What better way to celebrate the year than announcing that Theatre Askew has been named "People of The Year 2007" by nytheatre.com!
Every year, editor Martin Denton recognizes 15 individuals and companies who have made important
contributions to the NYC theatre landscape during the past year. The purpose is to call attention to the valuable and worthy
work being done by prolific, active, excellent artists in the indie theater community, especially new and emerging artists. This year we have been recognized collectively as Theatre Askew, and in our capacities
as individual artists, for "consistently spotlight(ing) important social issues without ever sacrificing entertainment value." Click here to see the article!
2007: A Dazzling Year!
Our production of i google myself expanded visibility and critical acclaim for Theatre Askew.
We had reviews from The New York Times, The Village Voice, and TimeOut New York, plus sold-out houses!
- The Voice called our
work "queer in the best sense of the word: self-consciously outside the mainstream, looking in with intelligence and wit."
- TheatreScope critic Daniel Selznick called
the play "the most dazzling piece of theatre that opened in New York this summer."
- And Backstage featured Theatre Askew in an article about LGBT theatres across the country who are speaking to a wider audience, singling us out as "a new approach for a new century."
Meanwhile, through our educational program the Theatre Askew Youth Performance Experience
(TAYPE), we lead a 10-week workshop with LGBTQ youth & their allies, culminating in a reading of students' works by professional
actors from Askew community. We continue to mentor one participant developing his
play Asperger's syndrome and its connection to sexual orientation and religious belief.
Next, we picked up on The Seagull and continued our behind-the-scenes exploratory workshop
of Chekhov's play and Stanislavsky's original directing notes. Our treatment views
the play from a queer perspective without compromising Chekhov's voice. It's been a profound, expansive project for the company
and artists involved, and we look forward to sharing it with you in its next phase!
2008: Back to
the Drafting Table
To realize our vision of being one of New York's most innovative independent theatre companies,
our emphasis in the coming year is on the development of dynamic, original new work and the growth of our youth program.
We plan an intensive workshop of our adaptation of The Seagull in spring of 2008.
Keep an eye out for special performances of this work-in-progress and come see our entirely unique, Askew-ed perspective
on this classic.
We also plan to begin exploratory work on an original piece that will focus on the legacy
of three seminal artists of the Sixties: Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, and Gregory Corso.
And we are privileged to embark on a new partnership between TAYPE and the Ali Forney Center for Homeless LGBT Youth, starting with weekly workshops in February 2008. We are thrilled to begin
working with this community, and confident that we can provide these youth with an experience that will have a lasting positive
impact on their lives.
