Dear readers,
Welcome to the first-ever edition of The Downtown Beat! Are you excited? I know I am (and I’m using the term liberally, more to mean “exhausted and somewhat regretful of embarking on this, but really hoping I can do my part in building a new way of talking about art that can help turn this dying industry around.”) For this post, I relied mostly on reader submissions, and you sent me some very intriguing shows! Plus, you get some juicy uptown gossip, our first-ever reader-exclusive deal, and a preview of the paid content coming later this month.
Happy fall—and if you happen to try Dunkin’s pumpkin spice version of the iced lemon loaf, tell me if it’s worth it—as true ones know, I am a DD superfan (and that includes the loaf), but I’m ALSO a pumpkin spice non-superfan, so I’m torn… oh and apparently there’s a Dunkin plane??? Please reach out immediately with any info on how to fly in it (or at least to report sightings of it, as some of you have already done),
Francisco
Productions
📍Austin, Texas
Frutos de la Muerte, or the breakdown play
👥 By Delena Bradley, Khristián Méndez Aguirre, Bárbara Mojica, Caroline Reck, Gricelda Silva, and Minerva Villa
📅 October–November
Last season, I had the pleasure of being in The Civilian’s R&D cohort with Khristián Méndez Aguirre (as two white immigrant Latinos, we were more than once called by each other’s name, in a very own Natalie/Keira dynamic). During the residency, he worked on a “certified Latin American magical realism” (as the pre-show announcement proclaimed) piece about fires in Guatemala; he spoke many times about his frustrations with eco-theater (mainly, that it’s usually boring) and his desire to shake things up. Now, he’s joined forces with Delena Bradley, Bárbara Mojica, Caroline Reck, Gricelda Silva, and Minerva Villa to devise Los Frutos de la Muerte, a piece about funghi for Austin’s Glass Half Full Theatre that blends “movement, puppetry, wit, and bilingualism.” I simply must point out that the play that has a “Fungal Dramaturgy by” credit in its program; if this is not downtown, I don’t know what is.
📍Indianapolis, Indiana
Wad
👥 By Keiko Green, Directed by Emily Moler
🏠 Produced by American Lives Theatre and The New Harmony Project at Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center
📅 Through September 28
Keiko was a developed playwright at the theater I used to work for, so I’m sure we’ve emailed before (meaning, I probably asked her for a headshot/bio to put on our website, and she hopefully was one of the ones that sent it right away without any weird capitalizations on play titles), but I’ve never seen her work. However, the blurb for Wad (which already had a Zoom premiere in 2021, but it is now being incarnated in flesh and blood for American Lives Theater in co-pro with New Harmony Project) sounds intriguing—though not as intriguing as her own words when she described the show to me: “It’s a tiny production with giant, potentially triggering themes and ideas: the systems of capital punishment and the sexualization of violence.”
📍New York, New York
Blood Orange
👥 By Abigail Duclos, Directed by Vernice Miller
🏠 Produced by Et Alia Theater at The A.R.T./New York Theatres
📅 Through September 27
I’ve been a fan of the Et Alia folks for quite a while; as it is wont to happen in the tiny world of theater—and the tinier one of immigrant theater—we’ve crossed paths multiple times, and it’s always been a delight. One of them, Giorgia Valenti, even played a “very scary”—according to audience feedback—visa agent for my Civilians final presentation (second Civilians mention in this edition! Do I hear a branded post?) Giorgia also produced one of the three pieces that inspired me to launch this newsletter in the first place: Riven, a site-specific play about trash collectors beautifully staged at a recycling center in Brooklyn, which went tragically uncovered by theater outlets. So I was happy when she reached out about Et Alia’s latest piece, Blood Orange, a “horror comedy” that sounds very [bleep]ed up!
The Matriarchs
👥 By Liba Vaynberg, Directed by Dina Vovsi
🏠 Produced by Anna & Kitty, Inc. at TheaterLab
📅 Through September 28
Ah, TheaterLab—where every step you take is a stab to the ears of your fellow patrons, and the elevator takes you to the outer rims of the known galaxy before finally arriving on the 3rd floor. But brave it all you shall, because this play is being self-produced by the playwright despite fancy organizations like The Civilians (seriously, send me a check) and The O’Neill having put their grubby hands on it at different points. A more desperate playwright would’ve waited to get an uptown offer, but Liba said, “[bleep] it, we’ll do it live,” and what could be more downtown than that? I read the script when I was on the panel of [Big Award name redacted*], and I said in my report: “This one reminded me a bit of Wish You Were Here, both because of the time jumps and the examination of female friendships. There was something endearing about it, particularly in the mom character, which alternated between being a sort of god and a mom who resented being put in a god-like role.”
*So that I won’t be disinvited from judging again for violating their (non-existent but still enforced) NDA.
The Maenads
👥 By Stephen Foglia, Directed by Phillip Christian Smith
🏠 A Tank Core Production with Harborcoat Productions at The Tank
📅 Through October 12
Ok so I stupidly thought the name was some sort of pun, like The Janeiad or Amm(i)gone, but turns out maenads (“mee-nads”) are a thing? According to Wikipedia, “inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication, the maenads would dress in fawn skins and ivy-wreaths around their heads or wear a bull helmet in honor of their god, and often handle or wear snakes.” It’s giving Midsommar, and it matches the description of the play that I got from the team: “A wild, boundary-pushing experience that combines tripped-out music and movement sequences with a timely and caustic exploration of male flailing and the fears and misperceptions men have about women.” And all of this at an itty bitty space The Tank!
Festivals
📍New York, New York
For the Streets! A Festival of Political Performance
🏠 Produced by Radical Evolution at La Plaza Cultural
📅 October 4
I still remember an event Radical Evolution threw for the launch of a fiction podcast—about the time some Irish soldiers defected from the U.S. Army to fight for Mexico during the Mexican-American War (yeah, that actually happened)—during which I got into a very intense conversation with another playwright about the dangers of commercializing our oppressed identities... these folks know how to bring the right people together! That sounds especially true of their upcoming festival, which, according to producer Meropi Peponides, “harnesses the vibes of the Mamdani campaign and brings them to a performance festival” for people “who may not ever walk through the doors of [Broadway theater name redacted*] or even [Off-Broadway theater name redacted†], but who deserve great art that speaks to our lives, concerns and politics.”
*So as not to make new enemies this early on in the run.
†So that my old enemies can’t find me.
Fucked-Up Play Fest!
🏠 At Caveat
📅 October 4
No, I didn’t copy-paste and forget to update the date—this ALSO happens to be on October 4, but I challenge TDB readers to try to make it to both, since FUPF starts at 9:30pm! In their own words: “We’re an indie show with no budget, happening every couple of months, featuring brand new work by playwrights who frequent the Off-Off-Broadway/indie scene. It’s our mission to make outside-the-box theater that brings in audiences who don't necessarily frequent more traditional/established theaters by being CHEAP and FUN [capitalization theirs].” What else do you need to know?? Oh, maybe that for the October showing, they are featuring playwrights who are published with indie publisher 1319 Press, “so both organizations can lift each other up!” It’s downtown on top of downtown—downtown squared!
Beyond The Realm
🏠 Produced by The Playwrights Realm at venues across the city
📅 September–November
I am biased about this one—but not because it’s produced by my former employer (I was never shy about expressing contrary opinions when I was on staff, as any of my former colleagues can attest). Rather, it’s because the first edition of this festival featured one of my all-time favorite pieces of theater, Ugandan playwright Asiimwe Deborah Kawe’s Appointment With gOD (directed by a baby Saheem Ali). A mixture of play and religious ritual set at a U.S. Consulate, where visa applicants pray to be stamped with the right color, AWg was also a perfect showcase of what this festival is supposed to provide: “a radical space of experimentation to serve the needs of playwrights whose bold new works don’t fit in the traditional play development model.” This year’s lineup has pieces focusing on translation, dance, and even a “crash course in activism” that takes patrons through the streets of New York.
Readings
📍Frenchtown, New Jersey
Empire Liquor
👥 By Peter Kim George, Directed by Nana Dakin
🏠 At ArtYard, in collaboration with Brave New Works
📅 September 20
The culmination of Peter Kim George’s residency at ArtYard, “an arts organization that is focused on supporting artists in developing new work,” in collaboration with Brave New Works, “a new play development initiative that nurtures the early life of plays and the artists who create them,” this reading promises some metatheatrics: a group of friends in 2021 quarantine in a Scottish manor to workshop a play about the killing of Latasha Harlins by Empire Liquors owner Soon Ja Du twenty years earlier. ArtYard’s team tells me that “[Frenchtown] is a lovely river town of 1,400 people along the Delaware River, quite an unexpected place for arresting art like Empire Liquor,” which just goes to show downtown is not a place, but a state of mind.
Concerts
📍New York, New York
Abdullah Ibrahim: Life of a Legend
🏠 Jazz at Lincoln Center
📅 October 3-4
How “downtown” can an event at Lincoln Center be? Fair question—but the marketing staff made an impassionate case for it: “Abdullah Ibrahim is one of South Africa’s most influential pianists, one of the few legends of his era still playing, and most people don’t know his sound. He survived and flourished in some incredibly difficult political times for South Africa, and wrote amazing tunes along with his group Ekaya, who will also be playing on this show!” Sounds downtown to me.
Uptown gossip
Here at The Downtown Beat, we* believe in punching up when it comes to spreading gossip, so let us feast over a juicy morsel of the lives of our rich and powerful† uptown brethren:
Another day, another executive leadership mess
In yet another plot twist in what sister publication‡ Nothing For The Group calls “The Regional Theater Game of Thrones,” I’m told we should expect the Artistic Director of a major East Coast theater (that’s as specific as I can get without landing myself or others in trouble) to get fired by the board very soon, amidst an investigation brough on by a former staff member’s complaints—just as I am also hearing this person is a finalist for a different big arts job. If I know this industry, there’ll be a muted, cordial public parting of ways with some words about how, despite a tenure on the short side, the legacy this person leaves behind is truly transformative yada yada yada and then the cycle starts over again. Still, the damage is done—I’ve written about this kind of thing before, but it’s worth repeating: no one wins in these situations, folks. Staff are left adrift, doing jobs they are not paid for, before a new leader comes in and potentially cleans house. Boards end up having to get more involved than they ever expected to (especially for a volunteer position) in matters that are often wildly outside their area of expertise. And the leaders themselves have to restart their lives yet again (taking these jobs is never a chill endeavor), but now having burned a bridge with a significant part of the community. It’s the sort of thing that can kill a company—and has, many times. Here’s hoping the “how will the press release land” phase of hiring leaders (which itself succeeded the “this person’s qualifications are: being the best friend of the board chair” phase) is coming to an end. Sustainable governance needs to become priority number one!
*Who’s “we?” I’m literally the only writer on staff!
†Arguably, no one is truly rich and powerful in this field; I once famously described our gatekeepers as “guarding a chest that contains a used Metrocard.”
‡I did not check with Lauren Halvorsen before calling NTFG a “sister publication,” and there’s a strong chance she’d be upset and ofended by the association.
An exclusive deal
My friend (and photographer to the stars) Daniel J. Vasquez once took this headshot of me:
If you know me in real life, you know I’m not that hot! He could do the same for you! He could make you look hotter than you are in real life! And because he’s a downtowner at heart, he’s offering my readers a ~secret~ deal, The Quick Take: 2 headshots for a cool $100—perfect for those of us whose profile pics are getting long in the tooth while our wallets refuse to fatten up. The deal is available only on the first Monday of every month (the man is busy, people), so book NOW:
Terms and conditions: You are not allowed to share that link (what happens downtown, stays downtown), and please don’t forget to put “The Downtown Beat” down as your referrer!
A free preview of paid content
The Listing is free for all, but everything else is for our frequent flyers Platinum cardholders season pass memebers paid subscribers! If you are not one of those, here’s what you WON’T be getting in the coming weeks:
An essay by yours truly, “Is American Latinidad Just a Performance? Thoughts on an Invented Third Culture.” Spawned by the experience of being asked to be a Latine audience consultant for a play at [Off-Broadway theater name redacted], I reflect on the dissonance that I, someone born and raised in Latin America, feel when I’m in affinity spaces with American-born Latinos—just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month! (Speaking of which: consider this my official offer to be the Latine audience consultant for the Evita team soon crossing the pond—after all, both it and my own play are listed under Concord Theatrical’s “Latine Experience” tag. I got the cred!)
The first episode of the Downtown Chats podcast, “No One Is Safe Around Lilly Camp,” in which I sit down with my friend and longtime esteemed colleague
Jacqueline FolletLilly Camp to discuss the fact that they have written not one, not two, not three, but FOUR plays based on stuff that happened to them or people they know. How do they sleep at night? Here’s a preview:
Don’t let that FOMO ruin your life:
I want to hear from you!
This is the literal first edition of this newsletter, so I am really looking forward to hearing how you liked it and any suggestions or questions you might have—email them all to me (or just respond this message if you’re reading this on your inbox)! EXCEPT if you mean ~business~, in which case please go to the Contact page for further instructions.