very helpful. I don’t know if I’m mystical about rewriting but at times the process does seem to require a metaphysical approach; i.e., is this thing being created acquiring a coherent existence?
🙂
“He can sound mystical about his creative process. At workshops, I’ve heard him say many times, “This line hasn’t figured out yet what it wants to become.” But he can also be stringently analytical. Playwright’s Input A should result in Audience Output B. That side was in evidence at the Golden, as the seats began to fill. (The preview was sold out.) I asked him what he’d be looking out for that evening, and he said that it was important that he not look for anything. He wanted to experience the play as if he’d never seen it. This, he emphasized, would be just the start of his process. “You have to watch several performances,” he went on. “Then take a step back and try to understand, on average, how the play works. It’s what remains consistent across many performances that tells me something useful. Tonight is one single data point.”
He hoped to next time find “a better spot” in the theatre. Another night found him in the stage manager’s office, listening to the actors on a monitor. He was rewriting their parts as they spoke.”
