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2013 Winter Reading Lab

February 16, 2013

Squeaky Bicycle’s Reading Lab is back, and we have some awesome pieces to show you! Our Reading Lab was created to focus on helping emerging playwrights develop new work. This year, we’re featuring two fantastic new plays: Dylan Lamb’s Alligator Summer and Christina Gorman’s Far From the Trees.

As audience members, you are invaluable. Not only will you get the chance to see staged readings of two promising new scripts, but you will also be able to help in the development process by participating in a short talkback (complete with wine!). With your help, we’ll be able to get these shows ready for fully-staged productions.

 


Sunday, February 17 at 7 PM

Alligator Summer

by Dylan Lamb

Tennessee Williams gets absurd in this dark-dark-darkly comic memory play of a closeted pre-pubescent, Antietam Julep, coming of age during a reptilian apocalypse in 1940s Louisiana. With wit, gore, sentiment, idiocy, archetypes, accents, and Gators, Alligator Summer is the guiltiest of pleasures for the sadist freak in all of us.
Featuring:
Nicholas Yenson*
Bryan Marshall
Sharon Hunter*
John Say*
Annalisa Loeffler*
Nathan Brisby*
Laura Ramadei
Jeff Johnson


Directed by:

Brandi Varnell


February 25 at 7 PM

Far From the Trees

by Christina Gorman

A middle-aged widower learns his beloved forest of petrified trees, which he has spent years painstakingly unearthing, is priceless. He can save his family from bottomless debt if only he will sell. Why then, can’t he let go?

Featuring:
William Kozy
Kelly Kay Griffith*
Sergio LoDolce
Brandi Varnell*
Mark A. Keeton*
Jeff Johnson
Directed by:
Kathryn McConnell

Both readings hosted by
The Drilling Company
236 West 78th Street, Third Floor
New York, NY 10024

Produced in association with The Drilling Company: Hamilton Clancy, AD
Donations are accepted to benefit The Drilling Company’s newly expanded Arts Space


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Get Your 2012 Tax Deductions!

December 30, 2012

There are only a few days left to squeeze in one last deduction for your 2012 taxes! Your contribution to Squeaky Bicycle Productions will go directly to the materials and artists needed to produce new theater of the highest quality. The best news about it? It’s TAX DEDUCTIBLE! 
To donate, everything you need can be found at fracturedatlas.org 

As we continue to grow (and grow we will! stay tuned…) we depend more and more on contributions from arts supporters like you. The generosity of our donors has made many great things possible, and we are so very grateful for each and every donation.

From our Squeaky hearts to yours: Happy New Year!

*Earth without art is just eh.*

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October 24, 2012

The year was 1984.  Massachusetts became the first state in the union to declare a state-wide ban on the phenomenon known as the “Happy Hour.”

Fortunately, we are NOT in Massachusetts and we are most definitely not in the 80s (though, current fashion trends may disagree).  Allow me to announce:

Squeaky Bike’s Happy Hour Fundraiser at the Village Pourhouse
On Friday, the 26th, from 7 – 9 PM, drop by the Village Pourhouse, cough up $25, and prepare to be rewarded with your fill (and then some, but be safe!) of beer, wine, and well drinks.  Bring your friends, family, coworkers (if you can stand ’em) and help us produce our upcoming project: Winter Reading Lab 2013.
Village Pourhouse
64 Third Avenue (at Eleventh Street)
*we’ll be in the back*

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Q&A with set designer Brandon Pietras

July 4, 2012

Pop Dies in Vegas, sprung from the mind (yes, Zeus-style, as we imagine it to have happened) of
playwright W.M. Akers, is a never-ending cycle of hijinks revolving around the
desperation of two men fallen from the spotlight.  Grappling hooks, spray paint, zip lines,
blood and a bevy of weapons litter the crime scene, set in a posh Las Vegas hotel.  Set designer Brandon Pietras, shares his thoughts on the show:
Squeaky Bicycle:  What
was the first thought that came to mind after reading Pop Dies in Vegas?
Brandon Pietras:  “Oh
man, not another show with blood!”
SB:          What did
you find the most challenging about the project?
BP:         So far,
it’s been finding an affordable way to spray-paint and blood-proof the set.  The vision for the design came very quickly
initially, but it’s taken a lot of tweaking and fine tuning.  Also, citing everything we need efficiently
in the venue, which is quite small!
SB:          What kind
of research happened for this show?
BP:         I looked
through a ton of 1970’s interior design pictures and furniture pictures to get
an idea for the aesthetic, then we narrowed it down to a few images we liked
the best.  From there, I picked out color
swatches to inform the design, and used them to create the digital sketches for
the set.
SB:          Favorite
teen heartthrob (current or from your teen years)?
BP:         Oof, teen
heartthrob? I don’t know if I was ever the “heartthrob” type but
waaay back in the day I remember thinking Lindsay Lohan was cute in the Parent
Trap, but I wasn’t a teen then.  I always
listened to really old music from the 60’s and 70’s so I wasn’t really paying
attention to the Mistys of my day 🙂
SB:          Did you
have a super pop playlist to listen to for inspiration?
BP:         (laughs)No,
I didn’t.  It’s hard enough to escape
from Justin Bieber and One Direction on my commute – I didn’t have to go out of
my way to make a playlist!

Brandon Pietras graduated from Fordham University in 2012 with a degree in
Pre-Architecture. While at Fordham, he set designed for Bridget Carpenter’s The
Death of the Father of Psycoanalysis (& Anna)
, and a student written piece
Front Porch Play by Sean-Patrick Monahan. Pop Dies in Vegas is his first project with Squeaky Bicycle Productions.

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July 1, 2012

Squeaky Bicycle Productions is delighted to announce the world premiere of Pop Dies in Vegas, a madcap bloodbath about the perils of life at the top of the charts. Coming July 13-29!

Our hero is Casper, a golden-voiced pop idol who has just made the mistake of turning eighteen.  Forgotten by his public, Casper faces the ugly choice of fading into obscurity or, worse, growing up.  Instead he embarks on a poorly executed attempt to retire a legend by faking his own death.  All that stands in his way is common sense and a bathtub full of blood.

The author of this teenybopper murder-farce is W.M. Akers, a reporter, NYU alum, and recipient of the John Golden Playwrighting Prize in Excellence.  Developed as part of our annual Winter Reading Lab, Pop Dies in Vegas is Akers’ first collaboration with Squeaky Bicycle Productions.

Get your tickets now for the most exciting comedy of the summer! 


Pop Dies In Vegas

by W.M. Akers

Directed by Kathryn McConnell

Assistant Director: Brandi Varnell



Featuring:

I.B. White*, Don Carter*, Deven Walker*, Jeff Johnson, 

Chet Siegel*, and Romy Nordlinger*

at 


The Drilling CompaNY Theatre

236 W 78th St, 3rd Floor


New York, NY

(78th & Broadway)

Performance Dates:

July 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26 and 28 @ 8:00pm

July 15, 22 and 29 @ 3:00pm

Advance Tickets are $15 at 

or by calling 212-868-4444
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $18 – until they’re gone!

*Members Appearing Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
Pop Dies in Vegas is an Equity Approved Showcase.

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Extra! Extra! Tax deductions! Get your tax deductions!

June 15, 2012

We are thrilled to announce our next production: W. M. Akers’ hilarious Pop Dies in Vegas, coming this July. All the exciting details (and a little backstage gossip) are coming soon – but we have some big news that we just couldn’t wait to share:
 

Squeaky Bicycle has officially secured fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas!


That means that starting with Pop Dies in Vegas, any donation you make to Squeaky Bicycle Productions is now tax deductible. We have been so grateful for your support of our work as patrons, donors, and volunteers, and we’re thrilled to be able to give you something in return (something OTHER than extraordinary new theater)! 
 
While you wait for more details about Pop Dies in Vegas, head over to 
https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/6631 and help us make it happen! Every financial and material donation goes a long way. 
Thanks in advance for your continued support! Stay tuned for exciting news about a certain pop star…

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Announcing the 2012 Spring Reading Lab

March 11, 2012

Hello Patrons and Friends,

Even though it’s already March, we’d like to extend a Happy New Year to you all! After a wonderfully successful 2011, we have been hard at work this year with the return of our Reading Lab.

The Reading Lab focuses on helping emerging playwrights develop new plays. Both pieces from last year’s Reading Lab were developed into full productions, and Jane Miller’s Feedback is being produced again this month by the Lyric Theatre in Los Angeles.

This year, we’re presenting Equity Staged Readings of two more exciting new plays:
Positive by Jeff Ronan
and
Pop Dies in Vegas by W.M. Akers

And we need you! As audience members, you not only get the chance to hear readings of two insightful new scripts, but you will also be able to help in the development process by participating in a short talk back and reception (including wine and refreshments). With your help, we’ll be able to prepare these plays for fully-staged productions.

Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about our 2012 Spring Reading Lab:

March 23, 8:00pm:
POSITIVE
By Jeff Ronan
Directed by: Kathryn McConnell
Featuring: Sergio LoDolce, Kyla Schoer*, John Say, Sarah Cooper, and Jessica Mortellaro*
Jake may finally be in a healthy relationship…if only he can learn to stop focusing on the negative. A dark comedy about modern dating, ‘Positive’ follows four 20-somethings as they learn that the biggest obstacle to happiness is yourself.
March 24, 7:00pm:
POP DIES IN VEGAS
By: W.M. Akers
Directed By: Brandi Varnell
Featuring: Ian White*, Don Carter*, Laura Ramadei, Alison Mahoney*, Jeff Johnson, Toni Stanton*, and Kevin Russo.
For three years, Casper has been the country’s most beloved pop idol, but on his eighteenth birthday his star has begun to fall. At eighteen he is over-the-hill, his career finished. Rather than fade quietly into obscurity, Casper embarks on a daring scheme to fake his own death, ensuring decades of record sales and allowing him to retire as a legend. Nothing stands in his way besides common sense and a little blood.
Cost: $10 suggested Donation for Refreshments
At Joria Productions
260 W 36th St, 3rd Floor
(Btwn. 7th and 8th Avenues)

To reserve a seat for our 2012 Spring Reading Lab email us at [email protected]

We can’t wait to see you at the shows!

Sincerely,
Kathryn McConnell and Brandi Varnell
Co-producers, Squeaky Bicycle Productions

*Members appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association.

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Audiences loved POISONED

February 8, 2012

Hello, and happy 2012!
Squeaky Bicycle Productions would like to thank everyone who made our last production, J. Boyett’s Poisoned a great success! Audiences called it “fantastic,” and “a terrific production.” We couldn’t agree more: we’re so proud to have been part of this masterful collaboration of writing, performing, and design.
Olivia Jane Smith of the New York Theatre Review agreed, saying:
“It’s a credit to Boyett’s writing that we can sympathize with all three characters, even as we are well aware of their failings.
“Kelly Kay Griffith is tightly wound as the disappointed Sam… Kate Eastman is knowing and wise beyond her years as Dee-Dee…[and] As Tom, Dennis Brito channels both the ease of a man who finally has everything he wants and the desperate anger of seeing it smashed to pieces just when it was within his grasp.”
We are most proud to have been able to present a show that gets its audience talking. The feedback that we were most excited about came from another member of our audience, who mentioned what the lobby was like after the show: “After it ended, people stayed around to discuss it, a sure sign that you have succeeded.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Thanks to all of our patrons for digging in to Poisoned so eagerly, and for making 2011 a spectacular year for Squeaky Bicycle Productions.
Dennis Brito, Kate Eastman and Kelly Kay Griffith
in J. Boyett’s Poisoned
We’ll see you again soon!
Sincerely,
Kathryn McConnell and Brandi Varnell
Co-Founders and Co-Producers
Squeaky Bicycle Productions

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Announcing POISONED

October 24, 2011

Squeaky Bicycle Productions is thrilled to announce Poisoned, by J. Boyett, a brilliant play from our Winter Reading Lab that’s been further developed as a full-scale production.

When Tom’s sister Samantha disapproves of his new girlfriend, he figures it’s simply because she’s half his age. But she has more than one reason not to like her… Past transgressions and modern technology collide in this drama by Squeaky Bicycle Productions’ resident playwright J. Boyett (MITF award nominee for “The Reunion Plays”). With Poisoned, Boyett delivers a play that fearlessly tackles the delicate topics we often avoid, painting characters that are strong, raw, and above all, real.

Directed by Kathryn McConnell
Featuring:
Kelly Kay Griffith*, Dennis Brito, and Kate Eastman
November 19 through December 10, 2011
at Theater Three at the Mint Space
311 West 43rd Street
New York, NY.
Tickets are $18
And can be purchased via SmartTix at: http://is.gd/cYkuuX
Or by calling (212) 868-4444
Performance Dates/Times:
Sat. Nov. 19th- 2pm
Sun. Nov. 20th- 8pm
Tues. Nov.22nd- 8pm
Fri. Nov. 25th- 8pm
Sat. Nov. 26th- 2pm
Sun. Nov. 27th- 7pm
Mon. Nov. 28th- 7pm
Tues. Nov. 29th- 8pm
Fri. Dec. 2nd- 5pm
Sat. Dec. 3rd- 2pm
Mon. Dec. 5th- 7pm
Tues. Dec. 6th- 8pm
Fri. Dec. 9th- 5pm
Sat. Dec. 10th- 2pm

Poisoned is an Equity Approved Showcase.

*Appearing courtesy Actors’ Equity Association

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August 25, 2011

Hello, friends and patrons!

We are happy to say that Reputation Control: Emerging Playwrights’ Rep was a huge success! Audiences were thrilled by the plays and the amazing talent of the casts and creative team.

Thank you to so many of our patrons for coming out to see the shows and for being absolutely fabulous audiences!

Thanks again for your kind support, and we can’t wait to share our next project with you. We look forward to having you with us as Squeaky Bicycle continues its exciting journey. Rest assured – more news is coming from us very soon!

Best,

Brandi Varnell and Kathryn McConnell

Co-Founders, Squeaky Bicycle Productions