2nd Annual Chester Horn Short Play Festival

A note from Artistic Dirctor Jeff Love:

Last weekend I had the magnificent pleasure of partaking in Theatre Rats' 2nd Annual Chester Horn one-act festival.

Theatre Rats is a great company of people who are focused on developing the community of theatre in New York. I got to meet and work with such visionaries as Alexis Hadsall and Michael Ruby, the Artistic and Associate Artistic Directors (respectfully) of Theatre Rats.

And I really do have to call them visionairies.

They are able to see theatre in New York as a whole and not just as a collection of individual companies. It's easy to get so wrapped up in the feeling of competition for fame or fortune when you feel like there are only so many audience members to go around, but nothing could be farther from the truth!

Theatre Rats managed to bring over sixty people together to produce some wonderful work. Most of us had not worked together before.

If there is any sort of competition out there, it would seem that it is from those who are not interested in making good work as much as gaining popularity and wealth.

In that sense, Theatre Rats is an inspiration to everyone. Imagine in this day of infomercials and commericals that tell you how to make a quick buck and / or how you can become the most popular / happy / smart / rich kid on the block, having someone who just wants to see you succeed and have a good time doing it?

It was fabulous and a relief.

I certainly hope that we'll be able to work again in the future and I wish them the absolute best in luck.

A fond farewell for Hurt So Good

Well, we made it. We performed our last show on Saturday night to a sold out house - everyone had a great time. In fact, Jessie J. Fahay, the actress who played Cecily, wanted to take a moment to bid the show adieu. Read below:

Working with Point of You has been nothing short of fun, challenging, and above all, inspiring. They are a team of artists who are organized and professional and at the same time versatile, creative, and really f***ing talented! Though this is my first time working with them, I can tell from this short 3 month period that they work so well together because of their ability to make great decisions while still creating a supportive environment for all those who collaborated with Hurt So Good. And when I say "collaborated," I mean just that. This was a remarkable ensemble piece in which the writer, director, and lead actor himself let his cast and Point of You members give many, many suggestions towards all three of his responsibilities... all of which he considered, making this a show about the ensemble--the best type of show to be a part of. Point of You members personally provided me with a lot of support, respect, love, and a really fun and challenging character--one that I will miss. Thank you guys. I am proud to call you family.

We'll miss you, too Jessie and thanks for doing such a great job. Thank you to all of our actors, crew members and staff who made Hurt So Good such a success. We could not have done it without you.

An interview with Female Pet, Felicia Velasco

Q. Thanks for meeting with me this morning, Felicia.
A. No problem, anything for Point of You.

Q. So tell me a little about your character, Female Pet. You don’t speak much, huh?
A. Female Pet was explained to me as being the fairy god pet of the BDSM scene. I just sort of flutter around from scene to scene observing what is going on with everyone else. I think Female Pet has all of her sh_t together and is a simple girl. She is quite content in her lifestyle.

Q. How do you feel about being a submissive and having a mistress?
A. It’s awesome. I love my Mistress Lyla. Female Pet is extremely loyal to her. And Sonia is such a kick ass girl!

Q. With such a large cast sharing one big dressing room, are there any fun tales to tell?
A. Well about once a week Sonia (Mistress Lyla) gets her first outfit polished by Maggie (Servant). That’s always fun to see and so very ironic. Maggie does very good work. Jessie and I (Cecily) have begun this ritual of warming up before the show by jumping invisible rope and then we do some crazy yoga exercises and then she does two push ups with me on her back! It’s awesome! Jesse is a kick ass girl, as well.

Q. There are two party scenes in the show - what do you really talk about at the party?
A. I keep my conversations in character, which is fun. In the Act I party scene I try to convince Rebecca (Marlise) to get a collar and I flirt with her and make her all uncomfortable. In Act II, while I’m bent over the saw horse, Woman Seeking (Hailey Giles) once whispered “now I’m saying something kinky” and “I’m bending this way because if I don’t, the audience can see right up my skirt”. Sonia tries to behave as my Mistress, but then I just start laughing – we need to work on that.

Q. Any mishaps on stage?
A. Well, the saw horse has been a huge problem. I think someone unintentionally walks into it every night. I’ve missed my cue twice last week in one of the scenes at the end of Act II, but shhh…don’t tell. And I covered it beautifully, if I say so myself!

Q. Were you worried about the subject matter?
A. I was slightly nervous about revealing too much. I didn’t want to be naked or half naked or three quarters naked. I believe I told Marc at the beginning of the production that I wanted to save my nakedness for the wrap party. I did some research on the scene. I read a book, Sensual Magic, very informative!

Q. How has the feedback been?
A. A couple of my friends were curious to know who “Female Pet” really was – there is just so much mystery and intrigue to my character. =)

And the first question that one of my girlfriends asked her friends when they left the theatre was, “what’s fisting?” Their response: “you really don’t know?” So people have definitely learned a thing or two!

Q. Any parting words?
A. I just want to say how awesome (I use that word a lot) it has been working with the cast and the Point of You peeps. I’ve met really great people and I hope to work with all of them again. Cheesy, but true!

Do you have a question for a cast member? Feel free to contact us at info@pointofyou.org. We may just post your question and our answer!

Felicia (second from right) and her castmates during a scene in Mistress Lyla's den.

Hurt So Good received a great review!

nytheatre.com review

Michael Criscuolo · August 31, 2006

Equal parts expose and sex-ed class, Johnny Blaze Leavitt's new comedy Hurt So Good is also one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the still-young theatre season. Smart and engaging, Leavitt's story of one man's initiation into the world of BDSM teaches tolerance, encourages diversity, and reminds us that love and sex aren't confined to the little vanilla breadbox we often want to keep them in.

Tom is an aspiring documentary filmmaker whose soon-to-be live-in girlfriend, Cecily, has a surprising confession: she's a sexual submissive who wants him to dominate her. Having no idea what exactly that means, Tom sets out to learn more. He gathers up his film crew and embarks on a journey into the BDSM subculture to find out how to be a proper master, what being a submissive entails, and get some good footage for a new documentary project. Of course, Tom and his intrepid crew discover some unexpected things about themselves and each other along the way.

Leavitt succeeds on several fronts with Hurt So Good. First of all, his play is funny. Hurt So Good has a lot of fun ribbing both its protagonists and its subject. When telling his best friend, Keller, about Cecily's revelation, Tom immediately conjures images of leather-clad sadists in a dark dungeon. "Dude, I can't do any of that stuff!" he exclaims, "I mean, I don't even have a basement!" Later on, Keller protests Tom's suggestion that the film crew attend its first fetish party. The reason? "It's in Queens!" In Act II, while pondering the morality of having a female submissive (played perfectly by Maggie Cino) clean their apartment, Tom and Keller both pause long enough to note that "the place looks great, though."

Second, this is skillful writing. Leavitt surrounds Tom with a crew that represents several opposing viewpoints: there's Mairi, the quiet one who goes with the flow; Keller, the smart-ass who makes fun of everything (sometimes as a defense mechanism); and the tightly-wound Rebecca, who freaks out when confronted with something that doesn't jibe with her beliefs. The beauty of his writing here is that this device never feels likes one. When Tom & Co. debate the validity of their documentary and the BDSM lifestyle (which is often), their arguments come off as believable disputes between friends and co-workers.

Leavitt also demystifies common misconceptions about the BDSM community, putting the image of dungeon-dwelling masochists quickly to rest as Tom & Co. come into contact with a smorgasbord of people who, while firmly entrenched in the lifestyle, turn out to be just regular folks. They may do things a little differently in their relationships (and their bedrooms) than others, but they still want love, compassion, and understanding just like everybody else. And, their relationships are governed by the same tenets: trust, consent, and communication. Leavitt does a great job of making the lifestyle palatable and un-scary for the audience.

Hurt So Good is also blessed with a compelling immediacy that throws the audience right into the thick of things, experiencing the play's eye-opening twists and turns along with the protagonists. But Leavitt (who also directs, assisted ably by Suse Sternkopf) never handles any of the play's potentially sensitive moments—which include the film crew's first trip to sex toy store, and Tom's first administering of a spanking to a willing sub—in a way that's distasteful or uncomfortable for the audience (this is a comedy, after all). What's life-altering for the characters is fun-and-games for the audience.

The production is complemented by a marvelous ensemble cast of 23. There are many standout performances including Marlise Garde, Chris Keating, and Alyssa Mann as the fish-out-of-water film crew Rebecca, Keller, and Mairi, respectively; Jessie J. Fahay as Cecily; Sonia Gardea as Mistress Lyla, a dominatrix who is the crew's first point of contact; Amy Kersten, a Wonder Woman-clad sub who proves to be a sticking point later on; and Gerard J. Savoy as Master Anthony, an intense but seductive dom who befriends the film crew. Anchoring the production is an endearing lead performance by Leavitt as Tom.

Hurt So Good achieves what good theatre aims to do: it entertains while encouraging the viewer to question and examine their own beliefs. If the subject matter sounds a little frightening to some, there's comfort to be found in the maxim laid down by one of the characters who tells Tom, "Fear itself can be fun." Indeed.

I can't believe I did it!

Well, theatre is always an adventure in the unexpected and the last two days have been a bit of a whirlwind. One of the actresses in the show had to leave town suddenly, so I got a call at 7pm on Tuesday asking if I could go on in her place on Wednesday and Thursday. Yikes!!

I had attended several rehearsals and I listened to them tech and run the show all last week, so I feel that I have a working knowledge of the piece (more or less). It was just such a crazy experience to get home and start to learn lines so that I could perform the next night sans rehearsal. This character may not have a lot of lines, but she's got a rather lengthy laundry list of things that she rattles off nonchalantly. Talk about flying by the seat of your pants!

I called the costume designer and discussed what I could do for costumes (as I am quite a bit taller than the actress originating the role). We agreed to bring our options to the theatre on Wednesday and we'd make selections at that time.

Well, I arrived at the theatre and got immediately into costuming knowing that we had to move as quickly as possible so that I could then learn the fight sequences (yup, this character HAD to the be one with all the fighting). The costumes selected range from items from my closet, the costumer's closet and that of her male roommate (thanks for the vinyl pants, Hatim!). What fun!

With that out of the way, I went into fight call. Not having any stage combat experience, I was a little nervous, but the fight captains did a great job teaching me the basics and I am proud to say that I pulled it off (truthfully, I anticipated one slap a bit early, but the good news is that I didn't crash and burn).

The entire cast was so supportive. I had actors running lines with me backstage, whispering blocking to me and helping me get to where I needed to be. Thanks so much everyone!

It has been QUITE the experience. I am thrilled to have been able to do this, but I'll sure be glad when my responsibilities return to running the front of house. =) I will be on stage again tonight, so come see me sink or swim! Buy tickets now!

Enjoy some fun backstage photos:

Here I am in my fabulous outfits!

Maggie Cino polishes Sonia Gardea's outfit before she goes on stage.

It's tough to be so beautiful.
Nicole Godino cinches up Gerry Aguirre's corset as Hailey Giles looks on.

Hurt So Good has opened!

We did it! After a tremendous five days of late nights and loads of preparation, Hurt So Good opened last week and was an immediate success (in my humble opinion). We've received great feedback and everyone seems to be enjoying the show!

I just have to say the sets and costumes are amazing - vibrant colors, loads of texture. I'll try to upload some photos soon.

We have some unique offerings this time around featuring a photo exhibition in the theatre lobby by Marie Halloran. Her collection is called Surrender (based on our show's theme, I bet you can guess the theme of her photographs).

The work hanging in the lobby are available for purchase - we have a silent auction going on right now with starting bids at a reasonable $25. You can also purchase prints directly from the photographer. Check out her work at www.mariehalloran.com/surrender/index.html.

A plentiful concessions area is available as well, where you can buy wine, water, chocolate and awesome POY t-shirts!

I feel that this company gets better with each production and I couldn't be more proud of our latest efforts.

There's a week and a half left of our run, so get your tickets now!