Hello all,
Just a quick note and recommendation. Ed is still working on his new chapters and should have them up soon. He has been finishing a new musical called "Whodunit?" and will be doing a reading of it at the York Theater on July 14th. Check out their info below. Also saw a very powerful show called "Red Dog Howls" at the El Portal last weekend. It stars Broadway great Kathleen Chalfant (Angels In America, Wit) and is about a young man who thinks he is Greek until he discovers a letter his late father wrote to his grandmother, who hid their Armenian origins. The last day to see the play is tonight!
WHODUNIT...THE MUSICAL BOOK, MUSIC AND LYRICS BY ED DIXON A wealthy spinster takes a large house in Connecticut for the summer and is joined by her surly maid and her beautiful niece who surprises everyone by bringing along a boyfriend. (Heavens!) However this isn't the only surprise awaiting the occupants of Sunnyside Cottage. The butler informs them that all the rest of the staff have quit due to "strange goings on" and before you can say Whodunit, there's a dead body in the middle of the living room... then another. This fast, breezy and tuneful period piece, set in the elegant 1930's, is a lot of laughs... and maybe a couple of screams.
Monday, July 14, 2008 • 7:30 PM
York Theatre Company 212-935-5824 x24 The Theatre at Saint Peter’s 54th Street, Just East of Lexington
www.yorktheatre.org
ADMISSION IS FREE!
Reservations are suggested. Email Jeff Landsman (please mention your name, phone number, the show you want to see, and the number of tickets you’d like) or call 212-935-5824, ext. 24. There is no admission charge.
THIS SERIES MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GENEROUS DONATION FROM THE DOROTHY STRELSIN FOUNDATION
Would YOU like to submit a show for inclusion in the Developmental Reading Series?
Our mission here at York concerns musicals only; we do not accept submissions of plays. A completed script must be submitted, as well as a sound recording of at least most of the songs. If you’d like your materials returned, you must enclose a self-addressed, postage paid envelope.
As we are one of the only theatres in the country which accepts unsolicited scripts, we receive around 400-500 scripts per year. We pride ourselves in properly evaluating each script, which takes time as we have a small staff and a loyal group of volunteer readers. It generally takes at least 6 to 12 months to get a script through our entire process.
Material should be submitted to: York Theatre Company, DEVELOPMENTAL READING SERIES, The Theatre at Saint Peter’s, 619 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Showing posts with label Ed Dixon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Dixon. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Academy of New Muscial Theater
Hello all,
Just a quick update. Ed is working hard on the next chapters of Secrets From a Lifetime on the Stage... and Off! but in the meantime has written another FULL LENGTH musical. I'll be reading it this weekend! We are also pursuing a new production of RICHARD CORY, a musical he wrote based on A.R. Gurney's play, based on the famous poem. It truly is an amazing piece and we hope to get it up in a larger venue than the previously award winning version we did at the NYMF festival in 2005.
If you happen to be in LA at the end of June I will be sitting on a panel at The BIZ OF THE MUSICAL THEATRE BIZ Conference that will take place June 27-30 at The Academy for New Musical Theatre and the Colony Theatre in North Hollywood. My panel will be discussing:
GETTING TO THE TOP OF THE PILE
Producers, artistic directors and agents talk turkey about why they pick a submission from out of the Pile, and why they leave others at the bottom of the Pile. If you register for the conference (or for the Sunday-Only pass), you’re entitled to submit one project to the Pile. It’s up to you what kind of package you submit: full artwork/DVD/script, or just a script, or even just a pitch. The panel will discuss candidly which projects in the Pile get their attention and why. To be considered, submissions must arrive at ANMT no later than 3:00 p.m. Sunday June 29th.
Confirmed Panelists: Tom McCoy (Executive Producer, McCoy Rigby Entertainment); Michael Michetti (Co-Artistic Director, The Theatre @ Boston Court); Michael Jackowitz (Director of New Works, The Rubicon Theatre); Hilary Genga (Producer); Arnold Margolin (Producing Director, Falcon Theatre); Nick Cavarra (Producer, Off-Broadway)
Invited Panelists: Karyl Lynn Burns (Producing Artistic Director, The Rubicon Theatre); David Hamlin (Producer, East of Doheny); Amy Levinson Millan (Literary Manager/Dramaturg, The Geffen Playhouse); Pier Carlo Talenti (Literary Manager of CTG); Steve Rabineau (William Morris Agency); Michael Shepperd (Incoming Artistic Director, Celebration Theatre)
Look forward to seeing you there!
Dreampeddler
Just a quick update. Ed is working hard on the next chapters of Secrets From a Lifetime on the Stage... and Off! but in the meantime has written another FULL LENGTH musical. I'll be reading it this weekend! We are also pursuing a new production of RICHARD CORY, a musical he wrote based on A.R. Gurney's play, based on the famous poem. It truly is an amazing piece and we hope to get it up in a larger venue than the previously award winning version we did at the NYMF festival in 2005.
If you happen to be in LA at the end of June I will be sitting on a panel at The BIZ OF THE MUSICAL THEATRE BIZ Conference that will take place June 27-30 at The Academy for New Musical Theatre and the Colony Theatre in North Hollywood. My panel will be discussing:
GETTING TO THE TOP OF THE PILE
Producers, artistic directors and agents talk turkey about why they pick a submission from out of the Pile, and why they leave others at the bottom of the Pile. If you register for the conference (or for the Sunday-Only pass), you’re entitled to submit one project to the Pile. It’s up to you what kind of package you submit: full artwork/DVD/script, or just a script, or even just a pitch. The panel will discuss candidly which projects in the Pile get their attention and why. To be considered, submissions must arrive at ANMT no later than 3:00 p.m. Sunday June 29th.
Confirmed Panelists: Tom McCoy (Executive Producer, McCoy Rigby Entertainment); Michael Michetti (Co-Artistic Director, The Theatre @ Boston Court); Michael Jackowitz (Director of New Works, The Rubicon Theatre); Hilary Genga (Producer); Arnold Margolin (Producing Director, Falcon Theatre); Nick Cavarra (Producer, Off-Broadway)
Invited Panelists: Karyl Lynn Burns (Producing Artistic Director, The Rubicon Theatre); David Hamlin (Producer, East of Doheny); Amy Levinson Millan (Literary Manager/Dramaturg, The Geffen Playhouse); Pier Carlo Talenti (Literary Manager of CTG); Steve Rabineau (William Morris Agency); Michael Shepperd (Incoming Artistic Director, Celebration Theatre)
Look forward to seeing you there!
Dreampeddler
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Teaser
Although my posts have been less frequent of late, that is about to change. I have been working hard on two new projects that will be featured on the blog, and one announcement for a staged reading.
1) Behind the scenes run up to the opening of Fanny Hill in Ohio at the Kalliope Stage. Fanny's First Time in the regional theater market. Interviews are underway with the creative staff and cast. This will be a great play by play for getting a show up and running. Should be a lot of fun.
2) I will be running a new feature on the blog with my dear friend Ed Dixon. There are 2 kinds of famous people out there, one being the celebrity that is known by legions of fans and exposure but has probably had little interaction with all the people who know them, and then there are those folks that literally KNOW legions of people, have actually worked with them and interacted with them. Ed is one of these people. And the stories he can tell about all of these legions, both famous and infamous, are amazing. Well we will be sharing those stories here on the blog under the new feature, "How do you know Ed Dixon?" (working title). This will be a blast. Check out his site at http://www.eddixon.biz/
3) I interviewed DJ Salisbury in December about his upcoming project Super Chix. They will be having a performance of the piece at the Zipper Theater on February 1st. Check out the following facebook event page for more details, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=7919778004&ref=mf
See you again soon!
dreampeddler
1) Behind the scenes run up to the opening of Fanny Hill in Ohio at the Kalliope Stage. Fanny's First Time in the regional theater market. Interviews are underway with the creative staff and cast. This will be a great play by play for getting a show up and running. Should be a lot of fun.
2) I will be running a new feature on the blog with my dear friend Ed Dixon. There are 2 kinds of famous people out there, one being the celebrity that is known by legions of fans and exposure but has probably had little interaction with all the people who know them, and then there are those folks that literally KNOW legions of people, have actually worked with them and interacted with them. Ed is one of these people. And the stories he can tell about all of these legions, both famous and infamous, are amazing. Well we will be sharing those stories here on the blog under the new feature, "How do you know Ed Dixon?" (working title). This will be a blast. Check out his site at http://www.eddixon.biz/
3) I interviewed DJ Salisbury in December about his upcoming project Super Chix. They will be having a performance of the piece at the Zipper Theater on February 1st. Check out the following facebook event page for more details, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=7919778004&ref=mf
See you again soon!
dreampeddler
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
First Regional Production of Fanny Hill
Kalliope Stage in Cleveland will be the first regional theatre to put up Fanny Hill. I am very excited to see Fanny start getting the exposure she deserves. As one of the original producers of the show in New York, it is very rewarding to see a show that we put so much hard work and care into start to have a life of its own. Our Fanny is growing up!
If you are in the area, go to the tickets page on the Kalliope Stage website and enjoy!
Opening night is Valentine's Day, 2008, exactly 2 years after our premiere in New York City!
As producing theater is a collaborative effort, one of the ways we get Fanny Hill out there for regional productions is through Miracle or 2 Productions. They have a catalogue of shows that they represent including Fanny Hill and another of Ed Dixon's shows that I produced, Richard Cory. I am going to interview the founders of Miracle or 2 soon so they can explain exactly what it is they do and how they develop relationships with all these great regional theaters.
Stay tuned and...
BREAK A LEG, FANNY IN OHIO!
dreampeddler
If you are in the area, go to the tickets page on the Kalliope Stage website and enjoy!
Opening night is Valentine's Day, 2008, exactly 2 years after our premiere in New York City!
As producing theater is a collaborative effort, one of the ways we get Fanny Hill out there for regional productions is through Miracle or 2 Productions. They have a catalogue of shows that they represent including Fanny Hill and another of Ed Dixon's shows that I produced, Richard Cory. I am going to interview the founders of Miracle or 2 soon so they can explain exactly what it is they do and how they develop relationships with all these great regional theaters.
Stay tuned and...
BREAK A LEG, FANNY IN OHIO!
dreampeddler
Friday, November 16, 2007
Interview with Ed Dixon, Old Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Broadway
Part of any writer/producer's job is to continually develop relationships with other writers, actors and producers. In that vein, I just did a quick interview with one of my dearest and most talented actor/writer friends, Ed Dixon. We talked about his playing a dog in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the IATSE strike, Stephen Sondheim, Les Miz and The Iceman Cometh.
Dreampeddler: How do you like playing a dog?
ED DIXON: I liked the role of Max the moment I read it. Even before I was hired, when I started working on it, I felt like I knew who he was. Then as the process went on and it got more and more layers, it became even more enjoyable. I started with him as a man. There is some allusion in the script to the fact that he resembles Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) then as I rehearsed, I allowed him to slowly take on small doggie characteristics, so that it wasn't just a parody. They asked me to bark early on in the process, and I declined since I just wasn't there. Later on it seemed right to bark a couple of times. By the time I got into the costume and makeup, I found that he was very much more a dog than Dr. Seuss. This surprised me. It wasn't my original inclination. He's also an old dog. So that greatly impacts his walk and speech and mannerisms. This also came on slowly in the process. By opening night he really was a dog.
Dreampeddler: Did you enjoy the rehearsal process? I believe you mentioned that the creators of the show are still tweaking and fixing the show even though it has had multiple runs.
ED DIXON: I found the rehearsal process very difficult. I like to work very fast and do a lot of homework. But the fact that the show is double cast with children meant that everything had to be done at least twice, first with one group of children and then with the other. My process takes a long time, but I like to do the individual parts of it very quickly. That was not the case here. This version of the show is radically different from last year's. I had actually memorized last year's script before we started rehearsals. They had assured me it wasn't going to change that much. Wrong! It was very difficult to relearn the script, but I had to admit from the beginning that it was a big improvement. And I got to introduce a new song, "this time of year" which I like very much. And I reprise it at the end which is very moving. There's also a big production number for the entire company in the middle of the show which is terrific. I'm very, very pleased with the new version and so are the creatives. And apparently the critics are happy with it as well.
Dreampeddler: How has the strike affected the show?
ED DIXON: Well, the most obvious way is that we're not doing it. What a crazy thing to open a show with all that adrenaline and excitement and then find out before the curtain call that we wouldn't be performing the next day. On the positive side, we'd just finished two weeks of twelve hour days with no day off and the pressure of the critics and we were scheduled to do four performances the next day and three the day after that. So stopping for a minute wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person. But after those two days of rest I was really ready to get back on the horse. Now after all these days, it's just painful. I don't think any of us believed it would last this long... Since no strike in Broadway history had ever gone beyond four days.
Dreampeddler: Although you haven't had a full week of slated shows yet, how do you think you'll handle the stamina for so many shows in a week? Can you compare that to the other marathon shows you have been in like Les Miz and the Iceman Cometh?
ED DIXON: Well, we actually had done eleven or twelve shows before we opened due to the heavy weekend schedule. So I’d already done one of those "four on Saturday, three on Sunday" weekends. Let me tell you, the third one on Saturday was really hard. It gets difficult to remember if you've already done a scene or if you're about to do it. I don't think I’ve ever even rehearsed a show four times in one day. And after three on Saturday, the prospect of doing another one and then three the next day seemed impossible. But then after getting over that hump, it got surprisingly easy. I got a second wind and the easiest of all was the last one on Sunday. That surprised the hell out of me. Grinch is short, so doing it twice is actually less time than doing one les miz... And Lord knows I did hundreds of two show days at Les Miz. And as for Iceman Cometh, at five or five and a half hours... And yes, we did do two show days of that... Four Grinches is a walk in the park.
Dreampeddler: Are you working on anything else while doing the show?
ED DIXON: A company in New Jersey is making plans to film my screenplay of the Ravenwood Horror. It's an adaptation of my play Murder at the Apthorp. Have just written some background music for it. A haunting and dissonant piano score. Eric Schaeffer has been talking to me about mounting my two person play, Scenery, at his Signature Theater in DC. I'm working on a new play about a Werner Oland type character in old Hollywood who's become famous for doing a Charlie Chan type character... And of course, he's not Asian. It's called Chu Chu Chow and is about the cockamamie relationship between the racially insensitive protagonist and his Asian houseboy. Am also busy preparing my new musical based on Faye Weldon’s book, She-Devil. Have just completed a demo with some really great New York talent and we're looking for a workshop opportunity. I'm working on it with Warren Carlyle the fantastic choreographer/director who secured the rights to the book and asked me to write it.
Dreampeddler: What’s next up for you?
ED DIXON: After Grinch I’m going immediately into Sunday in the park with George with the Roundabout Theater Company. Actually the two jobs overlap by a couple of weeks. When the opportunity first presented itself to me I thought, "How on earth will I do fourteen or fifteen shows a week of Grinch while rehearsing Sunday?" but now I’ve had this little rest period provided by IATSE Local One and I’m not so apprehensive. I've always wanted to do a show in New York with Mr. Sondheim and I’m very happy to have the opportunity. When I arrived in New York forty years ago my dream was to work with Leonard Bernstein, and sure enough, I got to open the Kennedy Center with him in his Mass and make the recording (which he conducted) for Columbia Records. Nice to have dreams come true.
Thanks, Ed! You're the best. Look for more musicals and plays from this incredibly talented and driven writer.
dreampeddler
Dreampeddler: How do you like playing a dog?
ED DIXON: I liked the role of Max the moment I read it. Even before I was hired, when I started working on it, I felt like I knew who he was. Then as the process went on and it got more and more layers, it became even more enjoyable. I started with him as a man. There is some allusion in the script to the fact that he resembles Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) then as I rehearsed, I allowed him to slowly take on small doggie characteristics, so that it wasn't just a parody. They asked me to bark early on in the process, and I declined since I just wasn't there. Later on it seemed right to bark a couple of times. By the time I got into the costume and makeup, I found that he was very much more a dog than Dr. Seuss. This surprised me. It wasn't my original inclination. He's also an old dog. So that greatly impacts his walk and speech and mannerisms. This also came on slowly in the process. By opening night he really was a dog.
Dreampeddler: Did you enjoy the rehearsal process? I believe you mentioned that the creators of the show are still tweaking and fixing the show even though it has had multiple runs.
ED DIXON: I found the rehearsal process very difficult. I like to work very fast and do a lot of homework. But the fact that the show is double cast with children meant that everything had to be done at least twice, first with one group of children and then with the other. My process takes a long time, but I like to do the individual parts of it very quickly. That was not the case here. This version of the show is radically different from last year's. I had actually memorized last year's script before we started rehearsals. They had assured me it wasn't going to change that much. Wrong! It was very difficult to relearn the script, but I had to admit from the beginning that it was a big improvement. And I got to introduce a new song, "this time of year" which I like very much. And I reprise it at the end which is very moving. There's also a big production number for the entire company in the middle of the show which is terrific. I'm very, very pleased with the new version and so are the creatives. And apparently the critics are happy with it as well.
Dreampeddler: How has the strike affected the show?
ED DIXON: Well, the most obvious way is that we're not doing it. What a crazy thing to open a show with all that adrenaline and excitement and then find out before the curtain call that we wouldn't be performing the next day. On the positive side, we'd just finished two weeks of twelve hour days with no day off and the pressure of the critics and we were scheduled to do four performances the next day and three the day after that. So stopping for a minute wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person. But after those two days of rest I was really ready to get back on the horse. Now after all these days, it's just painful. I don't think any of us believed it would last this long... Since no strike in Broadway history had ever gone beyond four days.
Dreampeddler: Although you haven't had a full week of slated shows yet, how do you think you'll handle the stamina for so many shows in a week? Can you compare that to the other marathon shows you have been in like Les Miz and the Iceman Cometh?
ED DIXON: Well, we actually had done eleven or twelve shows before we opened due to the heavy weekend schedule. So I’d already done one of those "four on Saturday, three on Sunday" weekends. Let me tell you, the third one on Saturday was really hard. It gets difficult to remember if you've already done a scene or if you're about to do it. I don't think I’ve ever even rehearsed a show four times in one day. And after three on Saturday, the prospect of doing another one and then three the next day seemed impossible. But then after getting over that hump, it got surprisingly easy. I got a second wind and the easiest of all was the last one on Sunday. That surprised the hell out of me. Grinch is short, so doing it twice is actually less time than doing one les miz... And Lord knows I did hundreds of two show days at Les Miz. And as for Iceman Cometh, at five or five and a half hours... And yes, we did do two show days of that... Four Grinches is a walk in the park.
Dreampeddler: Are you working on anything else while doing the show?
ED DIXON: A company in New Jersey is making plans to film my screenplay of the Ravenwood Horror. It's an adaptation of my play Murder at the Apthorp. Have just written some background music for it. A haunting and dissonant piano score. Eric Schaeffer has been talking to me about mounting my two person play, Scenery, at his Signature Theater in DC. I'm working on a new play about a Werner Oland type character in old Hollywood who's become famous for doing a Charlie Chan type character... And of course, he's not Asian. It's called Chu Chu Chow and is about the cockamamie relationship between the racially insensitive protagonist and his Asian houseboy. Am also busy preparing my new musical based on Faye Weldon’s book, She-Devil. Have just completed a demo with some really great New York talent and we're looking for a workshop opportunity. I'm working on it with Warren Carlyle the fantastic choreographer/director who secured the rights to the book and asked me to write it.
Dreampeddler: What’s next up for you?
ED DIXON: After Grinch I’m going immediately into Sunday in the park with George with the Roundabout Theater Company. Actually the two jobs overlap by a couple of weeks. When the opportunity first presented itself to me I thought, "How on earth will I do fourteen or fifteen shows a week of Grinch while rehearsing Sunday?" but now I’ve had this little rest period provided by IATSE Local One and I’m not so apprehensive. I've always wanted to do a show in New York with Mr. Sondheim and I’m very happy to have the opportunity. When I arrived in New York forty years ago my dream was to work with Leonard Bernstein, and sure enough, I got to open the Kennedy Center with him in his Mass and make the recording (which he conducted) for Columbia Records. Nice to have dreams come true.
Thanks, Ed! You're the best. Look for more musicals and plays from this incredibly talented and driven writer.
dreampeddler
Friday, November 9, 2007
Fanny Hill the Musical by Ed Dixon, Produced by Nick Cavarra
Check out the Fanny Hill website to see information on the show I produced at the York Theatre in New York. We opened on Valentine's Day 2005 and enjoyed a 6 week run. We received 2 Drama Desk Nominations and a Drama League Award. You can also check out Ed Dixon's webpage. He is the author and creator of the show and is currently appearing as Old Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
As a result of that run, a London producer who saw the show at the York, has decided to pursue a run of Fanny Hill over there. We also gained representation from Miracle or 2 Productions for stock and amature rights.
The first regional production will happen next year at Kalliope Stage in Cleveland. Hopefully, we will have a guest bogger do a daily journal of mounting the production.
by Dreampeddler
As a result of that run, a London producer who saw the show at the York, has decided to pursue a run of Fanny Hill over there. We also gained representation from Miracle or 2 Productions for stock and amature rights.
The first regional production will happen next year at Kalliope Stage in Cleveland. Hopefully, we will have a guest bogger do a daily journal of mounting the production.
by Dreampeddler
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