Mission to (dit)Mars is thrilled to present the first Launch Pad reading of 2020 with FAITH BASED, FUTURE FOCUSED, a new play by Tim Errickson and directed by Antonio Minino. This free reading will be performed on Monday, February 10th at 7pm at The Broom Tree Theatre located at 23-35 Broadway in Astoria, NY.
In FAITH BASED, FUTURE FOCUSED, Mal and Dennis both return to their Catholic High School alma mater on the day it closes for good. Did they ever become the people the school tried to make them into, and do they like who each other are today?
Playwright Tim Errickson explains “I was inspired to write the play because I wanted to examine people who seemed to come from the same upbringing and set of values, but have now in their adult lives diverged wildly from each other politically, culturally and religiously.“ Tim offers “I hope that people will think about the places that are sacred to them…theaters, churches, gymnasiums where you made the shot, the bridge where you proposed or broke up…and investigate the universality of those spaces.”
The evening is presented by Mission to (dit)Mars co-founders Kari Bentley-Quinn, Don Nguyen, Meredith Packer, and Laura Pestronk.
The Broom Tree Theater at Astoria First Presbyterian 23-35 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106
Directions: Take the N/W to Broadway.
About the Launch Pad Reading Series
The Launch Pad is a free reading series of new plays by Queens playwrights. The mission objective of The Launch Pad is to serve as a testing ground for Queens based playwrights who need to hear their plays out loud. Because Mission to (dit)Mars was co-founded by playwrights and directors, we understand implicitly how to answer those needs. Through this program, the utmost care is taken to foster a safe and productive environment in order to propel the play forward.
The Noguchi Museum is one of the most magical places in Queens. The space, designed by the late Japanese-American sculpture artist Isamu Noguchi, includes an open-air sculpture garden and several galleries, each with its own feel and family of Noguchi sculptures. The works of art and the spaces in the museum are complex, mysterious, and playful. In short: this is an amazing place to spend a day creating.
The workshop will begin with a meditation practice to open up the senses, and will continue with a silent walking meditation around the galleries of the museum, followed by writing prompts and discussion to get the ideas flowing. Participants will then have time to explore the museum independently and write, draw, or do other creative work. The workshop will conclude with a sharing circle where participants can share their work from the day with the group.
Writers, artists, musicians, and creatives of any kind are welcome to attend. No experience with meditation necessary. Please bring your own writing and/or art materials.
Sunday June 15
2-5:30pm
The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd, Queens, NY 11106
Museum Admission:
General admission: $10
Seniors (65+): $5
Students with a valid ID: $5
This workshop is being sponsored by Mission to (dit)Mars, an Astoria-based theatre collective, and Mindful Astoria, an Astoria-based meditation group.
Instructor:
Emily Herzlin is a writer and teacher with a particular love for memoir and poetry. She received her MFA in Nonfiction from Columbia in 2012. She began practicing meditation in 2003. In college she found her way to the Interdependence Project, where she now teaches meditation courses and retreats. She is a Certified MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) Teacher, and trained in MBSR at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has been teaching meditation since 2011 to groups and individuals. She works as a Mind-Body Therapist at Weill Cornell Medicine, and formerly at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She also completed a yearlong meditation teacher training program at the Interdependence Project. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program. Emily is the founder and guiding teacher of Mindful Astoria, a meditation community in Astoria, Queens.
Mission to (dit)Mars is thrilled to announce All Systems Go: 6 as the culminating event for the LAUNCH PAD Reading Series this year. This free play reading will be held at the Astoria Performing Arts Center at 30-34 Crescent Street in Astoria, Queens on Monday, June 18th at 7pm.
ALL SYSTEMS GO: 6 is an evening of excerpts from ten brand new plays by the Queens based writers group The Propulsion Lab. The evening is presented by Mission to (dit)Mars co-founders Kari Bentley-Quinn, Don Nguyen, Meredith Packer, and Laura Pestronk. It is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
“Our writers have adeptly responded to the social and political issues happening right now with a diverse and stirring array of plays that examine so many aspects of our world today: sexuality, loneliness, race, class, religion and, above all, the importance of human connection.” said co-founder Kari Bentley-Quinn
Participating playwrights for this event are Jonathan Alexandratos, Kari Bentley-Quinn, Mrinalini Kamath, Lisa Huberman, Kristine M. Reyes, Scott Casper, Tyler Rivenbark, Jason Tseng, Nat Cassidy, and Ray Yamanouchi.
Laura Pestronk adds “This year’s Propulsion Lab dives headfirst into the deep end, grappling with strong, scary subjects with grace and fearlessness and even hilarity. I’m proud of what is looking to be our no holds barred boldest All Systems Go yet!”
The cast includes Justin Ahdoot, Lesslie Dodge Crane, Duane Fergusan, Paula Galloway, Daniel Isaac (Billions), Karen Johal, Patrick Andrew Jones, Mariana Newhard, Jim Nugent, Tara Pacheco, David Shih, Elijah Trichon, Anthony Willis, and Jr. Rachel Wong.
The evening is directed by Meredith Packer, Laura Pestronk, and Dev Bondarin. Stage Management by Jodi Witherall.
“I can’t believe we are at All Systems Go! year six. This is by far the most diverse and exciting grouping of excerpts we have been given to present and I am so excited to share it with our theater community here in Queens.” said co-founder Meredith Packer
All Systems Go: 6 will include excerpts from the following ten new plays:
THE TWIRLY POP EXPRESS by Jonathan Alexandratos A father and son rebuild old animatronic animals from The Twirly Pop Express, the robotic band from a now-defunct kids’ party arcade. When the robo-animals come to life, they expose the true heart of the father and son’s relationship.
21ST CENTURY HISTOTRAGMEDY: A BERNIE CAROLby Scott Casper A look at the history, tragedy, comedy of the century thus far. In this act, Bernie Madoff is visited by three spirits, guiding us all to a possible redemption we may not deserve.
FOUNDATIONS by Nat Cassidy A construction crew waits out a sudden rainstorm and, as they exchange stories, they begin to realize that the apartment complex they’re building might actually be haunted.
FIDDLERS by Lisa Huberman As a left-wing anti-Occupation activist, Ava thought she had a clear sense of her identity as a secular American Jew. But when she brings her non-Jewish boyfriend home at the anniversary of her mother’s death, she is forced to confront her own biases, insecurities, and inherited traumas.
B-A-B-Y by Mrinalini Kamath Manika, a former spelling bee participant, now all grown-up and a pediatrician, goes about having a child in an unconventional way.
THE DIVER by Kari Bentley-Quinn Thirty years from now, New York City is hit by a massive tsunami that has changed the landscape and the citizens of the city forever. Amena Fakhoury, one of the last Syrian refugees living in the United States, has been scuba diving to find the lost items of the people who were taken in the wave, and for any evidence of the people she lost. In the meantime, the Muslim community she lives in is being oppressed, jailed and monitored by a privatized police force.
DEDICATED TO YOU (LOVE, RYAN WOO) by Kristine M. Reyes Ryan has been secretly writing love songs for his long-time crush, Xian, who’s got the hots for Tristan, the new kid in school. In this adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, Ryan is Asian, Tristan is white…and Ryan doesn’t stand a chance.
ALL THE PLACES BETWEEN MOONRISE AND MOONSET by Tyler Rivenbark Witness is a poor, mostly ignored, teenager in a small rural Southern town called Warsaw. This is what he’s seen.
LIKE FATHER by Jason Tseng A queer contemporary adaptation of Oedipus Rex. Joe asks his old friend Tyrese to help him run the bed and breakfast he and his late husband recently acquired. Eddie arrives with a secret past that threatens to disrupt Joe’s delicate present.
PURE LOVE by Ray Yamanouchi Four people of color navigate romance and desire.
To attend the reading, please make a reservation on our website:
Astoria Performing Arts Center at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church 30-34 Crescent St. (at 30th Rd) Astoria, NY 11102
Directions: Take the N/Q to 30th Avenue. Walk down 30th Ave toward the Trade Fair Supermarket, continue past Mt. Sinai Hospital of Queens. Turn left on Crescent Street, then right on 30th Rd. The entrance is the second set of red doors on your left.
About the Launch Pad Reading Series
The Launch Pad is a free reading series of new plays by Queens playwrights. The mission objective of The Launch Pad is to serve as a testing ground for Queens based playwrights who need to hear their plays out loud. Because Mission to (dit)Mars was co-founded by playwrights and directors, we understand implicitly how to answer those needs. Through this program, the utmost care is taken to foster a safe and productive environment in order to propel the play forward.
This reading is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Applications are now open for the 2018-2020 Propulsion Lab. The Propulsion Lab is a bi-monthly (every other Monday) writers group for Queens-based playwrights.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please submit one full length play (60 pages or more) in PDF format. This should be a blind copy – your name should not appear on any pages in the script. Please choose the play you think represents you best as a writer. It doesn’t matter if it has been produced or if it is a first draft.
Please submit a brief cover letter using our online form. You will be asked to supply the following information: Name, Neighborhood/Address, Phone/Email/Website/Twitter (if applicable), Productions/Awards you would like us to know about, how you heard about the lab, and also what you hope to gain from being a part of the Lab. This is not an artist statement so PLEASE don’t be formal, we just want to get to know you!
You must currently reside in the borough of Queens (any neighborhood), and have been a resident for at least 6 months. In order to be part of the lab, you must live in Queens during the course of the lab. Please make sure you have no immediate plans to relocate if you apply!
Willing and able to attend bi-monthly meetings. Labs are held every other Monday usually from late August to mid-June. Regular attendance is very important to the continuity of the work and to support your fellow writers.
Must commit to working on one full length play during the course of the lab.
The deadline to apply is June 30th 11:59pm EST! The deadline has now passed.
Participants will be notified at the end of August with labs beginning in September.
Mission to (dit)Mars is thrilled to continue the Launch Pad reading series with FOUNDATIONS, a new play by Nat Cassidy. This free reading will be performed on Monday, April 16th at 7pm at The Broom Tree Theatre located at 23-35 Broadway in Astoria, NY.
Entering the world of FOUNDATIONS you’ll find there’s a new apartment complex being built in your neighborhood: Melody Gardens, offering luxury living at affordable prices. But one day, as they wait for a rainstorm to pass, the construction crew of Melody Gardens begins trading stories about the dreams they’ve been having lately, and they realize: stories are like buildings. We design them. We live in them. And sometimes, they turn out to be haunted. Foundations is directed by Jordana Williams.
The evening is presented by Mission to (dit)Mars co-founders Kari Bentley-Quinn, Don Nguyen, Meredith Packer, and Laura Pestronk.
On why this eerie script was selected, co-founder Meredith Packer explains “In this play, Nat asks us to take a dark and terrifying look at something as mundane as the apartments we live in. And he makes them thrilling, thought-provoking, and nightmare-inducing.”
“Nat has brilliantly conquered the horror genre, and his plays usually keep me up all night with one eye open.” explains Laura Pestronk. “The extremely exciting and fearful FOUNDATIONS is no exception, and it had me checking my apartment twice before drifting into a likely nightmare.”
Kari Bentley-Quinn adds “FOUNDATIONS sent more than one shiver down my spine, and proves that Nat is one of the best horror writers for the stage. Not only is this play frightening and unsettling, it features a cast of well drawn characters and edge of your seat suspense.”
This free reading is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Broom Tree Theater atAstoria First Presbyterian 23-35 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106
Directions: Take the N/Q to Broadway.
About the Launch Pad Reading Series
The Launch Pad is a free reading series of new plays by Queens playwrights. The mission objective of The Launch Pad is to serve as a testing ground for Queens based playwrights who need to hear their plays out loud. Because Mission to (dit)Mars was co-founded by playwrights and directors, we understand implicitly how to answer those needs. Through this program, the utmost care is taken to foster a safe and productive environment in order to propel the play forward.
This reading is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Mission to (dit)Mars is excited to announce the selection of three new members to the 2016-2018 Propulsion Lab, a Queens based writers group serving emerging playwrights from the borough. In addition to the new lab members, three returning members have been named Writers in Residence and two have been named Orbiting Artists.
The three new Propulsion Lab members are Nat Cassidy (Astoria), Jason Tseng (Long Island City) and Ray Yamanouchi (Astoria). For the Propulsion Lab, each playwright will focus on writing a new full-length play over the course of the year. The new members were selected by Mission to (dit)Mars co-founders Kari Bentley-Quinn, Don Nguyen, Meredith Packer and Laura Pestronk. The writers group meets bi-monthly in Queens.
In addition to the new lab members, Mission to (dit)Mars has named Lisa Huberman (Woodside), Kristine M. Reyes (Astoria) and Tyler Rivenbark (Sunnyside) as our Writers in Residence and Mac Rogers (Astoria) and Tori Keenan-Zelt are our newly created Orbiting Artists. Returning Propulsion Lab members are Jonathan Alexandratos (Astoria), Scott Casper (Astoria), Mrinalini Kamath (Astoria), and Amy Witting (Sunnyside).
On what excites her about the new members, Kari Bentley-Quinn explains “Each has a distinct voice and point of view, not to mention a ton of talent, and all three are a wonderful addition to our already exciting and diverse group of talented playwrights.”
Laura Pestronk adds “The talent pouring forth from the new labbers blew us all away, and we’re so happy to get to work with such diverse and lively new voices!”
Commenting on the returning lab members, Meredith Packer states “It’s such a privilege to meet with this group of writers each year. I am so excited to get in the room with our familiar and fresh faces and see what worlds we will explore together this year.”
The Propulsion Lab was created to meet the needs of like-minded theater artists who wanted to have a way of developing new work locally in Queens on an on-going basis. In addition to bi-monthly meetings, the lab will include industry meet and greets with Artistic Directors and Literary Managers, three Launch Pad readings of full length plays, and All Systems Go! 5, an evening of excerpts from the new Propulsion Lab plays.
Writers in Residence positions are a way to address the growing needs of certain lab members who have been with us for some time by offering additional developmental support custom tailored to them. In exchange, our writers in residence act as artistic associates on Mission to (dit)Mars’ behalf and help our organization in certain capacities, such as reading script submissions.
Orbiting Artists are informal positions that allow current lab members whose availability has changed due to unforeseen reasons the chance to continue participating in the Propulsion Lab on a limited basis.
BIOS OF THE NEW PROPULSION LAB MEMBERS
Nat Cassidy (Astoria)
Nat Cassidy is an award-winning writer, actor, director, and musician. He’s appeared in television shows such as “The Following” (Fox), “The Affair” (Showtime), “Red Oaks” (Amazon) “High Maintenance” (HBO), as well as numerous productions and workshops both Off- and Off-Off-Broadway. Nat’s plays have been nominated for a combined total of 17 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, including 3 times for Outstanding Full-Length Script (which he won in 2009, and in 2011 for Outstanding Solo Performance). His work has been seen throughout the country and is published by Samuel French, Smith & Kraus, NYTE, Applause Books, and Indie Theatre Now (where he is a bestselling playwright). In 2012 Nat was commissioned by The Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a world-premiere opera; and in 2014 his play Any Day Now was chosen to be part of Primary Stages’ ESPADrills (The Duke Theatre, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel). He’s an inductee in the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame, an NYTheatre Person of the Year, and was a finalist for the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. www.natcassidy.com
Ray Yamanouchi (Astoria)
Ray Yamanouchi was born in Queens, raised on Long Island, and received a BA in film and theatre from Hunter College in Manhattan. His plays include Tha Chink-Mart (PlayPenn 2018), Impact (Semi-finalist, National Playwrights Conference 2017), andThe American Tradition (New Light New Voices Award 2018). He has developed work with WT Theatre, Mission to (dit)Mars, The Blank Theatre, Rising Circle Theater Collective, Ars Nova, and Playwrights’ Center. You can find him online @NotoriousYAMs, or as the host of RE:, a NYC theatre talk show (www.retheatre.nyc).
Jason Tseng (Long Island City) makes plays, comics, illustrations, and games — mostly about queer people and people of color. Most recently, his play Rizing received its world-premier in New York City with Flux Theatre Ensemble. His work has been featured in GeeksOut’s LGBT comics anthology Power, Sub Rosa magazine, and Nonprofit Quarterly. He also produces the podcasts Play x Play –featuring the best plays you’ve never heard of– and Queer and Present Danger, a queer nerd pop culture podcast. Find more at JasonTseng.com.
Made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Kari Bentley-Quinn is a playwright based in New York City, originally from the little coast town of Stratford, CT. Her plays have been presented at or developed with Lark Play Development Center, The Brick Theater, The Secret Theatre, Artemisia Theater, The One Minute Play Festival, Lesser America, Caps Lock Theater, Effable Arts, Packawallop Productions, The Access Theater, FringeNYC, the Play Development Collective, and more.
Kari’s full length plays include The Permanent Night (2008 FringeNYC award winner), Paper Cranes (Packawallop Productions),The Unlikely Ascent of Sybil Stevens (The Secret Theatre New Voices Project), The Ocean Thought Nothing (2014 O’Neill Conference Finalist), Prepared(PlayPenn semi finalist) and The Worst Mother in the World.
Kari has been a finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Playwrights Realm, and the Public Theater Emerging Writers Group, as well as being a nominee for the Doric Wilson Playwriting Award. Kari has an MFA in Playwriting from Hunter College, where she studied with Tina Howe, Arthur Kopit, and Mark Bly. At Hunter, she was the 2015 recipient of the Rita and Burton Goldberg Playwriting Award. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Don Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam, grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and currently resides in Astoria, Queens. Don studied theatre at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he served as the Artistic Director of the Shelterbelt Theatre in Omaha from 1999-2003.
Full length plays include: RED FLAMBOYANT (World Premiere – Firebone Theatre Company 2015, 2015 GAP Prize Winner, Ojai Playwrights Conference, finalist – O’Neill NPC), SOUND (Azeotrope/ACT, BAPF, Playwrights Realm Fellowship, finalist – Princess Grace Award), THE COMMENCEMENT OF WILLIAM TAN (Yale Cabaret, NYSAF), THE MAN FROM SAIGON (NYSAF, Naked Angels), THE SUPREME LEADER and HELLO, FROM THE CHILDREN OF PLANET EARTH. Don’s work has been developed or produced at The Public Theater, The Flea, Ojai Playwrights Conference, New York Stage & Film, Naked Angels, Naked Radio, The Civilians, Ma-Yi Theatre, The Playwrights Realm, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Joe’s Pub, The 52nd Street Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and Tofte Lake. Don is the recipient of the 2015 GAP Prize from the Aurora Theatre and New York Stage & Film Founder’s award and has been a finalist for The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, The Princess Grace Award, Woodward International Playwriting Prize, and New Dramatists. Nominations include: the Laurents/Hatcher award and the L. Arnold Weissberger Award. Don is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, the Public Theater’s inaugural Emerging Writers Group, The Civilians inaugural R&D Group, the 52nd Street Project, and a co-founder of Mission to (dit)Mars, a Queens based theatre arts collective. For more information, please visit: thenuge.com
His one-act play The Harlequin Maneuvre was a finalist in the Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival (2004) and was published in The Best of The Strawberry One-Act Festival, Volume 1. It has subsequently been produced in New York, Nebraska, and Canada.
Other one act plays include Fat Ugly Vampire (Nuyorican Poets Cafe, NY), The Imaginary Association of Flight Attendants (Nuyorican Poets Cafe, NY),Love 160 (The Pack Lounge Series 3, Robert Moss Theater, NY),The Dragon Lord and the Fairy Queen (commissioned by The Lincoln Community Playhouse), A Decision of Extraordinary Magnitude, and a collection of eight Halloween plays: Bloodsucker, The Woman in the Blue Dress, Iron Chef: Battle of the Global Cuisine, Cooking with Julia, Soulmates, Torture, Survivor Down Under, and The Deadly Seduction, which were all produced by The Shelterbelt Theatre.
Other short plays and monologues include The Rocket Boys (52nd Street Project), Sexual Chocolate (The Secret Theatre, Long Island City), Girl Reflected and Look, A Lion (Emerging Writers Retreat, Public Theater).
Other writing credits include The Living Newspaper Workshop where he wrote several one acts and a webisode. In July 2011, The Living Newspaper was invited by Liz Engelman and the Jerome Foundation to spend a weeklong residency at Tofte Lake Center in Minnesota to develop a play about overpopulation.
Meredith Packer is a New England transplant who graduated with a BA in Theater from Wagner College in 2005. In 2006, she co-founded Amsterdam Artists, LTD with whom she helped produce & direct two successful productions before parting ways in 2008. She has also produced and directed with the Effable Arts, LTD. She has had brief stints with NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice and with the technical team at New World Stages and AML entertainment. While an artistic nomad, she has made a home in Astoria for the last 5 years.
Laura Pestronk
Neighborhood: Sunnyside
Laura Pestronk is an actor and director born and raised in New York City. She has lived all over Manhattan and grew up on the Upper East Side. She has since enjoyed living in both Astoria and Long Island City, and now happily resides in beautiful Sunnyside, Queens.
Laura’s directing credits include Feedback by Jane Miller (Squeaky Bicycle Productions), Booze In the Boroughsby Penny Jackson (FACT), 200 Mystical Fictions by Debra Siegel (NY Fringe), Opening Night by Zach Rothman-Hicks (Where Eagles Dare), Jump! by Josh Sohn (Strawberry Festival- Best Play), Unblessed by Kari Bentley Quinn (Packawallop). Assistant directing credits include Marea(Packawallop- dir. Scott Ebersold) and Cardboard Box (Looking Glass- dir. Toby Bercovici).
Acting credits include The Tupperware Convention by Anna Governali , The Women’s Project by Mariana Newhard, Retrospective by Chris Van Strander, Notes BetweenUs by Samantha Lee Manas, Kicked by Eljon Wardally. Laura’s one woman show, Interesting Topics In Significant Similitude Starring Cindy Cinnamon performed at Downtown Art and NYU.
For the past 3 years, Laura has directed Broadway charity concerts raising money for the Humane Society and the Canned Food Drive. Both the annual Broadway Meows and Broadway Can concerts are written and composed by Seth Bisen-Hersh and perform at Don’t Tell Mama.
Laura received her BFA in Drama and Psychology from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She studied at Playwrights Horizons Theater School, concentrating in directing and acting. Laura is coordinator and member of the Pack- a collaborative group of writers, directors and actors. She is a founding member of Mission to ditMARS, a theater and arts collective based in Queens.
As we are going into our fourth (!) season, we continue to grow and expand as an organization. With that growth and expansion comes the need to raise some funds. For the past three years, we have been so fortunate to have most of our resources donated. As Queens becomes an artistic center, those free/cheap resources are becoming more scarce. We want to keep our programs FREE for artists and the community. So, we are pleased to announce we are holding our very first fundraiser – kindly hosted by our friends at Sek’end Sun!
TICKET PRICES:
-Full Speed Ahead ticket ($20 online, $25 at door, cash only) – 2 drink tickets and 5 raffle tickets
-Warp Speed Ahead ticket ($40 online, $45 at door, cash only) – 4 drink tickets and 10 raffle tickets!
-Raffle and Support – $15 online – 5 raffle tickets and our heartfelt thanks!
Drink tickets included in admission get you well drinks, beer and wine ALL NIGHT LONG!
Raffle items include (More coming!)
-Tickets to Lincoln Center!
-Prints of photographs by talented artists!
-Naming rights to a character in Kari Bentley-Quinn’s next play!
-Gift certificates to local Queens businesses!
-Private acting coaching by Elizabeth Seldin
AND MORE!
Co-founder Laura Pestronk peeking through one of the sculptures
Poetry in Stone
A Day of Writing at the Noguchi Museum
with Emily Herzlin and Mission to (dit)Mars
Sunday August 23rd
1-4:30pm
The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd, New York, NY 11106
Thank you to everyone who attended! If you missed it, here’s a great blog post by co-founder Laura Pestronk about her day at the Noguchi Mindful Writing workshop.
And here are some photos from our day:
The Poetry in Stone crew led by Emily Herzlin (far left)
Emily Herzlin leads a group discussion about mindfulness and writing
Co-founder Laura Pestronk peeking through one of the sculptures
Writers of all genres and experience levels welcome. Composers, dancers, performers, and visual artists are also welcome to attend.
The Noguchi Museum is one of our borough’s magical spaces. The space, designed by the late Japanese-American sculpture artist Isamu Noguchi, includes an open-air sculpture garden and several galleries, each with its own feel and family of Noguchi sculptures. The works of art and the spaces in the museum are mysterious, evocative, and playful. In short: this is an awesome place to spend a day creating.
The workshop will begin with a brief contemplative exercise to open up the senses, and will continue with a silent walking meditation around the galleries of the museum, followed by writing prompts and discussion to get the ideas flowing. Participants will then have time to explore the museum independently and create writing about or inspired by specific works of art. The workshop will conclude with a sharing circle where writers can share their work from the day aloud.
Please arrive at 12:50pm and meet us at the entrance. We will enter the museum as a group at 1pm. Bring something to write with and on. $20 total- $10 museum admission and $10 for the class.
Here are some photos from All Systems Go: Mission 3
Artwork for All Systems Go: Mission 3
Rehearsal for PERSEPHONE by Lisa Huberman
Rehearsal for DUCK by Jonathan Alexandratos
Rehearsal for DUCK by Jonathan Alexandratos
Rehearsal for DUCK by Jonathan Alexandratos
Rehearsal for THE SUCK by Tyler Rivenbark
Rehearsal for EGGS ON ICE by Kristine M. Reyes
Rehearsal for EGGS ON ICE by Kristine M. Reyes
Rehearsal for AIR SPACE by Tori Keenan-Zelt
Rehearsal for NEW DEAL by Mrinalini Kamath
Rehearsal for BRIGHT ANGEL QUADRANGLE by Mac Rogers
Rehearsal for BRIGHT ANGEL QUADRANGLE by Mac Rogers
Cast of All Systems Go: Mission 3
Propulsion Lab members (L-R) : Tyler Rivenbark, Jonathan Alexandratos, Tori Keenan-Zelt, Kristine M. Reyes, Lisa Huberman and co-founder Kari Bentley-Quinn
