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
The character — Don Troy — that Ed Altman plays in HONOR is the first one to utter our play’s title word and the way in which Ed delivers its two syllables is like tossing a match Into a room full of Roman Candles. Explosions ensue yet Ed’s character never flinches. Indeed, this dynamism is just what the play requires: an incendiary presence who flicks and lunges verbally at his two colleagues in this debate about what honor means. The trio proceed to sizzle and sparkle along the way in their storytelling with revelations and accusations, but not apologies.
Ed’s formidable array of acting experiences served him well in preparing for this role. Past work with Knowledge Workings Theater includes: The Oracle, Keeping Right, Grudges (Narrator). Other recent stage appearances had him in Two Swans, Nowhere Man, Victoria Woodhull (both at Theater for the New City). Also of late screens both big and small have benefited from Ed’s stalwart presence and straightforward style: TV/Streaming: The Good Cop (NTD/Epoch TV), The Vow (HBO), Foodthat Built America (History Channel), Dragon Meets Eagle(Amazon). His most recent film: The Dummy Detective is in production right now but earlier efforts include, Biff & Me, Oatmelio’s, Thumbwrestler II, Jazz John, all making the international film festival circuit. Ed was a member of the comedy group Prom Night with whom he wrote and performed at the Westbank Café back in the days of Lewis Black and Rusty McGee. He is also a voiceover artist for commercial and corporate work, and has voiced several audio books. Get your tickets now for one of the three performances upcoming of HONOR at The Chain Theatre Winter One-Act Festival
Immense thanks to the audience who taught us so much about our play and TheaterLab for hosting us. (Go see Orietta there in Let Me Cook For You)
The playwright Alan Ayckbourn has taught me more about that craft than anyone and his most important lesson might be in this sentence: “Theatre is not about the writing, it’s not about the directing. It is about that, but in the end it’s really about the actors and the audience and most audiences – aside from the cognoscenti who sit there being experts – come to watch a bit of acting.” Our kind (and I must say highly intelligent, sensitive, and aesthetically refined)audience for this reading watching and reacting to ‘that bit of acting’ by Winnie, Steve, and Xander (along with Ed Altman as necessarily noisy narrator) taught us so much about what needs to happen as we move towards fully realizing our work. We anticipated a ninety minute night but the reading came in at exactly ten minutes LONGER, which taught us that we can trimsome branches to this story of a woman whose name we never learn without harm to the overall tale. Our TJW actors gained from our audience the advantage of feeling for the first time what the moments between each one of them and the audience can be. As Margaret Atwood has written, the audience is co-creator of any story and at this stage of our work, their presence was felt and appreciated greatly.
And now…
The Jester’s Wife, a medieval comedy by T. J. Elliott produced through Knowledge Workings Theater, will prepare for an autumn opening. Our play will seek to realize fully the story of Jester and Wife as confronted by evil and still afraid for their lives they now encounter in their hideout cave a Stranger afflicted with madness. The Jester and Wife (who might have been the original prototypes for Punch and Judy with their hurled blows and one-liners) bicker, banter, and battle through questions of survival, responsibility, and who gets to tell their own story.
With an original blend of medieval and distinctly Irish tinges, the comedy pits the Jester’s self-preserving pragmatism and entertainer antics against his Wife’s heroic idealism — and her prowess wielding a broom! Their dilemma shifts from figuring out how to keep their heads to contriving how telling the story through a mystery play might be their ticket out of the cave where they live. But which story gets told is up for grabs. The narrative’s examination of myth-making, martyrdom, and survivor’s guilt mingle together in ways familiar to our present lives.
So stay tuned as our team brings this tale to full and funny life.
Jasmine Dorothy Haefner is Micky Cohen in THE ORACLE
Micky wants to… She wants… What does Micky want? REALLY REALLY REALLY want?
For years, she has ‘facilitated’ the spectacular success of the current Oracle, the guru who every morning provides ’the three reveals ‘ to which everyone in the corporation must pay attention. But with a new Harvard super-forecaster suddenly on the scene, the future seems uncertain for her. Will Micky make a move? Buy a ticket at this link to find out
Ed Altman as CEO Fred Spee ‘walks & talks’ with Micky (Jasmine Dorothy Haefner)
Jasmine (Micky) is an actress and writer for the screen and stage. Her most recent work is 28 is Great, a comedic short film she wrote, produced, directed and starred in, which has won several awards. (Lighthouse International Film Festival, Astoria Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Fest). She is thrilled to be a part of this production and working with Knowledge Working Theater Company again. She is incredibly thankful to the writers, cast and crew for all of their work. Theater: True Love (New York Theatre Festival), Dust Vanishes Away (Dir: Gabriel Torres, RE: Encuentro 2021, Loisaida Center, NYC), Grudges (Knowledge Workings Theater Co.), EVICTED (Teatro Yerbabruja Experimental), You Are So Lucky, and others. Film: 28 is Great, Zoomers, I’m Listening (NY State International Film Festival), The Unexpected (Hoboken International Film Festival), and others. TV: Saturday Night Live, and others.
