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Pandora Talks About Samuraization
By Gary Wien
 What is SAMURAIZATION all about?
...Having my sushi and eating it, too! It's about getting happy - and about celebrating being alive - which means facing the fact that we're all going to be not alive at some point. The show's inspired by a Japanese writer named Yukio Mishima who was deeply into the Samurai culture - which stressed the importance of making bold, clear choices... (you don't see images of whiny, wishy-washy Samurai warriors..."Do I chop off his head now? or now?"). I feel like lots of people - including myself - struggle with how to get the most out of life. The show explores doing that by getting clear about what life is (or can be): an intense, finite experience of calculated risks.
Audiences say the show's hilarious and uplifting -- and hearing everyone laughing, I guess you wouldn't think it's a show about death -- but it is. I've had people tell me that they see the show being about facing fear, about making the right choices, about feeling good. I can agree with all of these.
You've performed one-woman plays before, do you like the challenge of being alone on stage?
I'm thrilled by performing solo on stage - I'm alive and buzzing when I'm out there with the audience. I've been called a 'stand-up poet' - which is some kind of hybrid of stand-up comic and performance poet - and there's accuracy to that statement, I think. Every show is different because of the audience and that makes the whole ride worth taking.
What's the most difficult thing about a one person show? What's the most rewarding?
The most difficult thing for me is rehearsing. It can be really lonely because my whole show rides on the relationship with the audience --- which is the most rewarding thing --- making the connection with the audience.
I notice that you sometimes move back and forth between your works (like going from Fear Junkie to Samuraization) - do you ever find your characters morphing by accident? How do you keep the works straight?
Fun question! I don't actually - it's really fortunate that, for some reason, the pieces are caught in different parts of my brain, I guess... That'd be really fun, though, to see Yukio Mishima show up in the middle of my therapy session for Fear Junkie!
Tell me a little about the Out of the Box series you co-host in North Brunswick.
Oh, yes!! Thank you for asking! OUT OF THE BOX is an open-mic series for performers of all types. We've been running for three years now at the Pride Center in North Brunswick. Each month we have a featured artist - now they're coming in from around the nation - Arizona, Washington DC, Chicago. About 40-55 folks show up each month to listen and share. It's a really special space - where people actually listen and are there to support each other. I couldn't be prouder of this event.
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The Panto Company Presents "Beauty and the Beast" at The Newton Theatre
(NEWTON, NJ) -- When you think of a dying rose and a clock, candlestick andteapot who talk... you are thinking Beauty and the Beast. One of this season's spellbinding family shows from The Panto Company USA stars Dame Dotty Potty, Loopy Louie, Gaston, Belle and of course The Beast! The company brings their show to The Newton Theatre on Sunday, March 3 at 3:00pm.
La Strada Ensemble Theater Presents "La Bella Familia" by Edwin Sanchez
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- La Strada Ensemble Theater presents La Bella Familia by Edwin Sanchez from January 18-20. The play deals with a Puerto Rican hit woman and the gentlest man in the world move next door to the neighbors from hell and everyone learns, the hard way, that family comes first.
Art House Productions Presents "The Passion Project" by Reid Farrington
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions presents the unique theatrical experience that is Reid Farrington’s The Passion Project performed by Laura K. Nicoll. Eight performances will take place from February 21st to March 3rd. The Passion Project is a 30 minute vibration between performance, film, and installation. Carl Th.Dreyer’s 1928 immortal masterpiece, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is the main narrative along with the history behind the making of the film, a discussion with a Danish archivist, the story of making this project, as well as Joan’s own story –– her trial, torture, and execution. The Passion Project explodes the film into the three dimensions; placing the audience inside the film, sitting next to Joan, subjecting them to the relentless rhythm of 35 mm film projection.
4th Wall Theatre Presents "Intimate Apparel" by Lynn Nottage
(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- 4TH WALL THEATRE continues its 22nd season with a one weekend run of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. The show will be presented as part of the Black History Month celebrations on February 22, 23, and 24 at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, NJ. The show is directed by 4th Wall Executive Director Gwen Ricks-Spencer.
East Lynne Theater, the Henry Sawyer Inn, and Twin Gable's Inn present Murder Mystery Weekends
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- The award-winning East Lynne Theater Company, with The Henry Sawyer Inn and Twin Gables Inn, present Murder Mystery Weekends on February 15-16, March 8-9, March 22-23, March 29-30, and April 5-6. Participants can test their crime-solving skills while staying in one of these lovely Bed & Breakfasts. East Lynne Theater Company's Murder Mystery Weekends were cited among one of the top five in the country by "AM NY."
It's "Apple Season" at NJ Rep
Every family has stories. Some are funny. Some are sweet. Some are sad. And some are never shared.
Those are often the most powerful.
Rise of the Goatman
Theater For The New City presents Beltsville/Rockville, Part 1: Rise of the Goatman, an original play by Englewood resident Matt Okin (Artistic Director of Black Box Studios), from December 27 through January 13. In this pseudo-Southern Gothic dark comedy, a vibrant group of teens from two very different suburban neighborhoods clash over class differences, drugs, and sex - and the existence of the legendary ‘Goatman’ in 1986. Cut to 2013, and the adolescent kids of those very same teens are struggling to make sense of their family histories - and the same “mythological” creature - that could be holding them back in life.
PHOTOS from "The Winter's Tale" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s concludes its 56th season with its sixth and final Main Stage production, The Winter's Tale. Last seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in 2008, Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte directs this production of Shakespeare’s tragicomedic romance. Veteran company members Jacqueline Antaramian, Jon Barker, Erin Partin, John Keabler, Raphael Nash Thompson,Seamus Mulcahy, Patrick Toon, and Ames Adamson are among a cast of 20 actors. Performances run now through December 30.
REVIEW: "It's A Wonderful Life" At Mile Square Theatre
Nestled in a corner of Hoboken, on the second floor, lies the studios of radio station WMST. It’s a wonderful art deco studio, replete with fine wooden walls, embedded with colorful lights an applause sign. On stage, we’ve got a few chairs, several microphones and a whole corner wedged with all the necessary props – piano, men’s shoes, sheet metal – to create the audio effects for the production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Betsy Aidem Puts A Woman's Touch On George Street Playhouse's "A Doll's House, Part 2"
Betsy Aidem is a veteran actress you might have seen on Broadway. Or maybe on an episode of “Law & Order: SVU.” Or maybe on the big screen last year in “The Greatest Showman.”
But over the next few weeks in New Brunswick, Aidem is adding a brand-new section to her résumé — by helming a sequel (of sorts) to a classic play that’s more than 100 years old.
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