Conundrum State of Mind

Acou-chix is back!

2012-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Our music program, Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience returns to DEKKA on Saturday, February 25th.

This is the third time we are featuring local female acoustic singer/songwriters, composers, poets and the like. The new order includes Kristen Spencer, Mary Richard, Alexa Bertrand, Hissy K, Lina Marquez, Edan Archer, and introducing Marissa and Bela as a duo.

Special guest sets include vocals by avid contributor Lisa Kerstin Braun and poet/instrumentalist Nzingah Oniwosan.

We also have a new host, Rossella Lamendola, an accomplished musician and frontwoman for the trio, China Doll.

This is free admission and for all ages. Show starts at 8pm. For more information, please email conundrumstages@ymail.com or visit www.conundrumstages.net.

Flyer by Niki Lopez

3 Times the free verse: The SpeakOut returns

2012-01-13T07:33:00.001-08:00

We are now preparing for our 3rd annual poetry
showcase. Over 20 poets from the Three Counties
of South Florida will commence on DEKKA Fashion
Art Music Cafe on Saturday, January 28th contributing
their work including readings and spoken word.

Also involved will be three musical acts that will
perform between poetry sets.

Returning to the SpeakOut to host will be Rachel
Finley, who has helmed the last two showcases. Finley
performs under the moniker, FlowDiva and is also
a member of the poetry performance group, Chaos
Theory. Chaos Theory has also participated in the
showcases as well.

Also returning to the SpeakOut for the third time
are stalwarts Anastasia Clark and Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns. Joining them will be a new lineup
including West Palm Beach's "Jasira" Monique McDowell, Kadeidra "Poetic-ly Yours" Ward; Broward reps Emily Maloney, Miami's Shamele Jenkins, and more.

Vocalists Tasha Wahlenberg and Nia Devine along with musician Aaron Marcus Payne will provide the musical soundtrack for The SpeakOut.

The SpeakOut 3: A Poetic Explosion is happening on Saturday, January 28th, beginning
at 8pm. DEKKA is located at 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale.

For more info, visit our website, http://www.conundrumstages.net/.

HOLIDAY HOUSE 2011 Tonight at the Funky Buddha Lounge

2011-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

(Hence the pic on the right)

We're gearing up for our second annual Holiday House that is going down tonight at Boca Raton's Funky Buddha Lounge tonight beginning at 8pm.

Once again, we are treating this as an open house inviting
and having various performances ranging from theatre, music, dance and other forms.

Some of the lineup includes (which is still subject to change):

Alight Movement
Contributed from choreographer Kelly Stashko (who
gave us a piece last year), this modern and hip-hop dance group works in conjunction with Stashko providing aspiring dancer/choreographers tools in order to advance careers .

Infinite Abyss Productions
Ft. Lauderdale's stage and screen collective returns with a preview of an upcoming musical revue called A Woman's World going up in January.

Mathew Sydney
Lake Worth based singer/songwriter will make Conundrum Stages debut tonight.

Brie Goldsobel
Jupiter's singing/songwriting sweetheart returns to Conundrum with her syrupy batch of
compositions.

Leon Arp
Boynton Beach based comedian will provide some humor for his Conundrum debut.

The O.N.E.
Hip-hop comes alive from writer/poet Justin Paelmo also making his CS debut at the Holiday House.

Broken Angels
Palm Beach playwright Todd Caster contributes a scene from one of his compelling dramas based on a real-life trial.

Kally Khourshid
Boca Raton's multi-disciplinary artist returns to Conundrum with an original Celtic dance composition

The Panda Platypus Poets
Palm Beach poetry group featuring Emily Maloney will be making their Conundrum Stages debut at their Funky Buddha home.

Sarah Walker
Her soulful acoustic stylings will be on display at the Holiday House.

Drag it Out
Just like the name says: the Fort Lauderdale based organization will be gracing our Holiday House with a DRAG-TASTIC performance!

Chaos Theory
The spoken word poetic trio comes back to Conundrum Stages with another great performance.

Sophie Sputnik
The Deerfield Beach singer/songwriter's satellite crashes onto the Holiday House with her return to our stage.

Bonus
Coconut Creek's favorite Hip-hop Son and an avid contributor to Conundrum programs will close out our Holiday House with a bang!

Come to the Funky Buddha located at 2621 N. Federdal Highway, Boca Raton. There will be also giveaways as well. Show starts tonight at 8pm. See you there!

HOLIDAY HOUSE: The Return

2011-11-22T12:34:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, December 13th, Conundrum Stages invites you
to it's 2nd annual Holiday House featuring music, theatre, dance, and other performances.

This will take place at the Funky Buddha Lounge and
Brewery in Boca Raton. Show starting at 8pm.

Special thanks to Kara Endres, who once again contributed to the poster.

Check out our Facebook invite for details and stayed
tuned to this blog as well:

http://www.facebook.com/BlueIguana6#!/events/167947229968252/

The show goes on

2011-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Know this is a little late, but we are doing a 2 night vocal showcase at Stage 84 in Davie featuring

pop, acoustic, and musical theatre. Show begins at 8pm tonight.

FEATURED Tonight:
Brie Goldsobel
Brian Chaitin
Ned Cray
Brodyn
Lisa Kerstin Braun
Jeanne Lynn Gray

FEATURED Tomorrow:
John Lariviere
Serena Stroppa
On The Contrary
Kristen Spencer
Nia Devine
Keilah Rose & Johnny Rez
Glen Garfield

We will also have some special guests coming through: Magician Antino Art will grace us with his talents as well as comedian Kirkland Meadows.

Both shows start at 8pm at Stage 84. Admission is free while there is a $5 cover for people under 21. Address is 9118 W State Road 84 in the Pine Ridge Shopping Plaza next to the Round Up Country Western Bar.

See you there!

Pics from 2nd Sirens & Strings...

2011-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

These are pictures that were taken from the second installment of our recurring program, Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience, held at the Monterey Club in Fort Lauderdale.

You can find more photos on our Facebook album through the Conundrum Stages page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.242791855769627.63347.124673480914799&type=1

Coming up: VOCAPALOOZA 2011 at Stage 84 in Davie. 2 nights of vocalists ranging from pop, soul, jazz, and musical theatre. Thursday, October 20th and Friday, October 21st, beginning at 8pm. For more info, check out our FB page or visit http://www.conundrumstages.net/.

Pictured: Sophie Sputnik, Serena Stroppa, Comics Jennifer Hellman and Rhett Thompson, Poet Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns, Inez Barlatier, and Emily Sheila

The Return of Sirens & Strings

2011-09-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 30th, we will remount our music program, Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience at Fort Lauderdale's Monterey Club.

This is a developing program that we plan to take to different venues to reach audiences and other talent.

The lineup include Conundrum's past contributors Serena Stroppa and Sarah Walker. Inez Barlatier, Amy Shaw, Sophie Sputnik, and Omayra "Omi" Torres round out the lineup.

If you want to catch glimpses of the first Sirens & Strings we did at DEKKA in June, take a look at our Facebook album here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.208120785903401.56324.124673480914799&type=1

Then catch us 2 weeks from today. For more info, visit http://www.conundrumstages.net/

Top: Serena Stroppa

Below: Sarah Walker

Photo: Richard Foshee, Mikimoro Photography

A Menagerie

2011-08-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is our next show at DEKKA in Hallandale featuring individual performances in music (Bonus, On the Contrary, Sarah Walker, James Carrey, Dana DellaCamera & Kevin Morales), spoken word poetry (Skye Whitcomb, Emily Maloney) and comedy (Brian Kirk, Adrian Mesa & Daleena Segui).

A Menagerie is an exhibition of performances from some of the finest group of talent in South Florida. Another ongoing program we're launching as our commitment to bringing live performance featuring local talent.

The Best of Conundrum Stages: A Menagerie will be presented on Friday, September 9th, 8pm at DEKKA, 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale. For more information, visit our website, http://www.conundrumstages.net/.

Special thanks to Beau Butger (one of our featured performers. Can you guess which one?) for creating the flier.

Coming up...

2011-08-26T09:45:00.001-07:00

So we have closed the books on ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival. You can find some of the photos on our Facebook page under ON THE BOARDS, so you can take a look for yourself on what we've done.

It was an interesting experience witnessing eight theatre groups showcasing different works representing independent theater in South Florida. We hope to do it next year and the years to come...

Now to some upcoming events....

Our 1st ever performance exhibit is called The Best of Conundrum Stages: A Menagerie. This will display performers in the guise of music, comedy and poetry and we are looking to do this as a quarterly program displaying South Florida talent. This show is on Friday, September 9th at DEKKA in Hallandale. Show begins at 8pm.

On Friday, September 30th, we remount our female acoustic showcase, Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience, held at the Monterey Club. We will have returning artists as well as new individuals contributing their music. This will start at 8pm as well.

For two days in October, the guitars get put to the side and we will represent the voices: SINGular Sensations is our vocal showcase held at Stage 84 on October 20th and 21st (Thursday and Friday), featuring singers doing styles from pop, country, R&B, and more.

Admission to these events is $5.

That is it for now. Please visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net for more information on things to come.

Pictured: Kally Khourshid of The Honesty Project, ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival at the Tamarac Theatre. Photo Credit: Lauren Hardie

Tonight's the Night

2011-08-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at a computer in a library close to the Tamarac Theatre, pondering on how the evening is going to go.

After all the promoting we have done without one flyer, all the clamoring for press that we try to do and urging participants to spread the word, we will see the results starting tonight.

Tonight, we will start off with pre-show music, then move into Program A for 45 minutes. Then there will be an intermission. Following intermission, will be a stand-up comedic performance, then we close it out with Program B.

That is the format each night, a blend of arts and entertainment, promoting live local performance as best as we know how.

Hope to see you at 7pm.

And hopefully the butterflies will have calm down.

2 Days Until Worlds Collide

2011-08-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

So on the eve of ON THE BOARDS, our first ever independent theater festival, I am taking some time to figure things that need to be done:

Promote the show
Print programs
Making sure people get what they need.

We have our theater companies with their actors. Each troupe has a time to work on stage before the show. We have been doing profiles on some of the participants in our festival plus really trying to promote the fest without the base of handing out material.

Why am I rambling on about this?

Because if anyone is reading this blog, I want you to come see this. It is time to get off the couch, save that DVD you were about to put in and come see live performance.

Performance that is living, breathing in your eyes. Performances that enlighten you, entertain you, indulge you and hopefully make you want to come back for more.

Why am I doing this?

Because it's about the small theatre companies that people rarely know about. Yes, there may be independent companies that some are familiar with that will be there, but we also want to focus on the companies that you don't necessarily know on an ongoing basis. They need honorable mention and we want to give that honorable mention right here and now.

So once again, let us give a breakdown of who and what is going on for the next few days starting Wednesday at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts:

Wednesday, August 17th:

Excerpts from The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

FSU graduate Lea Roy will direct and feature in previews of a production of Eve Ensler's flagship work about something that speaks for itself. The production will be a fundraiser for the Creative for Creative Growth at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in November.

The Honesty Project

A collage of theatre, music and dance that was presented by the theatre program at Florida Atlantic University in the Spring. Based on questionnaires that were given to students speaking about their hopes, aspirations, fears, and their everyday lives. The students will revive a portion of their production on Wednesday evening.

Thursday, August 18th

Immeasurable Theatre - Paradise Lost: Wings of War

The 2 year old Palm Beach based company focuses on works that explore the meaning of life and empowering people. They will present scenes from a past production, based on John Milton's epic poem about the creation of the world and the battle of good and evil.

The Alliance Theatre Lab - The Lab Project

The Miami-based critically acclaimed troupe joins forces with the equally acclaimed theatre program at Barry University to present shorts written by Alliance's resident playwright David Sirois for an upcoming presentation due this September.

Friday, August 19th

Thinking Cap Theatre - Scenes from MilkMilkLemonade and Death for Sydney Black

Fort Lauderdale's experimental and socially conscious troupe has already turned 1 and we will celebrate as they present pieces from their first show and then their latest concoction that will be due in November.

Readings by Vanessa Garcia and Wendy White - The Charms of the Gifted and 7 Generations

The tag team visual turned theatre artists, who've been collaborating since 2008, will contribute short pieces in lieu of their upcoming production of Jump Into Love, which will be at White's New Light Theatre in January.

Saturday, August 20th

Infinite Abyss Productions - Bare: A Trip in Songs

The Fort Lauderdale stage and screen group will present a musical revue featuring local soloists.

Three Lefts Productions - Little Men

The newly formed stage and screen collection will present a short play about choices and consequences.

The next two days will be planning, hoping, wishing and looking forward to seeing South Florida represent live performance. We have singers, comics, mimes, and maybe a few surprises. It all goes down at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts starting this Wednesday and goes through to Saturday. All nights start at 7pm. Suggested donation is $10 each night. For more information, please email conundrumstages@ymail.com or check our website, www.conundrumstages.net

ON THE BOARDS Profile: Ouida Danielle Williams

2011-08-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ouida Danielle Williams is the founder and artistic director of Immeasurable Theatre, based in West Palm Beach. Since 2009, Immeasurable has produced shows that look to engage audiences with meaningful questions, but provide personal encounters that confront those questions within the heart of each individual.

Williams graduated from Jacksonville University with a BA in Theatre Arts and English. While at JU, she served as Vice President of JU's Shakespearean Theatre troupe, performing Renaissance theatre throughout the city of Jacksonville. After graduating, she went on to perform throughout Central Florida as an actor in the evening, while during the day, teaching both theatre and English. In addition, she began writing, producing, composing music, and directing plays for the communities of West Palm Beach, Central Florida,and Jacksonville. Now, she's proud to return to her home town, serving the community of South Florida with deep, meaningful theatre that not only pierces hearts, but changes lives!

How did you get involved in theatre?

I began performing on stage at 4, but did not really know I loved
acting until high school where I started getting cast in the school
plays and then competing in Thespian State Competitions.

When did you decide you wanted to start a theatre company and why the
name Immeasurable?

Working under any bureaucracy limits so many voices. I was a drama and
English teacher within public school. I loved teaching drama, but also knew political correctness squelches truth. So I decided to begin my own theatre
company where freedom supersedes red tape and rigid institutions. That's
how we came up with the name "immeasurable." We approach each piece in a
boundless way. And that's how we came up with the name "Immeasurable
Theatre" because we feel limitless. The depth of our love for both
theatre and people is "immeasurable."

What separates Immeasurable from other theatre collectives?

Immeasurable Theatre is an exciting blend of bold scripts, beautiful
imagery, and committed actors who love to breathe life into fresh new
plays. Our hearts are not only for the people in this city, but also for
talented actors that live in South Florida. There is so much talent, here
within our own streets. And Immeasurable Theatre is here to spotlight our
South Florida actors and artists.

How can we as a theatre community make ways to unify and support each
other?

I believe we local theatres must support each other. Yes, it's
competitive, but a kingdom divided against itself will eventually fall. If
we want theatre to expand and its kingdom (or queendom;) to grow, we must
help each other in any way we can. This can be by simply helping promote
other theatres through networking and building key relationships within
the theatre world.

What advice would you give to someone else who wants to start a
theatre company?

My advice to anyone wanting to begin their own theatre company would be
listen to your heart; then your gut, and keep going. It's hard, but if
you keep in the race, you're bound to cross the finish line.

Immeasurable Theatre will be performing scenes from Paradise Lost: Wings at War. Based on John Milton's epic poem, Williams adapted and directed the drama that tells the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from the Garden of Eden while Michael the Archangel confronts Satan in the ultimate test between good and evil.

Paradise Lost will be presented as part of the festival on Thursday, August 18th at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, beginning at 7pm. For more information, please visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net and click on coming soon for a detailed performance schedule.

ON THE BOARDS Profile: Lisa Kerstin Braun

2011-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

At ON THE BOARDS, we will have pre-show concerts to represent musical theatre. Soloists will be singing standards and popular tunes as a way to entertain audiences before seeing the headlining theater acts.

Lisa Kerstin Braun will be one of four vocalists spotlighted in the festival at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, August 17-20. The Fort Lauderdale resident has been a theme park entertainer and performer at numerous cabarets. She recently returned home from Orlando and has been in circulating at local theatres including bare(Broward Center), Grey Gardens (Rising Action Theatre), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Entre'Acte Theatrix), and Blood Brothers (Slow Burn Theatre). Lisa has also performed with pianist Rick Leonard at the Manor Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale as well as singing alongside Richard Cortez in his traveling variety show.

How did you get involved in theatre?

When I was in Second Grade or so, I had a babysitter who was in her high school's production of South Pacific. I remember reading Emile's lines while she practiced her part, Nellie. After seeing her performance I remember thinking, "I want to do that!". Next thing I knew I was auditioning and performing with local community and children's theatre.

What was the turning point that made you decide that this is what you wanted to do?

I kind of answered that a little in Question One! lol.

What was your most embarrassing moment performing on stage?

There was a school production of Oliver in which I played the part of Nancy. My big opening entrance was down a huge set of stairs into Fagen's lair. Unfortunately, my character shoe heel caught on the long hem of my costume and I slipped and slid all the way down those stairs! lol. It was pretty mortifying, but I just said a little "Whoops" and went right on with the scene.

What type of theatre fascinates and excites you?

I am a huge fan of over-the-top musical dramas so intense they are practically operas (e.g., Miss Saigon, Ragtime, Jekyll & Hyde). Using song to convey such big emotions and story lines is truly riveting to me.

Who are your heroes, your inspirations?

People who inspire me in the theatre world are the ones who are so passionate and talented in what they do that they sacrifice time, money, and sometimes sanity, to accomplish their dreams. Yes, stars like Sutton Foster and Audra MacDonald are idols. But the real-life contributors to the arts I see busting their butts on a daily basis for barely any recognition are amazing. It's such a pleasure to work with people who are creating art alongside you because our heart is in it together. What can be more inspiring than that?

What made you decide to come home as opposed to go straight to New York or any other region?

Trust me, a move to New York has always been tempting. It as always been a little intimidating as well. An important gift for a performer to learn, however, is to analyze your competitiveness for certain roles and productions. I think I can be honest enough to know I need more experience and training in a "smaller pond" before taking a risk in the ocean of Broadway. There is nothing wrong with the performance opportunities I get in South Florida. It is a fantastic place to be a young and developing actress like myself.

What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?

If things go the way I hope, I should start studying for a Master's Degree in 2012. I am still putting together the lists of schools to apply to and getting admission material together. Performing will always be in my life regardless of it is my main employment, though. I do not really like to plan much more than that. My life five years from now will be exactly as is it meant to be and I will love it just as much as I love today.

Lisa Kerstin Braun graduated from University of Central Florida where she received her BA in Liberal Studies and a minor in History. Currently,she is in rehearsal with Bye Bye Birdie, the season opener for Tamarac Theatre this October. She will also return to Slow Burn Theatre to participate in productions of Urinetown and Into the Woods in 2012.

Lisa will open ON THE BOARDS on Wednesday, August 17th. Then catch the rest of the fest until Saturday, August 20th. All shows begin at 7pm. For more information, please check our website, http://www.conundrumstages.net/ or email conundrumstages@ymail.com.

ON THE BOARDS Profiles: Vanessa Garcia and Wendy White

2011-08-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Every artist starts with a canvas; a foundation that the artist works from the ground up to create the work that will become their first love, masterpiece or even their legacy. When two artists have many things in common, it builds successful collaborations that sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart. Gilbert and Sullivan, Simon and Garfunkel, Lennon and McCartney, ...and now, Garcia and White.

Since 2008, Vanessa Garcia and Wendy White have been creating different collections of plays (writing, directing, and producing) that have taken them to different cities, even overseas. They are intertwined in a way that you can almost believe they are fraternal twins (they even graduated from the same college - Barnard).

Miami native Garcia (who is co-founder of the theater company, The Krane) has been named one of Miami Herald's influential 20 under 40 last year while White (a New York transplant) recently started a theatre company while still running her own art gallery in Lauderdale-by-the Sea.

They are currently in rehearsal with another collection of short plays called Jump into Love which will be under White's New Light Theatre imprint, opening September 9th. However, between their hectic schedules, the tag-team was generous enough to donate two previous works that will be read at ON THE BOARDS.

We caught up with Vanessa and Wendy to asked questions about their symbiotic relationship:

How did you individually get involved in theatre?

Vanessa: I studied art and literature, and I've been painting since I was, literally, three years old, but theatre came a little later (I used to have painting competitions with my grandfather when I was a kid). As for theatre -- at a certain point in my life, while I was living in NYC, everyone around me was involved in theatre -- my roommate and friends -- and I started to pick up the profession by osmosis. I have also always been deeply in love with going to the theatre as an audience member, and so it makes sense that I would think to start making it myself. I also truly believe that it's a medium that combines all kinds of arts, visual, written, and performed -- and I'm all about the mixing bowl.

Wendy: I’ve been on stage as long as I can remember - with ballet performances at age 3 and 4 with my twin brother – to being in the band, orchestra, and jazz band as early as 4th grade! My first official theatre performance was at age 10 in the musical “Oliver” as Mrs. Bumble – from that point on I was in theatre performances in grade school, junior high and high school where I became the lead actress. During my years in college at Barnard I was pre-med but deeply missed theatre, arts and music; by junior year I decided to go full time into the arts and was cast in a play at Columbia “The Bacchus” as a Maenad, and began modeling and exhibiting paintings in the East Village and SoHo after graduation. One of the first galleries I exhibited in the East Village was the Kraine Club – where I was asked to curate art shows and develop theatre performances – it was there that I began writing plays and directing. I’ve been writing plays, directing and acting ever since!

How did you first meet?

Vanessa: Wendy and I first met because we are both Barnard College, Columbia University Alums. There was a blast-email from one our college alum groups about a show that was going up in Ft. Lauderdale by a woman that was both a painter and a playwright -- this was Wendy. I was going out of town at the time so I was going to miss the show, but I wanted to meet her as it seemed we had a lot in common. I decided to reach out through email. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship and working relationship. The next thing I knew Wendy invited me to do a show with her in Amsterdam and, following, we've put up shows everywhere from New York to Scotland. It's been a wild ride, and it's still going...

Wendy: I first met Vanessa over e-mail! She introduced herself right after a performance of my plays through the Barnard Club of South Florida – the alumnae of Barnard were all invited to a special event spearheaded by Anne Toft, a wonderful Barnard Alumna who lives in Plantation, Florida who visited my exhibition at the New Light Gallery in honor of my father who recently he passed away. Anne offered all her support to help with my gallery and theatre projects. Anne contacted the Barnard Alumnae Association and they agreed to host a performance and reading of my newest plays in March of 2008 at Art Serve; the Barnard Alumnae association was invited and voila, Vanessa appeared via email the night of the reading! I saw right away that we had an instant connection as kindred spirits - we mirrored each other in so many ways as we are both artists and playwrights and we are both following our dream to live as artists and writers full time. That May of 2008, I was invited to perform new plays at the Chameleon Theatre in Amsterdam and as I was working in New York at the time helping with the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site it was a challenge to rehearse and cast the acting group from New York and Florida at the same time – Vanessa’s introduction was perfect timing – when Vanessa said yes to joining me in Amsterdam, I knew our adventures had only begun! We both enjoy globe trotting with our art and writing and I have Barnard and the alumnae group to thank for bringing us together. We continue to accept all the adventures that art and writing have to offer ever since!

How does your experiences as visual artists play into your theatre writing, producing, etc?

Vanessa: Visual art teaches you how to frame the world a certain way -- in an aesthetic manner that helps you to catch a great deal within a small frame (sort of like poetry). This is a skill that helps tremendously in theatre, when you are trying to capture all the world upon a stage. Sometimes you're just trying to capture a moment, but the same applies. The same ideas of scope and scale; knowing how to compress ideas.

Wendy: Visual arts and theatre are very similar in that each has a component of capturing the present time. Theater is my favorite world as it encompasses all the art forms; writing, music, dance, painting, poetry, and the art of acting where all the characters in our plays are brought to life from the written word. I find a great deal of visual arts in “the business of theatre.” As a producer it becomes all encompassing to integrate all the components necessary to put on a successful production. From the moment I start writing a new play I already see it on stage being performed – magic happens when one steps back to watch the audiences react and be transformed from watching live theatre.

What do you learn about yourself as theatre artists in this market?

Vanessa: You learn something every day. You learn that you don't have enough patience; that you always have more to learn; and that you always need more money. It's hard to put good, solid shows up without funding. Miami Dade Cultural Affairs has been great to us and we are deeply appreciative. Individual donors too. You also learn how much endurance you have. Putting up a show can be exhausting, but it's also one of the most rewarding things around.

Wendy: As theatre artists in this market – it’s a big leap of faith to say “yes” to productions – yet, I find this time very similar to when I started performing on stage as a child –we always managed to create a magical world on stage with props and costumes – from that point on I learned that the “show must go on!” even if there are three people in the audience we put on the best show we can – the very next night we may be sold out with standing room only so we are always trained to be our best. We recently received generous funding from the Miami-Dade Department of Culture Affairs as well as corporate donations which was a great help in our productions and we are greatly appreciative. When we do our productions a new theatrical family is formed based on trust, hard work and loyalty– after the productions are over we miss each other – and can’t wait to start formulating our next production all over again!

What type of theatre fascinates and excites you?

Vanessa: I'm in love with all kinds of theatre -- experimental theatre, and theatre that merges dance and visual media with dialogue and traditional techniques. I love one woman shows and large casts alike. My love of theatre really varies -- I can get completely enveloped in a small show with two actors in a black box, bare set, little costuming; but I can also dive right into a big, musical production, elaborate and massive. And Shakespeare, don't even get me started, I could watch it in all its guises -- contemporary and classical alike.

Wendy: I love all types of theatre – from Samuel Beckett, to David Mamet, to Musicals, to Drama, to one-woman shows – from off-off-off Broadway to Broadway. I’ve learned we can do theatre anywhere; unconventional spaces excite me and I find it inspiring to create a play in a parking lot as we did for many summers in the Lower East Side of Manhattan with our Shakespeare in the Parking Lot productions. What I’ve learned is that there isn’t one way to do anything and theatre opens up a world of all possibilities at any time.

What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?

Vanessa: I see myself writing on a much larger scale. Getting several works of fiction and non-fiction (books) that I have in the works, out into the world. I also see myself working on larger scale theatre and film projects. Wendy and I are planning a couple of those. Also within the next five years I plan to also grow as a painter/visual artist. I'll also be done with the PhD program I'm enrolled in, which will be great. And I might be teaching at a university by then as well. Then there's the expansion of The Krane I have in mind. Getting a new space for The Krane in Miami, growing the troupe. In other words, I plan to continue to climb the ladder that I'm on, and keep going up to where the rungs have better views. Bigger and better. I also would love to become a mom in the next five years. That would be amazing. Wendy and I are also creating a program for homeless children, but I'll let her talk more about that. There's a lot to do!

Wendy: I love that question! In the next five years I hope to accomplish everything that is already in motion right now including developing new plays at the New Light Theatre, and continuing with my wonderful collaboration with Vanessa Garcia and The Krane. I hope to fund a group of actors to join us as we take our shows on the road as the dream is to go all over the world with our plays. In addition, Vanessa and I are working on a screenplay which we hope to sell and have it produced. I would like to continue to perform our plays in fringe festivals internationally and nationally and one day have our plays produced on Broadway. A big dream is to develop a tv series with our productions and scripts. We are hoping for funding to work with children of the homeless and those who live in shelters to teach children how to express themselves via the written word and the arts and put on performances in their communities so they can develop their voices and talents in order to survive and ultimately thrive in the world. And yes, I hope to also write a book incorporating all my writings and journals that I’ve started since I’m 10! Of course chapters continue to develop – it will be a book of inspiration and hope for those that are faced with obstacles in their youth and how to overcome anything by utilizing ones talents.

Who are your heroes, your inspirations?

Vanessa: Hero is a weird word for me, but I can definitely talk about inspirations. I have a gagillion. I am inspired every day by people and places. I love writers like Reinaldo Arenas. Julie Taymor is brilliant. Someone like Julian Schnabel also, a fabulous painter-turned--director who has been able to manage both worlds and succeed in them; merge them (using that "frame" I was talking about earlier). James Salter too. Caryl Phillips, who was an invaluable mentor for me and who, I always say, taught me how to live and survive as a writer. And then there is traveling. Traveling is probably my biggest inspiration. And love. I am so grateful now to feel love all around me -- that definitely inspires me.

Wendy: Hero is a big word in my life, as there are many people who I consider heroes! One of my heroes is the UPS driver who delivers packages with such a gusto, he could be a superhero – he carries 12 packages at time at a pace that would put Superman to shame! Uri, the UPS driver taught me that anything is possible, it’s the mind that makes it seem that it’s not – after I see him I feel so inspired! This I call my every day hero or earth angels who we meet along our path who are continual sources of inspiration. I am grateful to my teachers, my employers and my mentor, the abstract expressionist artist, Milton Resnick who first saw the light in my paintings at Barnard and told me “if you can do that – you can do anything.” I am forever inspired by the artists and writers who dare to live their dream of doing their art full time. I relate to Vincent Van Gogh entirely as he lived a life of passion and total dedication to his art; his spirit shines forth in every painting he did. He was misunderstood in his lifetime and it is my hope that his paintings continue to serve as a beacon of hope to all artists and writers (as he was a fervent writer as well) to live with the gusto and exuberance as he did.

Vanessa: I just have to say, I love Wendy's answer to this question; this is a perfect example of why we work well together. Wendy sees God in the UPS man and I think that's wonderful; she helps others do the same, see greatness all around us, everyday.

If there is a sentence that you could define each other as, what would you say?

Vanessa: Wendy is among the most interesting, special, and original people I know -- a generous and kind soul who is always there and who I am incredibly lucky to know.

Wendy: Vanessa is a total gift to my life – from the moment we met, I thanked God feeling that I must have done something right for her to appear; I am thankful for every day that we know each other – Vanessa is a kindred spirit who is the most caring, talented, helpful, generous, loyal, inventive and hardworking person I know who is totally dedicated who always accomplishes everything she puts her mind to do – I am forever humbled with the way she solves problems and I greatly admire her strength and perseverance – together we accomplish everything!

Vanessa Garcia is currently enrolled in the PhD Creative Non-Fiction program at University of California-Irvine where she is a Schaeffer Fellow. Garcia is also a freelance writer as well as continuing her visual art. Her work and portfolio can be found on http://www.vanessagarcia.org/

Wendy White has written over 120 one acts and remounted a previous work, The Jewish Nun, at a performance space in Gallery 101 where her New Light Theatre currently resides. Her New Light Foundation is the basis for the company, its mission dedicated to help young people pursue an education regardless of financial hardships. Their website is http://www.newlightgallery.org/

Their plays will be read on Friday, August 19th beginning at 7pm. For more information and a detailed performance schedule, you can visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net.

ON THE BOARDS Profile: Bradford Sadler

2011-07-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for our first theater festival, we wanted to spotlight some of the people who will be involved.

In May of this year, Pittsburgh native Bradford Sadler graduated from the theatre program at Florida Atlantic University with an MFA in Acting. He also has a B.A. from Ohio Weslyan University major in Theatre and English. While at FAU, Sadler created a collaboration of theater, music, and dance called The Honesty Project, which was based on answers from questionnaires given to students about their lives. The Honesty Project premiered this Spring at FAU's studio space and will be remounted in a shorter version for ON THE BOARDS this August.

We spoke with Mr. Sadler and asked him to fill out our questionnaire:

How did The Honesty Project come about?

The Honesty Project came about when I was in a seminar about the book "Creating a Life Worth Living." It encouraged you to commit yourself to a project and then work to bring that project to fruition.

The initial idea for The Honesty Project came pretty quickly to my mind. I came up with a questionnaire, distributed it to about 30 people, and got 11 responses back. The responses were submitted without names and were typed, so I wouldn't be able to distinguish whose answers were whose. From the responses I received, I transposed some verbatim into monologues in the script, and adapted other stories into full theatrical scenes. I added in a musical element as well, asking Eric Jaffe (musical director) to form a band, choose some popular music and also write some of his own for the script. After the script was compiled, I auditioned the show and rehearsed it much like a normal theatrical production.

What were people's reactions when they saw their inner thoughts played out on stage?

Well, I made the choice, if anything in a response I received immediately identified a person to me, to not include it the script. So, while I have some thoughts as to whose responses are whose, the majority of the identities of the people involved in the script as still a mystery to me. That's the way I'd like it to remain. Anonymity can oftentimes give people the freedom for total honesty, and that's what I was, and am, most interested in. I got nothing but positive responses from the audiences who came to the show, so I can only assume, if the people who responded to the questionnaires were in those audiences, that they enjoyed it and were moved.

What did you learn about yourself as an actor at FAU?

I learned that I needed to think of myself as a whole instrument rather than a mind, body and voice independent of each other. I learned that movement is much more to acting than I thought before I came here. I learned that emotion rides on the flow of the breath. I learned that all roles are within you somewhere, and I learned that I can play any role that I put my mind to.

What type of theatre fascinates and excites you?

The type of Theatre that fascinates and excites me is Theatre that challenges your preconceptions about people. Theatre is a medium about people. Theatre is dangerous, in the most positive sense of the word. There is no medium between the audience and the performer as there is in a movie. The performers are, you agree to believe for a set period of time, real people undertaking real actions and having real emotional reactions. Theatre is immediate, it's right in front of you and it's universal. Even if you don't understand the language a play is being performed in, you should be able to understand the story that's taking place. Theatre is a genuine opportunity to change ideas and prejudices that we might gave about people around us. This was the goal of The Honesty Project: to showcase how the people we see in our everyday lives have intriguing, moving and truthful stories of triumph and tragedy all there own, stories that deserve attention.

What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?

I'm moving back to Pittsburgh where I have a show lined up and some steady acting-related work. In October I hope to audition for The American Shakespeare Center, a company that has both a resident company and a touring company based in Staunton, Virginia. At this point in my career, that would be my dream job, touring around the country performing Shakespeare. I also loved teaching at FAU, and would like to be a professor of Acting, maybe not within 5 years, but sometime in the near future.

Who are your heroes, your inspirations?

My heroes would be my parents. They've both been incredibly supportive of me trying to make my living doing what I love. The biggest inspirations I've had would be the best teachers I've had. Dawn-Elin Fraser, Dr. Meade Andrews, Desmond Gallant and Kathryn Johnston have all provided me with invaluable and inspiring learning opportunities and experiences.

What pieces of advise would you leave the next graduating theatre majors at FAU as you get ready to go back home?

If you cannot imagine yourself in the future without doing Theatre, commit yourself to it and keep working hard. Never forget that luck is a big part of what we do, and don't get frustrated if someone else has better luck than you. Don't measure yourself by anyone else other than you.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent. The slogan 'Press on' has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge

While at FAU, Bradford Sadler performed in a production of Neil Simon's Broadway Bound with the Boca Raton Theatre Guild this past January. Other credits include being a touring actor for Bridgework Theater, an understudy for the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota. He was also a member of The Amish Monkeys Improv Comedy group in Pittsburgh. As said previously, Sadler will be going back home to participate in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

The revival of The Honesty Project will be on opening night of ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival, Wednesday, August 17th. The fest will continue on until Saturday, August 20th. Nights begin 7pm at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, 7143 Pine Island Road in Tamarac. For a detailed performance schedule, please visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net.

Help us Kickstart ON THE BOARDS...

2011-07-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival will hopefully be a premier outing for all local audiences and artists for years to come, but we need some help to make that happen.

We have opened a KICKSTARTER account, a fundraising campaign in an effort to help alleviate costs to coordinate this festival featuring eight local theatre companies, 4 singers, comics, mimes and everything representing stage here.

KICKSTARTER is the largest fundraising website in the United States and everything is being projected from theatres to science projects, to just getting funding to buy a car.

Here is our link:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/6915thespians/on-the-boards-our-alternative-theatre-festival

Our goal is $1000. There you can see the different levels in order to donate and the rewards you may receive.

You can donate as less than a $1 or up to $200, or more. Anything that you can give to help support local performance programming is appreciate.

The kick here is you have to open 2 accounts in order to donate: one is a Kickstarter account and then to attach to your credit card, an Amazon account.

Also, the good thing is that when you give your information, the money is not debited until the goal is reached. So if the goal is not reached (hoping for the latter), nothing happens. You get nothing, you lose nothing.

We do hope we reach our goal, cuz things are not cheap....

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email us, conundrumstages@ymail.com. Otherwise, our festival runs from August 17th to 20th at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts. Shows begin at 7pm and all nights are $10.

Hope to see you there.

We're serious now...we got a flyer to prove it.

2011-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's official. Our Alternative Theater Festival is coming and here is
the flyer. Special thanks to Isabel Rangel for contributing this.

The festival will feature eight stage troupes presenting short
programs through one-acts, readings, scenes and/or monologues.

Contributing companies include Infinite Abyss Productions, The Alliance Theatre Lab,
Thinking Cap Theatre, and our co-host Three Lefts Productions.

Also new works by Vanessa Garcia and Wendy White will be read as well.

Stay tuned to this blog as we will have profiles of the parties involved.

The festival will run from Wednesday, August 17th to Saturday, August 20th. All shows will start at 7pm. For more information, please feel free to also visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net.

Going ON THE BOARDS....

2011-07-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Lights up!

The most ambitious project to date.....inspired by fringe theater festivals, we are putting together a compilation spanning four days of independent theatre.

ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival will host 8 theatre troupes presenting short programs (45 minutes) promoting their group, showcasing new works, presenting previews of upcoming seasons...all in an effort to represent the diversity and eclectic-ness (probably not a word, but nonetheless) of Southeast Florida Theatre.

There will be one-acts, collections of scenes and monologues, and even some play readings, all in a span of four days in August. The shows will also incorporate music plus local comics will be giving us interludes to segue into another program for the night.

This is happening at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts in Western Broward. The shows will be on August 17-20 to be exact (Wednesday through Saturday, all shows beginning at 7pm).

Lineup will be coming soon...

Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience starts tonight!!!

2011-06-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Conundrum Stages' first ever music showcase is going down tonight at DEKKA in Hallandale and the anticipation is making me nervous and energized!

11 acts (10 soloists and a trio) will be performing acousitc music including guitars and bass. We'll also have poetry in between sets.

The acts are as follows:

The Threes (Lea Roy, Carolina Souto and Vanessa Mayor)
Jess Glisson
Sabrina Renee
Serena Stroppa
Meryl Joan Lammers
Rachel Faro
Tinita
Sarah Walker
Blaze Powers
Brie Goldsobel
Shira Abergel

The show starts at 7:30pm tonight. DEKKA is located at 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale. For more info, please email conundrumstages@ymail.com

Three years ago today....

2011-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

But let's go a little before that....

A young man approached an established artistic director up in Wellington about hosting one of his play readings in their space. This was after participating in their short play reading festival a few months back. They agreed. But he was missing a director for his reading, so he asked this artistic director if they would steward this presentation. They said yes.

The play was The Trip to Bountiful, the playwright, Horton Foote. The artistic director was Paula Sackett. Location was the Studio Theatre of Wellington and Conundrum Stages was given its debut.

Since then, Paula and I have done Bountiful three times. There were other readings after that, followed by variety showcases, poetry showcases, a comedy program, anniversary show, etc. and coming up, a music concert, a theater festival and another poetry program.

But it wouldn't have started if I didn't have that one person who was willing to give me a chance...Happry Anniversary, Conundrum Stages!

And thanks, Paula!

New show!! New website!!

2011-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Looks like this will be our most ambitious summer yet!

Our next presentation will be our first ever musical showcase featuring acoustic guitar and female performance artists.

Sirens & Strings: An Acou-chix Experience is recruiting over 10 acts (soloists and a combo) to contribute sets of music in an effort to promote the local music scene.

Always wanted to do an acoustic showcase, but to promote female artists is an extra must.

Featured musicians will span from Miami-Dade, through Broward and up to even Palm Beach county. Genres will go from folk, pop, soul and blues.

The presentation will be held at DEKKA on Friday, June 17th, beginning at 7:30pm. Suggested donation is $10 ($10, 10 acts). DEKKA is located at 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale.

Also check out our new website, http://www.conundrumstages.net/ where there is information about past and present events. Any info, still feel free to email us, conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Special thanks goes out to Vanessa Garcia (http://www.thekrane.com/) and Gianfranco Sancassano (http://www.gianfranco.us/) for the above design.

Changes

2011-05-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

As you can see by the glaring backdrop, we have changed the design and the name of our blog. The new title is Conundrum State of Mind. Why the change? Just something that I've always wanted to put together.

Also coming is the launch of our new website, which will be coming really soon. It's time!!

The SpeakOut 2: Say it Loud! photos now on Facebook

2011-04-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our 2nd annual poetry showcase held at DEKKA in Hallandale in Januray are now in an album on our Facebook page. We had past and new contributors as well as music sets ranging from jazz to acoustic to hip-hop. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=44206&id=124673480914799 If you're a fan of Conundrum, stay tuned. Planning on some Summer events. If you're not a fan, please join us on Facebook. It is a great way to stay in touch with South Florida talent!

Funny Business, Part 1 Photos now on our Facebook page

2011-04-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the still shots of performances from our comedy compilation, Funny Business, Part 1 that took place at the Monterey Club in March. Special thanks to Lauren Hardie for the impromptu voluntary coverage! (This is just a sneaky way of saying join our Facebook page for upcoming events) But really and seriously, thanks Lauren! (...and Drew Morgan for assisting when Lauren was onstage) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43776&id=124673480914799&saved#!/album.php?fbid=177341638981316&id=124673480914799&aid=43770

Introducing our Tiger-Blood lineup for Funny Business, Part 1

2011-03-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

(Inspired by Miami City Ballet's SuperHuman Season of 2009-2010, although we won't lie, we had a little help from Mr. Carlos Estevez as well!)

We are less than one week away from our first compilation of local comedy called Funny Business, Part 1. "Part 1" meaning that we hope it will be an ongoing series of comedic performers including stand-up, improv, sketch, and other novelties once again supporting the Southeast Florida talent scene.

The solo performers include host Doug Schenetka, Brian Kirk (both from our Holiday House party in December), Kirkland Meadows (Florida Comedy Club), upstarts Kristen Black and Drew Morgan plus our avid contributor Daleena Segui.

Performance poetry will be provided by avid contributor Brian Poem (SpeakOut 1 & 2), Atlas (coming fresh from SpeakOut 2) and Emily Maloney of the Panda-Platypus Poets.

As an added implement, a theatre component including short plays, scenes and monologues including Allan Provost's Can You Sing and Jeff Goode's The Apostle John will be provided.

Musical guests include indie folk artist Amy Shaw and hip-hopper Bonus.

Funny Business, Part 1 will take place at the Monterey Club (www.themontereyclub.net) on Thursday, March 31st beginning at 9pm. Address is 2608 S. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Suggested donation is $8. For more information, please email conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Introducing next event: Funny Business!

2011-03-01T16:41:00.001-08:00

Three years in the making and we are ready to celebrate the universal language that keeps us humans moving. No, not that one, we'll do that later.

The South Florida comedy scene is a melting pot of performers and Conundrum Stages wants to be in the center of that hub, so without further ado, we will present our first ever compilation of comedy.

Local performers will represent the disciplines of the funny including stand-up, sketch, improv, vignettes, and music. All of this will take place at The Monterey Club on Thursday, March 31st, beginning at 9pm. Suggested donation this time is $8. For more information, please email us at conundrumstages@ymail.com. Lineup will be announced soon.

Special thanks goes to Justin Paelmo of the Panda-Platypus Poets for contributing this flyer!

The SpeakOut 2: Say it Loud! this Friday at DEKKA

2011-01-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

Anticipation is building towards our 2nd annual poetry showcase going down this Friday at DEKKA in Hallandale.

The SpeakOut 2: Say it Loud wil have returning poets as well as new faces. Signing back on is veteran wordsmiths including Anastasia Clark, Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns, Manny Ortega, Zarifa Muhummad El. Rachel Finley, who hosted our inaugural presentation, will return to emcee as well as her group Chaos Theory will contribute to the evening's festivities.

The SpeakOut 2 will now boast two musical guests as well: vocalist Jeanne Lynn Gray will grace us with her siren voice while hip-hop will be represented by the artist known as Bonus.

All this will take place on Friday, January 21st at DEKKA. The address is 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale and will begin at 8pm.

This will be our first revenue presentation. We will be asking for a donation of $7, proceeds going towards the poets who are contributing their talents to our event. For more information, please email conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Holiday House Pics are here!

2011-01-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

These are some of the images taken at our Holiday House on Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 at DEKKA. There was a variety of different acts that performed and Mikimoro Photography (www.mikimorophoto.com) was right in the middle of all of it. Conundrum Stages would like to thank Richard Foshee for contributing time to take these. For the rest of the images, you can check our Facebook Page, Conundrum Stages. And make sure to stop by The SpeakOut 2: Say it Loud! on Friday, January 21st at DEKKA. Conundrumstages@ymail.com. You know what to do!

Top Row: Vocalist Olivia Williamson. Next row: Guitarist Kevin Morales of Nakedown, Vocalist Glen Garfield. Bottom row: Students from Kelly's School of Dance.

The SpeakOut is Back!!

2011-01-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

The Holiday House was a success. Pictures are on the way, but due to some delays, we have to keep things moving!

Our 2nd annual poetry showcase is on the horizon (sooner than you think). As a sequel to the hit inaugural presentation last January at 18 Rabbit Gallery, The SpeakOut 2: Say it Loud! will have some returning poets as well as some new faces. The lineup will be announced shortly.

As far as musical guests go, we will have two. Rapper Bonus who was at the Holiday House will return for another go round. Vocalist Jeanne Lynn Gray will also be gracing our stage with her selections.

We will be returning to DEKKA on Friday, January 21st. Show begins at 8pm. There will be a suggested donation of $7 for the SpeakOut. This will be our first funding experiment for performers. Any more information, please email us: conundrumstages@ymail.com.

We'd also like to thank Kara Endres for doing another flyer for us! You can visit her designs on www.karaendres.com.

Holiday House is Tonight!

2010-12-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

4 theatre groups, 2 actors, 3 poets, 3 singers, 2 bands, 2 comedians, 1 dance duet, 1 rapper...and you!

A basket of goodies to choose from as we celebrate South Florida talent the only way we know how! Conundrum Stages style!

Be at DEKKA on Tuesday, December 14th as we see live performances:

Scenes by:

Man Research Theatre Company

Thinking Cap Theatre

The State Theatre Project

The Theatre Program at Barry University

Marcell Black

Poetry by:

Elizabeth Perry

Anastasia Clark

Zarifa Muhammad-El

Stephanie Rodriguez

Music by:

Nakedown

Broadway Theatre Cafe

Shira Abergel

Glen Garfield

Olivia Williamson

Hip-hop by Bonus

Dance by Kelly's School of Dance

Comedy by:

Brian Kirk

Doug Schnetzka

The party starts at 7pm and goes til we stop! Free admission. DEKKA is located at 139 NE 1st Avenue, Hallandale. For more info, please call 954-673-5124 or email conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Thank you for supporting South Florida Talent!

Holiday House Cornucopia, Part 2

2010-12-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

This image definitely defines the styles of performances that we will have on Tuesday, December 14th at DEKKA.

Here are some other fruits and vegetables that will be nutritious and will satisfy your hunger for arts and entertainment:

Pablo Malco - (http://www.pablomalcofoundation.org/) the largest provider of dance entertainment in South Florida. Established in 2007,

offering spectacular performance productions, original stage shows, performance training seminars and workshops. This nonprofit organization is the dream of a hip hop dance pioneer in South Florida who has been performing, teaching and creating opportunities for performers for the past decade.

Kelly's School of Dance - an institution based in Weston, teaching tap, hip-hop, ballet and modern dance. They will be contributing their standard tap routine for our House that night.

The Theatre Program at Barry University - (www.barry.edu) The upcoming students in the theatre arts curriculum will be providing us with a scene from their recent one-act presentations from the institution of higher learning based in Miami Shores.

Other solo acts include vocalists Olivia Williamson, Glen Garfield, Geneiva Allen; comedians Brian Kirk and Doug Schnetzka plus hip-hop recording artist Bonus. Poetry from Zarifa M. El and Stephanie "Quills" Rodriguez.

And you thought that this was all...more coming through. Come join us. Email conundrumstages@ymail.com for more info. Keep the date: Tuesday, December 14th from 7 to 11pm.

Our Holiday House Lineup is like a Grab Bag of Gifts that Keep Giving

2010-12-08T08:42:00.001-08:00

It's a rare feat when you reach out and grab something, you get something tenfold.

In this case, make it over twentyfold.

We wanted to make this a feature demonstration on how we compile varieties of performers and showcase the best South Florida talent we have.

We also wanted to give promo spots to some local companies that don't get coverage that often:

Here is some of the contributors who will be representing our Holiday House on Tuesday, December 14th:

Broadway Theatre Cafe (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/BTC.sfl) - a new concept brought from the cabarets of New York City. A group of vocalists contemporary musical theatre from the most talented writers and composers of the past two decades including Jason Robert Brown and Adam Guettel. Coming to a venue in SFL soon, they will be making one of their debuts here with us.

Man Research Theatre Company (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113180685367138&ref=ts)- a new troupe of alumni from Southern Methodist University's theater program that transplanted east to define a original kind of theatre in Miami: Nurturing new voices, producing work that is accessible to all.

Andrews Living Arts Studio (www.andrewslivingarts.com) - another new company that is revitalizing downtown Fort Lauderdale's burgeoning arts district with musicals, cabarets, comedy shows and other productions.

Thinking Cap Theatre (http://thinkingcaptheatre.com) - dedicated to presenting experimental and socially conscious material that expands the mind, body and feeding the soul. They have done two productions already and we are glad that they will bless our stage.

Those are some of the companies that will be representing for our Holiday House. As soon as we get new confirmations, we will be sure to talk about them.

The Holiday House will be on Tuesday, December 14th at DEKKA, a new performance space, art gallery and fashion shop located in Hallandale. Party runs from 7 to 11pm. Check them out at http://www.dekkafam.com/. For more info about us, conundrumstages@ymail.com.

The Holiday House

2010-11-24T10:06:00.001-08:00

We're gonna take this time to first thank Kara Endres, a recent FAU graphic design graduate, for providing this flyer for our next endeavor.

As we gather that time of year where it's time to celebrate
good tidings with fellow like-minded individuality, Conundrum
is throwing it's first ever seasons greetings shindig and inviting
everyone in the South Florida talent industry.

Whether you are a singer, actor, dancer, filmmaker, comedian, or any type of local performer, Conundrum would like to reach out to you connecting and building relations with fellow performers and companies.

Plus it would not be a Conundrum Stages event if we didn't put on a compilation of different styles of performers. Local companies will promote upcoming events as well.

So come join us as we celebrate the South Florida talent community in the "most wonderful time of the year!" This will take place at DEKKA, a recently opened space providing fashion, art and music.

Date: Tuesday, December 14th from 7 to 11pm. Address is 139 NE 1st Avenue in Hallandale. For more information, please call (954) 673-5124 or email conundrumstages@ymail.com. Also follow us on twitter.com/conundrumstages and oh yeah, we have a Facebook page up. Look for Conundrum Stages!

Our First Ever Makeshift Troupe

2010-10-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last night (10/28/10), We were invited to
present in front of a theatre appreciation class at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. We compiled a collection of performers with stage actors, spoken word poets, and live instrumentalists providing variety and diversity. It was an enjoyable evening and hopefully something Conundrum can do on occasion.

Once again, we like to thank our troupe of performers for contributing for the night plus a big special thanks to Kirsten Upchurch, theatre appreciation instructor, for inviting us.

Our holiday party is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th at 7pm. More details to follow.

Back row L to R: Brian Poem (poet), Marcell Black (actor),
Serena Stroppa (vocalist w/ acoustic guitar),
Summer Hill Seven (poet), Rachel Finley (poet),
Elizabeth Garrard (actor) and Joe Harter (actor).

Front L to R: New fan Rose, Kerry Sensenbach (actor), Shelby Steel (actor),
and Skye Whitcomb (actor)

Poe Choices

2010-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with The Big Read, we will be presenting a compilation of works by iconic scribe Edgar Allan Poe.

Called Poe Choices: Celebrating the Works of Edgar Allan Poe, we will call on local talent to read their favorite pieces including poems, excerpts from short stories and it will also include reading a stage adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher.

The Big Read is an initiative sanctioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, in an effort to promote reading American literature. Programs such as lectures, readings, and films are based around on one story or author semi-annually. Past focuses include Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

From September to October this year, the Broward County Library will focus on the man who brought us masterpieces like The Raven, To Helen, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart.

Our presentation will happen this Saturday, October 23rd beginning 2pm at the Broward County South Regional Library in Pembroke Pines. For more information, please call (954) 201-8849 or email conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Postponed!

2010-09-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

Postpone - : to put off to a later time

Cancel - : to mark or strike out for deletion

There is a difference. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond control, I will have to postpone a reading for the first time. Our reading of James Baldwin's The Amen Corner that was scheduled for Saturday, September 25th, 2pm will be moved to another date.

So it means that we will have this presentation. Doesn't mean that this will not happen. It will happen.

Everything seems to happen in three. One thing has led to another, so before we complete this trilogy, we decided to avoid the inevitable.

Until we find another date to have this presentation, please join us for our next reading: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, scheduled for Saturday, October 23rd, 2pm at the Broward County South Regional Libray in Pembroke Pines.

Going back to church with The Amen Corner

2010-09-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

The church is a sensative topic. Domestic trouble inside the church is a much more sensative subject. What goes on behind close doors in a place of worship have been swarmed by closed ranks for many centuries, but it is also brings out the most interesting stories.

Hence the subject in James Baldwin's The Amen Corner: a story of a pastor trying to steady her leadership plus keeping her family from darker forces (or from her point of view). After a long estrangement, her husband comes back into her life for reconnection with her and their only son. Though she wants no part of her husband, it is undeniable that the son wants to follow in his father's footsteps. Which leads her congregation to question her ability to lead. Especially the elders of the church.

First published in 1954, The Amen Corner is still viable. Struggles within churches still go on to this day. Questions of testing our faith in God or family? How do we find religion or does religion find us? We would be remiss if we didn't visit this timeless classic. Our reading will be presented at the Broward County Library - Northwest Branch on Saturday, September 25th, 2pm. Admission is free. For more information, please call (954) 786-2186.

Getting into the Social Revolution

2010-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

We finally buckled down and decided in an effort to reach more like-minded people, Conundrum Stages has created a fan page. On the right side of the screen is our page where people can get and look at upcoming events in the area.

Conundrum also finally succumbed to the Twitter madness as well. Our link is http://www.twitter.com/conundrumstages.

Anyone else out there who can assist us in getting more involved social, please let us know. We're not ashamed to say that we need help!

Here's a pic of our rehearsal of "The Secretaries"

2010-08-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken last night from our rehearsal of The Secretaries reading by The Five Lesbian Brothers. Reading will be tomorrow at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale, 8pm.

From L to R: Lauren Elbaum (narration), Nathalie Nodarse (Peaches), Dana Colagiovanni (Ashley), Michelle Domb (Patty), Elizabeth Garrard (Dawn) & Olivia Williamson (Susan)

Lesbians are our friends, too (or, now that I have your attention...)

2010-08-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

It was about five years ago when I heard about this New York based performance group, who named themselves, The Five Lesbian Brothers. They were premiering their new show, called Oedipus at Palm Springs, a retelling of the iconic Greek tragedy. There was no copy of the piece at the time, so I looked them up...(plus Five Lesbian Brothers was a cool name).

The FLB's (for short) consist of Maureen Angelos, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healey, and Lisa Kron. They came together in 1989 as individual and group performers trying to give the voice of the lesbian a platform.

They have an anthology called Four Plays by the Five Lesbian Brothers (still, cool name) and had four pieces. The most coherent and easiest to read was The Secretaries, a comedic thriller about a young lady just fresh out of typing school who enters the world of office politics. She gets with a group of veteran workers who share with her the ways of the lumber mill and the things to do in Big Bone, Oregon.

Along the way, she is drawn into the rituals of these women, Bar hangouts at night, Slim-Fasts by day, Lumberjack slaughters every full moon, sexual harassment, nepotism, etc.

Oh, the Lumberjack thing....on occasion, during a full moon and a menstrual cycle, the ladies will go out and kill a lumberjack and take their jacket.

I found this interesting, but I couldn't find a company who would be willing to produce this or an audience that would be willing to listen.

Until now...

Empire Stage is a new collective formed by two artists based in New York City, who look for this type of satirical work. I approached them a few months back, because I thought this would fit into their repertoire.

So on Tuesday night, we will crack open this shell for the first time. It's been a long time comin' but we were glad to give The Secretaries and The Five Lesbian Brothers the right fit. Hopefully, this presentation will grow into much more.

Our reading will be on Tuesday, August 10th, 8pm at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, please call Empire Stage at 954-678-1496 or you can always email us, conundrumstages@ymail.com.

Pic taken from the St. Louis based Echo Theatre Company production of The Secretaries last year.

Building relationships

2010-07-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

The motive behind Conundrum Stages is to collaborate with other like-minded entities to build stronger communities in the arts and entertainment industries. Making connections is part of why we are alive.

That was not defined better than when we were part of the Alternative Theater Summer Festival at Florida International University in Miami.

The festival is the brainchild of instructors Philip Church and Marina Pareja, who, for the past five years, have been giving theatre students opportunities to present, write, and direct productions during the summer when it is still considered a downtime in certain circles.

This year, students directed and wrote material including Caryl Churchill's Top Girls (directed by graduating student Shani Gaines-Bernard), Nilo Cruz's A Bicycle Country (directed by professor Marina Pareja) and concluding the festival this week will be Prodigal: The Execution of William Spencer, written by student Edward G. Excalibur and directed by student Scott Richard Hinz.

We took the opportunity by contributing a reading in our ongoing series, David Rabe's In the Boom Boom Room. We recruited theatre instructor Wayne Robinson to steward the presentation while students (Sarah Bartels, Jordan Sasaki, Amanda Sparhawk, Jian-Carlos Vasquez, Matthew Mur, and Michael Mena) and even alumni (Ryan Rodriguez and Michelle Moreno) assisted in bringing the words to life. Joining in this process was two experienced local stage talent (Kristen McCorkell and Joel Kolker). It was a positive experience had by all. The pic above was a rehearsal of the reading.

We thank the festival by giving us an opportunity to present in their space and we look forward to the next collaboration. In conclusion of the festival, Prodigal: The Execution of William Spencer opens tomorrow and runs until July 25 at DM 150 on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus of Florida International University. For more information or for tickets, please call 305-348-3358.

Our next reading will be The Secretaries by The Five Lesbian Brothers. Produced in association with Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, August 10th. More info will be provided soon.

Planning a journey....

2010-06-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

For the next three months, we will be coordinating our flagship component, the play reading series, by doing a piece each month. The sessions will take us down from Southwest Miami-Dade up to Northwest Broward.

The following:

IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM by David Rabe will be presented in tandem with the FIU Alternative Theater Summer Festival, an event organized by students of the Theatre, Music and Dance Dept. at Florida International University. The play is about a young lady's aspirations of leaving suburban Philadelphia to be a star in New York. How far will she go to pursue her dreams and at what cost? We will be working with experienced talent as well as students in an effort to build relations with like minded entities. This will be on Sunday, July 18 @ 7pm on the Modesto A. Madiqiue Campus of FIU in Kendall.

THE SECRETARIES by The Five Lesbian Brothers is a collaboration between us and Empire Stage. A satirical look about office politics. Presented on Tuesday, August 10th @ 8pm at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.

THE AMEN CORNER by James Baldwin. A female pastor torn between her undying love for her God and trying to keep her son safe from the pleasures of the world. Saturday, September 25th @ 2pm. Broward County Library - Northwest Branch in Pompano Beach.

More information will be posted soon. All information may be subject to change, but this is just a way for you to see what we're planning. Stay tuned!

Putting it Together....

2010-06-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday, we will have volume 2 of our variety performance compilations featuring talent between the ages of 13 and 19 in various fields of music and theatre.

Bulk of this lineup will be contributed from the Weston-based Sagemont School Thespian Troupe, coming off of a slew of superior and excellent citations. They will also be representing their mainstage production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

One graduate from Sagemont is also an accomplished DJ. Elie Gottlieb, (going under the moniker, DJ Xplosiv) will be on the "ones and two", providing us with some original mixes.

Also performing will be Miami resident singer/songwriter Serena Stroppa, who came with me to show off her musicianship on Curtain Call with Jason Fisher. It is on internet station, WRPB. It can now be seen on www.wrpbitv.com.

These are just the few highlights that will be featured in our showcase, The Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages, Vol. 2: Forever Young held at the Broward County South Regional Library on Saturday, June 19th @ 3pm. Admission is free. For more information, you can call the library at 954-201-8849 or email us, conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Forever Young flyer revealed

2010-06-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

We're moving fast toward the second volume in our variety performance compilation series as we focus in on the "young bucks"! The aspiring artists that will be gracing and contributing their talents as we further our mission of promoting live performance in South Florida.

This flyer was contributed by FAU graphic design graduate Lauren Katz. You can find her other works on her website: http://laurenkdesign.com/.

Our presentation will be on Saturday, June 19th @ 3pm in the Broward County South Regional Library, Pembroke Pines. For more information, please email conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

And don't forget to tune into WRPB internet tv (http://www.wrpbitv.com/)
this Sunday at 7pm on Curtain Call with Jason Fisher when we'll be talkin' bout the showcase; also featured is a performance from singer/songwriter Serena Stroppa.

Stay tuned!

Coming Soon...

2010-06-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Been busy preparing our next VPC (that is a self-proclaimed term for variety performance compilation). Our 2nd VPC, under the guise of The Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages, will be catered towards performers between the ages of 13 and 19. I am still trying to get together a solid lineup and working towards collaborations between other entities.

The theme this time around is Forever Young. I know I am jumping on the bandwagon by putting together a rising stars showcase, but it is still marketable. Teens will bring their friends, friends will bring other friends, adult supports...all in an effort to reach out to the community at large...what Conundrum Stages is all about!

Also will be working on a flyer design that we will be putting on this site real soon.

One more thing: catch us this Sunday on Curtain Call with Jason Fisher (www.wrpbitv.com) at 7pm, where we will be talking about the upcoming event (featuring music from Serena Stroppa, who was involved in our 2nd Anniversary Celebration) plus other things we are putting together with Conundrum.

Stay tuned....we're almost there!

Pics from Our Anniversary Celebration

2010-05-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Attached is some highlights from our 2nd Anniversary Celebration: Past, Present & Future that was held at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts last Wednesday. We had theatre, music, dance and comedy plus a mime. These pics were taken courtesy of Ken Harrison (http://www.kenharrisonphotography.com/).

From top: Short play: MIABC_PD; Masala Middle Eastern Dance Fusion; vocalist David Meulemans; vocalist Serena Stroppa (w/guitar); comedian Daleena Segui; mime Randy Hendler. Fun was had by all....looking forward to the next anniversary.

Anniversary Celebration Lineup!

2010-05-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Between a swollen left ankle by working doubles at work and trying to coordinate rehearsal times, plus cementing the final pieces in the puzzles, we now have a lineup for our 2nd Anniversary Celebration. The finest talent this region has to offfer from comedians to poets, dancers to actors. Most are past contributors plus some special guests that we hope to recruit and build positive relationships with!

David Meulemans and 18-year old singer/songwriter Serena Stroppa will provide us with the musical part of our evening. From The SpeakOut: An Evening of Poetry & Song, we welcome back Zarifa M. El, Matthew "Write Now" Medonia of the Write Side Poets, Manny Ortega, Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns, and Brian Poem; for theatre lovers, we have scenes from chestnuts Death of a Salesman, Summer Brave, In the Boom Boom Room, and our flagship piece, The Trip to Bountiful; stand-up comedy from Daleena Segui.

Our special guests run the gamut of performance art: pantomime by Randy Hendler, introducing a new dance company, Masala Middleeastern Dance Fusion and the closer is a musical number from the cult hit, Little Shop of Horrors.

All this will be on Wednesday, May 19th from 7 to 11pm at Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, 7143 Pine Island Road (1 mile north of Commercial Blvd on NW corner of McNab and Pine Island Road in shopping plaza). Free admission. Hope to see you there and thank you for your support!

Live Highlight Reel!

2010-05-07T07:57:00.001-07:00

For our second anniversary event, we are bringing back
some of the contributors who graced us with their talents
including scenes from our play readings, our first variety
performance compilation and our first poetry showcase.

We are still finalizing the lineup for this wonderful retrospect
including some special guests who will stop by and bless
us with some great performances.

Attached is a flyer done by Teal Crossin and Summer
Swindall, who I'd like to thank for assisting us.

Stay tuned!

We're Having a Party!!

2010-04-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

There is no bad timing to throw a party! (or that's what I believe....)

Conundrum Stages is celebrating 2 years of incorporation next month and we want to invite YOU! YOU the artist who participated in our presentations, YOU the audience member who has seen our presentations....it is just a way of saying thank YOU for the support that YOU have given us for the past 2 years (ok, enough capital YOUs!)

And for those who aare scratching their heads and asking what do we do again?, I am putting together a mini-demonstration of recent highlights, special guests, and upcoming events plus I will open the floor for anyone who wants to get their show on, all we need is a stage, some lights, a mic and off YOU (ok, ok,) go!

The festivities will go down on Wednesday, May 19th starting at 7pm, Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts. Address is 7143 Pine Island Road in where else, Tamarac. For more information, please email us, conundrumstages@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there!

Wiggin' Out!

2010-03-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, your friendly neighborhood arts promoter will be shaking the rust off his acting chops by participating in a reading of Wig Out!, written by Miami native Tarell Alvin McCraney.

I caught wind of this play a couple of years ago when I saw an online press release of the piece being mounted off-Broadway; "The story of two competing 'houses' of drag queens, and the loyalties and dreams which pull their members together and apart. The play is a deeply human and moving story set in a world that is larger-than-life."

I thought to myself: This would play well in Miami!

McCraney was born and raised in Liberty City, one of Miami's toughest neighborhood. Went to New World School of the Arts, then onto the Yale School of Drama. After graduating the Ivy League institution three years ago, he has had his material presented in regional theatres such as New York's Public Theatre and New Jersey's McCarter Theatre, also abroad at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

But even after all those circulations, none of McCraney's work has been presented in his hometown.

As Christine Dolen, Miami Herald's chief theatre critic keeps telling us:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/12/20/1389164/year-in-review-theater.html

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/drama_queen/2008/10/miamis-mccraney.html

http://artslibrary.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/drama-school-alum-conquering-theater-scene/

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/drama_queen/2008/04/post.html

So someone had a thought....How does one at least make a starting point? Go to the source. So I asked Ms. Dolen of how to get in touch with McCraney? Ms. Dolen replied by giving his email address. I spoke to Mr. McCraney about his Wig Out! piece since I was interested in doing a reading of it. He replied (surprisingly) that I can reach his agent....well, after that...it was smooth sailing, right?

Well, this is not one of those pieces that you can just read....I needed some bigger resources if this was going to come off well, fierce!

I reached out to long time associate Teddy Harrell, Jr. of the African-American Performing Arts Community Theatre, who I passed on the script to. He was well aware of McCraney's history in South Florida and would love the opportunity to present a hometown kid's work.

Harell did get an opportunity. One day while attending a family fun fest at the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts, he ran into a representative who was planning a weekend presenting local artists and their work. He spoke this news to me and even though I wasn't in the mindset to assist at that time, Harrell proceeded with this goldmine. I eventually caught on the back end of this train, so...

A reading of Wig Out! , presented by the African-American Performing Arts Community Theatre will be part of the Miami Made Weekend at the Arsht Center this Saturday @ 3pm and Sunday @ 8pm.

And that's how it came about....

The event is free, but you may have to pay for parking and you will have to reserve for tickets online at http://www.arshtcenter.org/.

Now that we are inches away from getting a full blown production......

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/drama_queen/2010/03/mccraneys-work-gets-read.html

Some people are never satisfied.

Unitl then.....

The SpeakOut has spoken!

2010-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Over 20 individuals contributed to our event on Saturday, The SpeakOut: An Evening of Poetry and Song. We had recitation, performance plus a hoola hoop. The night was electric as South Florida's best talent came out to speak, read and give the audience a night of good material and good fun!

And if you don't believe me, check out this review that we got: http://dramadaily.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/conundrum-stages-speakout-review/

And also check out the pics done by Leah Brown of 18 Rabbit Gallery. From top: The Chaos Theory, Casandra Tanenbaum w/ hoop, Singer CriStyle Renae, and Asia.

We like to thank the participants for contributing to this night plus 18 Rabbit Gallery for opening their doors to us. Hopefully, we'll do it again soon. Stay tuned.

Same flyer....higher resolution

2010-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

So this is the complete flyer, designed by Mr. Stephen Tillman.

The SpeakOut: An Evening of Poetry and Songis our first poetry showcase, . We have 20 individual participants that will recite and/or perform their original pieces. The people listed on the bill are from all walks of life, but we are proud to say that they reside here in South Florida from Jupiter to Miami, we hope you will attend and join us in a celebration of poetry on Saturday, January 30th, 7:30pm at the 18 Rabbit Gallery, the address is 16 NW 1st Street in Fort Lauderdale. If you want more information, please email us: conundrumstages@yahoo.com

Intoducing The SpeakOut!

2010-01-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that we are having our first ever poetry showcase. Local talent will share their original material to the public through either performance or reciting. If you're a fan of prose, haiku, free verse and/or spoken word, then you're in for a treat.

We are finalizing the lineup for this event, but we know it is scheduled for Saturday, January 30th @ 7:3opm at the 18 Rabbit Gallery, a new art space in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale. They have been gracious enough to give us space and provide opportunities to up and coming artists as well as the experienced.

In between poetry selections, Pompano Beach resident CriStyle Renae will grace us with her singing. Once we have a lineup, we will be providing more information. Stay tuned!

* - Flyer on right designed by Stephen Tillman (as of 1/10/10)

2009: The Year in review

2009-12-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone else is doing it. Might as well.....

January - Reading of Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady in Dania. Featured Patti Gardner, John Lariviere, Pilar Uribe, Emi Arteche, Mark A. Harmon and Harrison Biswas. My favorite Simon play because he brought a little serious undertone to his comedy. A woman who is struggling with her demons while dealing with things on a comical tone.

February - Reading of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming in Miami. Featuring Mitchell Carrey, Chris Groom, Kevin Reilley, Joshua Ritter, David Sirois and Skye Whitcomb. Did it outside, at night, in cold weather. It felt condusive to the piece, but we still needed to wear five coats....who says it doesn't get cold in Southern Florida.

March - Recruitment for Community Read in at Pioneer Middle School in Cooper City: our community service moment where we asked artists and entertainers to come in and read literature to students. Participants included actors Keith Wade, Andy Jean-Gilles, Kirsten Upchurch, Chris Groom, Laura Lalanne; teacher Gail Willingham, and librarian Jo Bridges.

Reading of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful in Pompano Beach. Featuring Kathleen Emrich, Brian McCormack, Jennipher Murphy, Dyani Batcheller, Murray Elman, Justin Mellender and Don Crinklaw. This is the second time we did this play, but it was fulfilling a mission that I wanted to bring this to Broward to cross county lines.

April - did a taping of On Stage with Iris Acker promoting the play reading series.

May - Reading of N. Richard Nash's The Rainmaker in Oakland Park. Featuring Arthur Bivins, Julia Clearwood, Dominick Daniel, Jeff Holmes, Dan Leonard, Summer Hill Seven and Michael St. Pierre. Talking about digging in the crates. I remember this show from my high school days and needed to revive it only for one time.

September - 1st annual variety performance showcase: The Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages, Vol 1: Lights Up! Didn't mean to put my plan in motion so soon, but the higher ups had something else in mind. A bevy of talent came through to contribute for the night including vocalists John Lariviere and Gail Byer; spoken word performers Summer Hill Seven, Alexis Caputo and The Chaos Theory; violinist Erin David; comedian Daleena Segui; actors Joanne Marsic and Don Crinklaw; writer Jackie Morgan; dancer Afua Hall; dance ensembles Dancerity Performance Company and No Turning Back; and the cast of Reefer Madness at FIU. Good night had by all.

November - Our first partnership with the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts presented the Entertaining Evening Combo (will get new name later). Singer David Meulemans and pianist Jim Welles provided the music while we did a reading of Bernard Slade's Tribute featuring Peter Librach, Wendi Librach, Sheldon Cohen, Bill Dobbins, Danielle Tabino, Linda Ellis and Lory Reyes.

Also did a retrospective of reading series celebrating 5 years....here are a few quotes:

"I was in that first reading of The Children's Hour. We rehearsed in the smaller studio at the Coconut Grove theatre. What I remember was the caliber of actresses assembled for this reading -- and at such short notice! The reading was great fun and got quite a crowd.... My best remembrances of Conundrum was that I was being given the chance to experience pieces of literature I would never have been exposed to otherwise. Thank you, Kevin for making it possible." - Merry Jo Pitasi

"Thank you for asking me to read Linda in Death of a Salesman. It is rare we have an opportunity to explore a great American classic and you gave me that. I enjoyed working with everyone involved." - Elizabeth Perry

"I was in the play reading The Meeting. Quite a powerful play. I enjoyed portraying the role of Malcolm X and would love to one day do the full show. I am now in New York City working....Thank You very much Kevin for giving me the opportunity to utilize my love of theater to help teach the youth a history that needs to be remembered." - Andy Jean-Gilles

"It was great having been able to participate both in a couple of readings and as a writer of a short play that you included in your (showcase)." - Murray Elman

Not trying to toot my own horn, but you know.....

December - Third presentation of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful in Fort Lauderdale with a whole new cast: Dorothy Morrison, Andre Gainey, Carey Hart, Kenyatta Browne, Gary Simpson, Justin Mellender, and Edward Max.

Once again as before, couldn't have done all this without the support of so many people. Here's looking forward to tomorrow...where we start the fun again!

Happy New Year!

Thank you

2009-12-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say thank you for your support this year. We finally propelled Conundrum Stages into its first phase as a presenter of local performance and entertainment.

We had our first variety performance showcase this September with great success and we hope to continue that conversation with upcoming showcases including poetry, music and play readings.

So thank you again for your support in 2009, and we hope you will come back and see us through 2010.

(Reading of Tribute at Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, 11/09: Back row from left to right: Peter Lirbach, Wendi Librach, Linda Ellis, Lory Reyes, and Danielle Tabino; Front from left to right: Bill Dobbins and Sheldon Cohen)

Thank you, New Vista Theatre!

2009-12-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

I got the e-mail yesterday, and even though it has been bandied about for a couple of months now, Avi Hoffman made it official in a letter format.

The National Center for Jewish Cultural Arts and it's theatre component, the New Vista Theatre Company has ceased operations.

Due to a struggling ecomony and limited resources for funds, it was time to call it a day. Hoffman thanked everyone in his letter from the staff that worked for NV, the actors and technical staff, and the audiences that came to see the shows.

Their first show was the musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Other works included The Sunshine Boys, The Odd Couple and I'm Not Rappaport. Musicals included vintage works like Funny Girl and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris plus newer works, The Rise of David Levinsky and Enter Laughing.

I worked in New Vista's box office for two of the three seasons in its short-lived existence. Never have I seen a crew take pride in their work like Avi Hoffman, Peter Librach, and Shari Klages. They provided opportunities for local staff and talent, and I am grateful to be a part of that.

I personally want to thank New Vista for circulating the South Florida Theatre talent pool by mixing in veteran performers and rising stars. Here's hoping there will be another company like them to come along.

It all started with a Conversation....

2009-11-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Isn't how everything starts....with someone talking to someone else. And then talking to someone else.

It all began with a conversation in a library's conference room with a fellow actor. Wanted to know how I could do a updated version of a classic play. Came to the conclusion that it would be dated to that. But it started a snowball to revive this piece and hopefully get it produced full scale because of its viability.

That play was The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman.

Five years ago yesterday we mounted a stage reading of this piece at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale. That began my quest to see shows that are rarely produced because of one thing or another revive if only for one night and scaled down. Over 20 readings and 200 actors later, even though the name may have changed, the vision is still there....and even if they don't get produced fully, for one night, they will be remembered.

This is to thank those actors, directors, etc. for taking the time out of their busy schedules for the past five years to humor someone's hobby:) I really appreciate all the support that has been given and look forward to more stories, more adventures and hoping for greater heights.

Our next piece is Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful, which will be on Saturday, December 5th, 1pm at the Galt Ocean Mile Reading Center on Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information, you can e-mail us at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Here's looking at 2010!

Our return to Bountiful!

2009-11-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in my favorite library trying to spread the word out on our next reading, which is a play that we've done before. But this time, we're putting a fresh new look to it.

The play is The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote. It is the story about a woman in her golden years who lives with her son and daughter in law in a suffocating situation. Even though, she has a deep connection with her son, it is always hindered and challenged by his wife. Each of them have dreams and ambitions, but there is never any accord.

The elderly woman wants to go back where she was born and raised, but can never seem to convince her son to take her there. After one arguments too many with her daughter in law, the woman takes off and sets up a chain of events that will have her family hot on her trail.

The Trip to Bountiful is a wonderful story about finding one's inner strength. It has universal themes of family, loss, acceptance and peace that everyone regardless of where you're from can relate to. It is a tale that is timeless and viable in any day and age.

This reading will be done on Saturday, December 5th, 1pm at the Galt Ocean Mile Reading Center. Address is 3403 Galt Ocean Drive, Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information, please call 954-537-2877.

Going Home.....again!

2009-11-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

The EEC went on without a hitch last night.

And even though we had a small crowd, we were pleased with the result. The handful enjoyed the show and we hope to provide this in the sometime future.

Will have some pics up soon....

Now on to the next one.

Gearing for a trip back to Bountiful....Yep, for the third time, we will be reading Horton Foote's classic piece, The Trip to Bountiful at the Galt Ocean Mile Reading Center on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

This universal masterwork combines comedy and pathos about a lady in her golden years wanting to reclaim her strenght by going back to the place she called home.

Will tell more, but for right now, the reading will be scheduled for Saturday, December 5th, 1pm.

Gotta get busy with the usuals.....

The Entertaining Evening Combo

2009-10-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

...or how I can think of a better name in the future.

Over the summer, I was approached by the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts to collaborate on play reading events at their theatre. I obliged.

With this, and since the moniker change, I wanted to incorporate other mediums in our play reading series in an effort to attract audiences and still promote local talent. They obliged.

So we came up with a compromise: for the least expensive fee of $10 (the cost of a movie nowadays), I came up with music and theatre for the evening's affairs.

Hence the name: The Entertaining Evening Combo, a night of performance featuring music and theatre.

Pianist Jim Welles will play pre-show and intermission music while gearing up for his solo performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue while a mini-concert provided by singer/actor David Meulemans will hopefully get the crowd moving.

Within all of this, we will do what we do best in reading classic and contemporary works by established playwrights in the form of Bernard Slade's Tribute.

Tribute tells the story of a free-spirited middle aged man who is terminally ill and wants to spend time with his estranged son. Will they overcome their past differences before it's too late?

To find out, come to Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts on Friday, November 6th, the festivities will begin at 7pm. For more info, call (954) 726-7898.

Update:Theatre busting out all over!

2009-10-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Every 10 minutes, a theatre company folds.

Another 5 minutes later, a new theatre company emerges.

That seems to be the pattern lately, although some companies have shuttered due to economics and such, there are still those masochists (I mean, artists) who still want to give it that old college try!

So it's time to address them, salute this new class and hope they will stay around for years to come.

The Fly Away Balloon Theatre Company just finished their inaugural project, Composition Notebook, in Hollywood at the Acting School of South Florida. We hope it will not be their last.

Unhinged Theatre, based in Miami, had their first Late Night Cabaret in support of their third project, Den of Theives opening in November. http://www.unhingedtheatre.webs.com/.

Slow Burn Theatre, upstart champion of contemporary musicals, is preparing auditions for their first piece which is Bat Boy, which will open in West Boca in February. http://www.slowburntheatre.com/.

There is also a troupe called Anagram Entertainment, who is starting off with a play reading series (sounds familiar). You can check out their website, http://www.anagramentertainment.com/.

Now new word comes from the top North where Burt Reynolds has reopened his conservatory and will be instilling a new theater company called the Under the Bridge Players, named after the location where his namesake and Friends museum is located. http://www.brift.org/

Last but not least, a new imprint called Empire Stage has just taken over the performance space where Sol Theatre Project once was and will open a piece called Making Porn in January.

*NEW ADDITIONS AS OF 10/27/09

Sent by Milton Garcia: Foryoucansee Theater had their first project, The Toners Live: Toners in Time, shown at New Theatre in Coral Gables this summer. It is part of a trilogy chronicling a reggaeton trio. Foryoucansee is part of the CCCV, a movement of artists who live, breathe, promote (and reside in) Miami. www.foryoucansee.com

Palm Tree Entertainment is launching a piece in January with star power. Millions of Miles features prolific theatre stalwarts Avi Hoffman and Michael McKeever. www.palmtreeshows.com

This is just to say the South Florida Theatre is alive and well. The more new companies come in, the more opportunities to circulate and cultivate the talent pool.

And if there are any other new companies out there, please let me know. Would like to hear from you: conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

We wish the above well and hope to cross paths with them soon.

Finally in the History Books.....

2009-09-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages, Vol. 1:Lights Up! has concluded.

We had a great turnout. The show went off without too many glitches. Didn't like the host too much. He asked for bullet points for the performers and didn't use any of them :). But other than that, the audience gave us some positive feedback.

We will also have a video of the performance thanks to Philip Church, associate professor from Florida International University's Theatre, Music and Dance Department.

To say that we have arrived, though, is a bit premature....

But the conversation has started. I now have a few ideas about what I want to do for future presentations: comedy nights, spoken word/poetry performances, music concerts, etc.

This showcase was the jump-off point to get things rolling and it really moved me to know that the participants came out in full force to represent.

So once again, I'd like to thank all the performers, entertainers, and volunteers for making this showcase a success. Will have pictures soon.

See you for Volume 2!

We're way past 9, now....

2009-09-24T14:26:00.001-07:00

Had another fumble, but it seems we recovered. Now it's all about getting to the goal line.

Two days left....will send another blast. Looking to have a good crowd Saturday night. If not, we'll just play for ourselves.

Always planning, always thinking....time to huddle again.

Down to 9....

2009-09-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, a lot has happen.

Had a few drop outs, a production meeting, press and invites already sent out.

The showcase is still scheduled for Saturday, September 26th at the Collins Community Center in Oakland Park. Beginning at 7:30pm. We even have a lovely flyer talking about it. Gotta stand for something.

A slew of performers from different ranges of performance will be participating. Singers (John Lariviere, Crystal Renae, Kristen McCorkell), Dancers (Afua Hall, Dancerity Performance Company and No Turning Back), Actors (Don Crinklaw and Joanne Marsic), and Musicians (Erin David) have been nice to contribute their talents to this night.

Now it's about spreading the word as much as possible and hope we have an audience that will see how much work that has been put into this.

This is five years in the making......always wanted to produce talent shows, looking to create platforms for performers and entertainers to hone their crafts. We want to be a hub for all performing artists and hopefully this will be a stepping stone.

Hopefully, you will come out and support us and your local talent.

Remember the date: Saturday, September 26th. For more info, please call 954-630-4500 or e-mail us at conundrumstages@yahoo.com

25 Days and Counting.....

2009-08-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have a tentative program and most of my acts confirmed.

Now it's about sending out a press release and spreading the word.

I'm scared, nervous, confused, bewildered and excited all at the same time.

This is either going to be the biggest fun I've ever had or the biggest mistake I ever made.

Either way, it's going to be eventful....

The name of the showcase: The Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages, Vol. 1: Lights Up!. It's meant to be a live "mixtape" of different performances from seasoned talent. People who have been kind enough to contribute their expertise on the boards....not just theatre, but music and dance as well.

It is also our introduction as a group who wants to support the arts and entertainment in Southeast Florida. Hopefully after this, the transition from play reading series to multi presentations will be easier.....or harder.

The showcase will be on Saturday, September 26th, starting at 7:30pm. Will have the lineup hopefully by next week.

Stay Conundrumed! (yeah, I know, not a word).

Moving On.....

2009-08-21T09:52:00.001-07:00

Setting the tone.

Learning to crawl, before we can walk.

Not letting things bother us too much, and just shaking it off.

Moving on....

Our auditions were slight, but still checking the list of what we have, we still have some frame of a show.

I casted my lot too far in the ocean and now I am scaling back with what I have. Hopefully I'll have a better idea of what I have in the beginning of Sept.

I'm not going to let this keep me down.

Moving on.....

Showcase Auditions

2009-08-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, having showcase auditions tomorrow at the Broward County Library-Northwest Branch in Pompano Beach.

Trying to get those who I haven't reached out to yet. Haven't received much feedback yet, so probably after tomorrow, I have a much more fleshed out program.

Stay tuned....

I Can't Keep Up

2009-08-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy working on a film project that I forgot about things that are coming up Conundrum.

So in summary terms:

We had our first preliminary board meeting on July 18th. We talked about things we'd like to do, things that we hope to do and so on and so forth. Our next meeting is in October.

Had our campfire reading on Monday with In the Boom Boom Room. We had a group of talented people help us bring the words to life and it gave us ideas on what level we want to take this. But those won't come to fruition until later.

Our auditions for the September showcase will be this Saturday. Haven't had any real feedback from it, so it will either be a long day or a l-o-o-n-g day. For those who have claimed interest before, I already have been working on a tentative set list.

So that's it for now. My only regret is that I didn't take pics of the campfire. I need to take more pictures.

Back to the Roundtable

2009-08-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

As I blogger earlier almost a year ago, I was going to do a private reading session as a way for actors getting together, networking, meeting and reading a script. No public, no ads, just actors coming together in solidarity.

Next Monday, we're reading David Rabe's In the Boom Boom Room. Quirky little drama about an aspiring dancer trying to get out of her small town in Pennsylvania and make it to New York City.

There's a story behind this: I came across this play by accident. I was in the library and picked up a copy of the play. By the characters' names were other names that took me a minute to recognize: they were my old classmates from high school. I was intrigued, so I read some more and it has all the debauchery of Alice in Wonderland and Taxi Driver put together.

And I know a couple of companies that can do this play justice.

So I got a few actors who were able to take time out of their schedule to lend their voices to this. It may go nowhere, but at least it's a start.

I'll let you know what happens.

Slowly but Swiftly....

2009-07-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Now that I am officially a nudge. Now that I casted way out and needing to pull back.....I set up the structure that either is going to break me or set a standard that all presentations will go by (Conundrum Stages presentations, that is).

I have been going back and forth with Crystal Rothe, facilities manager for the Parks and Leisure Services for Oakland Park about rehearsal dates, production meeting dates, etc. Now that I got things set, just have to talk to others about it.

The showcase is still scheduled for Saturday, September 26th at 7:30pm. Still at the Collins Community Center in Oakland Park.

We're going to have rehearsal that day for those who need it beginning at 12 and going up to 5:30pm. Before that, I scheduled a production meeting on Monday, September 14th at 7pm and extended the invitation to acts who want to see the space before rehearsing in it.

Now it's just a matter of who wants to participate......

Stay tuned.

The Word's Going Out!

2009-07-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

So I put the word out about the showcase I'm organizing, it should hit the audition sites soon. But for those who are avid readers of this blog, here it is:

Conundrum Stages is looking for submissions for its upcoming September unified artists showcase.

Needed are talent in the following categories:

Theatre (2 ensembles for acting scenes)

Dance (soloists or ensemble)

Poetry/Spoken Word (soloists or ensemble)

Improvisational Comedy (2 ensembles)

Music (2 ensembles, vocal, strings or woodwinds preferred, i.e. extremely minimal setup)

Musical number (1 ensemble)

Please bring CD for accompianment.

Dates of commitment:
Production meeting: Monday, August 31st, 7pm

Rehearsal: Saturday, September 19th, 12-8pm (Not necessarily for entire day)

Performance: Saturday, September 26th, 7:30pm

Showcase will be in Fort Lauderdale.
If chosen, participation is voluntary.

For more information, please call 954-673-5124 or conundrumstages@yahoo.com

I've been also reaching out to other arts groups to see if they're able to participate, trying to be as open as possible to future ideas.

So if you're out there and looking to grow with an organization from the ground up (no pun intended), let me know!

More to follow.

Setting the Plans in Motion

2009-07-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Listen I got problems of my own
Flashing cameras taps on my phone
Even in my home I ain't safe as I should be
Things always missin' , maybe it could be my friends
but they ain't friends if they robbin' me
stoppin' me from making a profit see
apology shallow like the ocean
I guess I'll resort to gun-tottin'
If I was dead broke and smoking
I'd probobly be by my lonesome
I'm a kill a n**** I ain't jokin'
Endo smoke got me chokin'
I'm hopin' a fool come slippin'
so I can blow him open
This time around I changed up my flow
Got rid of da rots', got pits by the door
A real set of peoples to watch my back
Stay away from strangers so I won't slack
and I know my n**** Mike like that, baby!

-The Notorious B.I.G from Michael Jackson's "This Time Around"

Was listening to HIStory last night and had this on my mind.

Well, since we last left you, we did the Rainmaker reading and due to the underwhelming turnout, we pulled the last two readings we were thinking about doing.

I was about to pull the plug on the securing of the venue, when I realized that if this is supposed to free up time to expand our programming, why not use it to our advantage.

So what I want to do is have a party! Invite all my artists friends, who will in turn invite their artists friends, who will in turn, you get the idea.

We will provide food, entertainment and an open mic for those who want to perform. The motive is to not only build a base for Conundrum, but to reach out to all art forms and embrace new things. I have no idea what it takes to be a dancer, I have limited singing ability and I can't tell a joke to save my life. But if I know people who have that experience, I get a chance to promote it and become a springboard for the next Alvin Ailey, Christina Aguilera, or Robin Williams....and a have a good time doing it.

So this Saturday we're going to have our preliminary board meeting and will propose this event and see who is able to assist in this. This is our biggest undertaking yet and I need all hands on deck.

Updates will be coming soon.....

...Got some plans that could turn this city upside down. Invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big if you have to...Man, I got me some ideas....

-Walter Younger from A Raisin in the Sun

Quiet Summer

2009-06-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to pull the last two readings from the lineup: Inherit the Wind and Hay Fever.

Reason being is that we're looking into expanding our programming anyway. This way it frees up time to plan.

And boy will we have plans.....

Stay tuned.

The Rainmaker is Today....

2009-05-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting at a computer letting people know about our upcoming reading....which is today.

I apologize for the late notice, but if you don't have anything to do in the next two and a half hours and you're looking at this blog, The Rainmaker starts at 2pm. We'll be at the Collins Community Center in Oakland Park. The address is 3900 NE 3 Avenue, which is North of Oakland Park Boulevard and a 1/2 mile east of Andrews Avenue.

The cast is great. Everyone fits in their roles and the story is wonderful.

So I hope you can make it out. If not, we have other presentations in August and September. Next time, I will give much more advanced notice. Give a shout by e-mailing us at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Now it's time to prepare for the storm!

This Friday....

2009-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

We just got word that our session with Iris Acker should be on this Friday at 7pm with a second showing at 6pm, Sunday.

These are the following channels that were given:

Broward & Palm Beach - Ch. 19
Miami - Ch. 24
South Miami - Ch. 16

For DirectTV, DishTV and AT&T subscribers - Ch. 63

I'm crossing my fingers to make sure my good side is shown :)

I Just Bought an Umbrella....

2009-05-17T10:34:00.001-07:00

...and it had nothing to do with the upcoming reading of The Rainmaker.

But now that I think of it, it's a nice segue into this new entry. I was on my way to see a show and the bus dropped us off at a pharmacy while it got switch out for a newly air-conditioned bus. I thought I might go in and I saw a cheap umbrella, so I took advantage of the deal and bought it since the rainy season is upon us.

Today I thought I would take a read of The Rainmaker again. It really resonates today as it did five decades ago. Here is a family struggling to make ends meet, due to a drought plaguing their land. They had to lay off some of their hands (sounds familiar) in order to steady the books.

Also there is inner conflict, because there is a headstrong young lady who thinks that she is not worthy of love. Maybe it's because the way she was raised, maybe it was the enabling of her parents or the cynicism of her brother.

Along comes a stranger in the wind...and well, you just have to see the reading to find out what happens.

This Friday, we're supposed to have our segment aired on Iris Acker's show, when details come, I will fill you in.

Rehearsal for The Rainmaker will be the following day. The presentation will be on Saturday, May 30th at the Collins Community Center in Oakland Park. Admission is free. Reading begins at 2pm.

Don't worry, you'll be reminded!

Ready to Make it Rain?

2009-05-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a while.

Still searching for substanial income, still building an empire and also still casting for our upcoming reading, N. Richard Nash's The Rainmaker.

Oh, you thought John Grisham wrote The Rainmaker? He did, but this is a play that was written 55 years ago (My father actually turned 55 on Monday.) It tells the tale of a family that lives on a farm out yonder that is being destroyed by a vicious drought. On top of that, you have a recluse of a young woman who is put upon by the men in her home to get her hitched.....real family drama. Half the family are dreamers, the other half realists. Make for real conflict.

Out of the blue comes a con-man who claims that he can get rid of the drought for $100 by what else....rain. Well, once again, the skeptics are skeptical and the optimists are...we get the idea.

The handsome stranger also gravitates to who else, the plain girl. They have a back and forth, but the power of love wins out in the end as it always do. We do have fights in between, but again, what is drama without conflict, right? And its about time we do something romantic here at Conundrum.

Our presentation is scheduled for Saturday, May 30th at 2pm in Oakland Park. Will give more information, as we get closer.

(I guess it was just time that I make another entry).

On Stage with Iris Acker

2009-04-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the taping was this morning. I was on after someone else and was truly nervous. But Iris, the true professional she is, made us very comfortable.

I talk about the organization, what we're looking to do, also the playreading series and then they showed a clip of Bountiful (it was the first time I saw it).

Iris gave us an on-air date of the weekend of May 22nd. Will keep you posted as it gets closer.

We're Gonna Be On TV!!!!!

2009-04-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

....well sort of.

We have an opportunity to promote the playreading series on television. We are going to the BECON studios to tape with Iris Acker's On Stage show.

Iris Acker is an actress who also has her own talk show that has been on public access for almost 30 years. She is a true fixture in the South Florida arts community and has been gracious enough by giving us this opportunity.

Now I just have to make sure my hair is combed right and my eye is not crooked when we tape on Wednesday. Also have to make sure that my answers are straight.

I was nervous that something was going to be pulled. But as far as I know, everything is still good to go.

Will let you know what happens!

Building the Organization

2009-04-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

It's time!

With all this free time on my hands (not voluntary, by the way), I have been planning to get some support and foundation behind Conundrum. I am looking for people to become board members, so we can go forward.

If I can get a set of under 10 people who believe in the work and want to work, then I am in business.

So this month, I am talking to some contacts; people who I've worked with before. People who supported me in the past, hoping that they will go on this journey with me.

I took some advice from others. I am just looking for people who are willing to volunteer some time to put into the organization. The money part will come later.

Here's the MO:

The organization will present various showcases of performing arts. We will promote local performing artists and unite them with audiences in an order to strengthen the performing arts community. We will be open to collaborate with all arts groups in an effort to enlighten all types of audiences while uniting the arts as a whole.

This includes:
Music concerts
Poetry nights
Dance recitals
Theatrical productions
Storyteller nights
Comedy shows

We are looking for people who have contacts with the above and then some. If you or someone you know are interested in building an organization, please send an e-mail to conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Pictures from the Community Read-In

2009-04-03T12:08:00.001-07:00

REVISED: From top to bottom: Kirsten Upchurch in a class speaking to students; Chris Groom; Laura Lalanne; Gail Willingham; Jo Bridges in the Media Center and from left to right Andy Jean-Gilles and Keith Wade reading from Jeff Stetson's The Meeting.

Go Conundrum, Its Your Birthday

2009-04-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

Today a year ago, I registered with the state for incorporation.

The time goes by so quickly. Some readings came and went, met some nice people, and now taking the time to build the organization. Which is not easy.

Then I read an article about an actor who left here, moved to New York and worked. Had to get by on tokens, nickels and PB&J. But they perservered. It was passion that drove them to keep going, so it's that same passion that will keep us going.

Here's to another year and we hope you will stay tuned!

Taking a Break

2009-03-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Bountiful now ended, we have no programming this next month. So it's time for reflection plus work on other ideas. Our next reading will be in May. Any new developments, you'll know where to look.

Community Read-In

2009-03-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

The read-in at Pioneer Middle School yesterday went well. We did a reading of The Meeting by Jeff Stetson while other recruits came in and read their literature to the students. Once again, I'd like to thank the following for coming through: Jo Bridges, Chris Groom, Andy Jean-Gilles, Laura Lalanne, Kirsten Upchurch, Keith Wade, and Gail Willingham. Hopefully we can get pictures and when we do, we will post them here.

Tomorrow, we read The Trip to Bountiful at the Broward County Library - Northwest Branch in Pompano Beach. Reading starts at 2pm. For more information, you can e-mail me at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Busiest week thus Far for Conundrum.

2009-03-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, your friendly neighborhood presenter/organizer likes to keep busy.

We just had rehearsal last night for our reading of Jeff Stetson's The Meeting that we're going to do for the middle school on Thursday. The Conundrum & Friends experiment seems to be moving along. A few of my contacts that I recruited will be at the read-in as well. We'll see how it works out. If it does, maybe CS will prove to be a stronger influence next year.

I also am meeting with some people who will hopefully prove fruitful in our growing of the organization for the future.

On Saturday, we present Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful at the Northwest Branch, Broward County Library.

So things are moving. I won't complain.

(Pic of participants in reading of A Raisin in the Sun we did last November: From L-R, yours truly, Keith Wade, Dorothy Morrison, Crystal Renae, Devounte Hohing, William Barnes, Me'lissa Smith, John Fell and Gary Simpson)

Head's Spinning Again

2009-03-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Couldn't sleep last night. Had ideas jumping back and forth.

Since I have a lot of time on my hands, my thoughts have been trying to find ways to get funding for a full scale production.

Yes, I know that from time to time, my m.o. was to do showcases. And will still do that, but there seems that there can be plays and spaces where we can be simplistic to put on one theatrical production.

So I'm thinking up some fundraisers to build the capital to put on such an event.

While the left brain was thinking, the right was trying to put two things together at once. We have a rehearsal Saturday for The Trip to Bountiful and I have another rehearsal for another reading that we're doing for a middle school. It will be The Meeting by Jeff Stetson. The Meeting tells the story of a fictitious conversation between two important leaders of the 20th century: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. They talk about their differences and their beliefs trying to sway each other in their debate. I thought this would be nice for students to listen to these words, even if they have never been said.

I just better make sure I'm on the ball when questions start flying.

I also recruited some people to come in and read to students as well. Hopefully, we can make the presence of Conundrum felt, that way doors will open.

As far as fundraising goes, I am open to ideas. Thanks for those who look at this. If you have anything, drop a line!

Community Read-In

2009-03-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

While setting up for our next reading, I am also working on my participation in a Community Read-in for a middle school.

I was recriuited to come in and bring some literature to read to students, but as time progress I began to realize this would be a good opportunity to work on what I want Conundrum to be, a promoter, a presenter, and a recruiter. Plus this would be something good to put down on a resume for the organization.

I met a librarian who also does storytelling, so I "booked" her to do some session time with the students. I also started work on a reading that I will organize for the students. I also asked some other people to come in as well.

The read-in will be on Thursday, March 26th at Pioneer Middle School in Cooper City. I hope to have pictures, so I can show what was done.

Am I Witnessing a Pattern Here?

2009-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

I know this might be a terrible thing to say, but this is the second time a playwright has passed on while I am preparing a presentation of their work.

First Harold Pinter, who we just spotlighted by doing The Homecoming last month, now comes word that Horton Foote (pic to the right), whose piece, The Trip to Bountiful we will be presenting later this month has gone on to that great theatre in the sky.

As I said before, we did a reading of Bountiful last May in Palm Beach. His words and the story really affected me. My grandmother, who was suffering from dementia at the time, always wanted to go home. I didn't know what that meant at the time. I always told her that she was home. But she always wanted to go back to the place where she was born and raised.

Carrie Watts, the protagonist in the play, still has her faculties about her. She is not happy about her living arrangements though. And she sets on a journey to fix that. To find that peace and tranquility she got from being back "home".

Now that Mr. Foote has passed away, the play will have a bigger resonance. For those who still haven't heard the words of this master scribe, we will be reading the play at the Broward County Library - Northwest Branch in Pompano Beach on Saturday, March 28, starting at 2pm. For more info, you can e-mail me at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Back to the Drawing Board

2009-02-27T07:55:00.001-08:00

Our next session is Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful; a story of a person who wants to go back to her roots, because that's where she was the most happiest. She's not too thrilled with her current situation and has been trying to go back to the place where she was most herself. The journey to get there though is a rocky one, but it makes her come full circle.

That seems like what I'm going through now trying to cast this. We presented a reading of Bountiful last May. Our intention was to reach out to a market that has similar caliber of talent, but was a little more north of the border than our base in Broward. This was also the first reading we did under the new Conundrum banner and our first collaboration with another arts entity: The Studio Theatre of Wellington.

I met Paula Sackett, founding Managing Artistic Director, a couple of years ago by participating in a festival of new plays. I told her I do readings as well, but of established material. We talked about collaborating and did the presentation of Bountiful with the intention of bringing it to Broward the same year.

After a couple of stalls (I know this is long, but follow me here), we made the schedule to remount this next month. The trick was to get the same cast that participated the last time.

Funny thing about remounts: They never come off the way we want. People move away, there are other commitments. I tried a remount of a reading I did two years ago and now Bountiful is going through the same process.

As far as I write this, Paula has come back (Thank God for that!). A couple of others have signed back on, but I now have to go and cast 3/4 of the piece. But the thing about a canvas, it can be wiped clean and can be replaced with new things all the time. It's a challenge that I thrive on.

I'm almost there. I appreciate Paula putting her trust in me, and I know I can find actors who can bring Horton's words to life once again.

The reading will on Saturday, March 28th in Pompano Beach. More info will follow.

And On to the Next One.....

2009-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

So The Homecoming reading went well last night. We did it outside on a porch at a house and as the night went on, it got colder. Despite one actor almost dying of hypothermia, we made it through!

We were please that the humor of Harold Pinter's words came through. That was the most important thing!

And Jesus was happy for me and I hope to work with him more closely in the future. I even gave him a script I was thinking about doing.

Hopefully, this time we can do it in the day time in Spring :)

And so on to the next, Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful, this one being a remount because we did in Palm Beach almost a year ago. It will be interesting to see if Broward audiences will come out.

Stay tuned!

Homecoming Reading Tonight!

2009-02-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

So tonight's the reading for The Homecoming. I'm somewhat nervous, but not.

I've done all I need to do. We are expecting somewhat of a turnout with cast inviting their friends and family. I even got a call asking if they needed to make a reservation. So as we get close, the more shaky I will be.

But isn't that the way with live performance.....it's like an adrenaline rush. Making sure everything is in its place. Few complaints. People enjoying themselves. We do the best we can and then it's all in the hands of another power beyond our control.

So I'm going to enjoy this moment here. We hope you enjoy it as well.

If your schedule allows, we will be at The Yellow House at 8pm tonight. For more information, you can e-mail me at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

And so we Soldier on!

2009-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal went well last night. Despite a stall here and there, we stumbled through it and no one died (not even the director).

I'm now excited that we're doing this on Friday night and I am positive that it will go great!

And while my days are wide open, I am working new angles and trying to build new relations with other groups.

And when things are solidified, you'll here it here!

And so we soldier on!

Homecoming rehearsal tonight

2009-02-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well,

Tonight's the night we throw Pinter to the wall and see what sticks.

Once again, I'm nervous. Hoping the people come in time. Hoping there are no blowups. Hoping everything goes smooth.

Maybe I need a shot of courage as I go in. I'll take my flask tonight!

Winging It!

2009-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

So here I am preparing for the next reading, The Homecoming by Harold Pinter.

And I have no clue what I'm doing.

Most times I have an idea on how things should go, where to put people, what the story is about?

But with this one, I may have jumped the shark!

What is The Homecoming about you ask? Well, if you let me tell it, it's about a family....all men. The patriarch is a former butcher, who also lives with his brother, a cab driver. The butcher also has three sons, one a pimp and the other a demolition worker, who is an aspiring pugilist. They are waiting for the arrival of the oldest son, a professor, who brings along his wife.

Then the fun begins. Dysfunction, sexual tension, and just plain absurdity runs rampant for two and half hours.

And this is Harold Pinter? Yes, we think so.

Why did I pick this then if I have no clue where to go with it? The subjects, the topics. I'm always interested in what makes people tick. Families are just fascinating in the way they deal with each other.

Luckily enough, I have a cast that is capable of winging it with me. And if we fall on our faces, at least, we'll be all in it together.

Rehearsal is next Monday. Looking forward to the chaos and disorder.

Gingerbread Lady reading is Saturday!

2009-01-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we stumbled through rehearsal on Saturday.

Ok: I stumbled through rehearsal on Saturday.

The cast was on point and I made sure that their time wasn't wasted. We read through the play. The most difficult part was which stage directions to keep and and which ones not to say so we don't interrupt the flow of the play.

Otherwise, the characters were truly defined and I am looking forward to the end result. Hopefully people will enjoy it just the same.

In other news, I put out an open call for the next reading, The Homecoming by Harold Pinter. I want to make sure Gingerbread is done before I immerse myself in the world that is (pause) Pinter.

The reading of The Gingerbread Lady will be at the Broward County Library-Dania Beach Branch on this Saturday, January 31st at 2pm. For more information, please call 954-926-2420.

Gingerbread Lady rehearsal starts Tomorrow!

2009-01-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

Out of all the worrying and scratching of my head to cast the Homecoming reading, I did not forget that our rehearsal for Gingerbread is tomorrow.

I'm sure I'll be wired tonight nervous on how that will turn out.

Then between the Facebook invitations (Thanks, Lisa and Art Love!) and the Constant Contact e-mails that are being sent out, we hope to get a nice turnout. Unfortunately, we won't know until the reading on next Saturday.

Of course, you're probably wondering what The Gingerbread Lady is about?

I'm not usually good at talking about these things, but here it goes:

It is about this failed singer, who is a recovering alcoholic, fresh out of her latest stint in rehab. Once again, she is trying to get her life organized, not to the help of her self-obsessed friends. Complicating matters is the reconnection with her young daughter and a blast for her sordid past. Anything just to keep her on the wagon at this point would be great.

This is one of Neil Simon's rarely produced works. I saw a local production of this show eight years ago and when I getting around to Mr. Neil, I thought about revisiting Gingerbread.

This is a story about overcoming addictions, battling demons, and laughing along the way. Gingerbread also have some serious dark undertones. Each person in this play has a neurosis. They all want to be loved and accepted. The question is: how far are we willing to go?

We ask that question everyday. And Neil Simon is making us ask that question on Saturday, January 31st at 2pm.

We hope to see you there!

It's Been Awhile....

2009-01-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

But for now, my main focus is the two readings that I have set up for this month and next: The Gingerbread Lady and The Homecoming.

Gingerbread is already cast and we go into rehearsals next week. My biggest worry is the next reading.The Homecoming is written by Harold Pinter, who passed away recently.

Anyone who is familiar with Pinter and his texts know his reputation is beyond reproach: Betrayal, The Birthday Party, The Dumbwaiter. We want to celebrate his work and need to find good actors who can handle his dialogue.We need 3 men ranging from 25-35 and 1 female (30's).

One huge requirement is that they know the British dialect. This is not an official notice, we may not need it.

Right now, this is me writing out loud.For now, if you're still listening, our reading of Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady will be on Saturday, January 31st in Dania Beach. If you'd like more information, you can e-mail me at conundrumstages@yahoo.com.

Here's the Plan!

2008-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

Next year, November 22, 2009, we'll be celebrating five years.

What I would like to do is a celebration of the reading series.....a performing arts showcase.

Two nights of scenes from the plays we read in the past and implement different sequences, whether it be a song or a dance, or both.

Make it a fundraiser so we can have money in the bank....sound like a plan, doesn't it?

We'll see. For the next 11 months, I will hopefully get this done.

Stay tuned.

Having a Productive Week Off thus Far!!

2008-12-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

I had eight days of vacation to burn, so I'm taking this time to start working on that wish list.

Let's recap, Now on the books:

January 31st
The Gingerbread Lady by Neil Simon
Broward County Library - Dania Beach Branch

February 20th
The Homecoming by Harold Pinter
Yellow House, Miami

March 28th
The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote
Broward County Library - Northwest Branch, Pompano Beach

This week I have been in talks with both Arts at St. John's in Miami Beach for some Summer readings, sandwiched between the Performing Arts Program at Oakland Park.

I may have to adjust the list in order to get some type of moderate turnout with some familiar titles.....all in a days work for your friendly neighborhood organizer, hopefully I won't burn the candle at both ends.

Will keep you informed.

Uncle Kevin Wants YOU!!!

2008-12-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Want to hone your acting skills with minimal commitment as possible?

Need a pitstop on the way to the next audition or job with little pressure?

Want to have some material to use for new monologues?

Well, here at the Wonderful World of Conundrum Stages (notice how nicely I slipped our blog title in there), we have our play readings that will hopefully help actors showcase their talent, while working with all different levels of experience.

Our playreadings series started in 2004. All it took was a director, some actors I knew, a space and time. The space wanted a name so they could put it on their docket, so I called it The Ghost Light Series. We started with Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour (because that's my favorite play). Our objective was to invite producers to see if this was something they could implement into their programming for the future. Just like they do with original work. The only thing was that this wasn't produced professionally in a long time.

We had a nice turnout plus some good press. So we soldiered on with another piece that I thought of from high school that we never got to explore during our Thespian competition: Ed Bullins' The Taking of Miss Janie.

With this side project, I got to tap into material that were well established while
working with actors who were grateful for the time spent. And I was grateful that they took that time to work with me.

Long story short, we are always looking for new recruits. There is no revenue invloved in this, but for an investment of time (2 days at the most), we get to read some good plays, showcase our talents to the public and hopefully make some good contacts and new friends.

I WILL BE HOLDING GENERAL AUDITIONS at the Broward County Library- Dania Beach Branch on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27TH FROM 12 TO 5PM. Address is 255 Dania Beach Blvd, Dania Beach.

LOOKING FOR ACTORS (18-70) FOR MY WISH LIST OF PLAYS:
The Homecoming
In the Boom Boom Room
Tribute
Legends
The Rainmaker
Inherit the Wind

Please bring a headshot/resume and prepare a 2-min monologue.

For more information and/or To make an appointment, please give me a ring
at 954-673-5124.

Looking forward to hearing from you.