The Alchemist

Thanks to everyone who made The Alchemist a big success! Alan...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:09:00 -0400

Thanks to everyone who made The Alchemist a big success!

Alan Altschuler, David Alvarado, Jerry Ames, Rahi Azizi, Lynn Batten, Jesse Berger, Andrew Borthwick-Leslie, Gregory Bower, Kerreen Brandt, Stephen Burdman, Alex Carney, Danielle Cermak, Keith and Maureen Cermak, Shawna Cermak, Kristy Charland, Valerie Clayman-Pie, Margie Cleland, Jonah Cohen, Sheri Cook-Cunningham, Carrie Edel, Lydia Geller Glucksberg, Richard Glucksberg, Susan Griffin, Anita Harkess, Thomas Holmes & Mario Rocha, Jessica Jelliffe, Kelly Johnson, Benjamin Kamine, Alma Karamesic-Kelley, Zelda Knapp, Michael Kitsis, Paul Loomis, Wendy McClellan, Mary Mcdowell, Mike Milligan, Jubilith Moore, Karin Morgan, Kenneth Naanep, Adam Natale, Kathryn Pennypacker and Bill Harrison, John Petrovsky, Dyan Pike, Carolyn Power, Lauren Prusiner, Paul and Chris Prusiner, Kevin Quinn, Eric Range, Maggie Ronck, Dory Schultz, Teressa Snyder, Deshik Vansadia, Anne Warner-Reitz, Kate Willett & Deborah Wolfson

Help Make the Alchemist a Success!

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:12:00 -0400

We’ve raised enough to pay for our amazing costumes, but we need more funds to buy props. Don’t leave our actor’s empty handed! Click here

www.indiegogo.com/The-Alchemist

The Alchemist is a FREE production that will be performed in New York City parks. If you plan on coming to see the show we ask that you donate what you would consider a fair ticket price.

We Want to Thank Our Fabulous Supporters
Jesse Berger, Eric Ranger, Shawna Cermak, Paul and Christine Prusiner, Carrie Edel Isaacman, Lydia Geller Glucksberg, Josephine Cashman, Karin Morgan, Anne Reitz, Charles Batten, Dyan Pike, Gregory Bower, Thomas Holmes, Kerreen Brandt, Sheri Cook-Cunningham, Rahi Azizi, Kristy Charland, Alma Karamesic-Kelley, Anne Lerner-Wright, Teressa Snyder, Danielle Cermak, Alan Altschuler, Zelda Knapp, Jessica Cermak, Margaret Cleland, Benjamin Kamin, Susan Griffin, John Petrovsky, Carolyn Power Perlsteinm, David Alvarado, Mary Mcdowell

The cast includes: Tiffany Abercrombie (Surly), Jessica Cermak...

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:45:00 -0400

The cast includes: Tiffany Abercrombie (Surly), Jessica Cermak (Ananias), Julia Griffin (Dol), Kyle Minshew* (Mammon), Tyler Moss* (Face), Zil Ricker (Spiffy), Ryan Brooke Taylor* (Subtle), and Raphael Nash Thompson* (Lovewit).

Director: Ben Prusiner

Stage Manager: Katy Moore*

Costumer: Cathy Gray

Prop Master: Dory Schultz

* These Actors and Stage Manager are appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity

Association

The event is FREE, no reservations necessary.

9/19 (Mon): Tompkins Square Park 12:00pm

9/21 (Wed): Battery Park 12:00pm

9/22 (Thurs): Washington Square Park 12:00pm

9/25 (Sun): Central Park (enter at W.69th) 2:00pm

9/26 (Mon): Tompkins Square Park 12:00pm

9/28 (Wed): Battery Park 12:00pm

9/29 (Thurs): Washington Square Park 12:00pm

10/2 (Sun): Central Park (enter at W.69th) 2:00pm

A Successful Carnival

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:22:00 -0400

By Julia Griffin, Head of Fundraising

There was laughter and there were tears, but nobody left the Stock Market
Carnival empty handed! Some chose to take their winnings by force in the
dart booth as their Nerf darts soared to victory. Others let Lady Luck
take control as they gambled their chances during “Bear or Bull,” our
variation of the coin game “Heads or Tails”. For those who really wanted
to take a chance, the “phishing” booth was readily available with prizes
fresh for the taking. Guests came in carrying nothing but the weight of
the recession, yet they left with airline tickets and bourbon, gold and
movie tickets, and an endless supply of homemade cupcakes! Success!

The Alchemist Fundraiser: Stock Market Carnival at M1-5. August...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:42:45 -0400

The Alchemist Fundraiser: Stock Market Carnival at M1-5. August 22nd 2011! We had a blast!

Come to Re:verse Theater's Fundraiser: Stock Market Party Click HERE for more info!

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:53:09 -0400

Come to Re:verse Theater's Fundraiser: Stock Market Party Click HERE for more info!

Tyler Moss joins the cast! We are very excited to announce that...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:21:33 -0400

Tyler Moss joins the cast!

We are very excited to announce that Tyler Moss, artistic director of the Shakespeare Forum and American Shakespeare Center veteran, will be playing the role of FACE, the fraudulent stock broker, in Re:verse Theater’s production of The Alchemist this fall.

Tyler was featured as Kastril, the angry boy, in the 2009/2010 production of The Alchemist at The American Shakespeare Center. He will certainly bring a deep understanding of Jonson’s original text to Prusiner’s new adaptation.

Stock Market Carnival

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:43:50 -0400

Come one come all to Re:verse Theater’s exciting evening of games, juggling, and drinks. All proceeds will support The Alchemist, which is performing for free in New York City Parks!

M1-5 in Manhattan

The festivities will begin at M1-5 (located at 52 Walker Street between CHURCH and BROADWAY) on Monday, August 22nd at 8p and contiue well into the night.

Exciting Prizes

Admission is only $5, but bring extra cash if you want a chance to bid on fantastic items such as : Airline tickets on Southwest, Dinner for Two, or Signed Broadway Posters and much, much more!

Can’t attend?
That’s alright! You can still support Re:verse Theater by donating to our campaign

http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Alchemist

We've raised $1,685 through indegogo. Won't you help us reach our goal?

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:18:27 -0400

We've raised $1,685 through indegogo. Won't you help us reach our goal?

Raphael Nash Thompson joins the cast! We are ecstatic to...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:21:00 -0400

Raphael Nash Thompson joins the cast!

We are ecstatic to announce that the veteran actor of on and off-broadway and regional theater will be playing the role of LOVEWIT in the production this fall.

Raphael was most recently seen in Red Bull Theater’s “Witch of Edmonton” and as the Prince of Morocco in the national tour of Theatre For A New Audience’s “Merchant of Venice” featuring F. Murray Abraham. Previous credits include Red Bull’s premier production of “Pericles” (directed by Jesse Berger) and “The Tempest,” (Julie Taymor’s directorial debut), with TFANA. We are so honored to have him on board and can’t wait to see him perform. Scroll down to an older post to read his opening monologue!

We'd love your support! Click here to learn about donating on IndieGoGo!

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:02:12 -0400

We'd love your support! Click here to learn about donating on IndieGoGo!

The Achemist was just approved for performances in Central Park...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:26:00 -0400

The Achemist was just approved for performances in Central Park on 9/25 and 10/2 and in Battery Park on 9/21 and 9/28! Stay tuned for more show information!

Prusiner meets Jonson a reading of Bens

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:04:11 -0400

by Jessica Cermak Head of Marketing

I was thrilled when Ben asked me to be a part of a developmental reading of the script of The Alchemist. I heard a lot about the show from him, and had been begging him to give me the latest draft of the show, which it seemed like he had been cutting, adapting, and editing for forever.

Once I got my hands on the script, I couldn’t believe how dense it was. I was a little embarrassed at how long it took me to get through it. I sat on my computer reading a few scenes at a time, pulling up the synopsis to make sure I really understood what was going on. I couldn’t believe how much I was struggling! I’m an actor! I went to college! I freaking love Shakespeare, and am currently in a Shakespeare show!

It was only when I pulled up the original Jonson text that I realized how much Ben had really adapted on the script. Most of the minor subplots have been cut, a brilliant choice since the shows will be performed outside and have to compete with screaming children and airplanes. Ben Prusiner is trying his hardest to use heightened language to tell Jonson’s story in a way that modern audiences can understand. This is an outstanding goal. I appreciated the dedication to upholding Jonson’s constant iambic pentameter (he doesn’t stray in prose like Shakespeare does), the cuts, and the modern rewrites.

When I got to the reading, I was surprised that we started with a clown game, dirty buh (oh yes it’s what it sounds like), and that Ben had suggested that we work (or play as he said) on our feet. After having some table readings and doing some editing, it was clear that he wanted to see how the of the piece was. I was so happy to be working with such great actors. They literally hurled themselves right into the play and tried to make strong acting choices to help the play write see what the play might be like if it were performed at this stage.

It soon became clear to all of us that further modernization of the text was required. Prusiner is almost there, but the characters archetypes are still rather Elizabethan, some modern references are needed and in some cases, the characters need to be fleshed out more, since he has cut and merged so many of them. I couldn’t figure out if I was a politician with an extremely conservative bent or a southern baptist minister, and found myself flipping between making promises I couldn’t keep and preaching (perhaps I wasn’t that far off). Ben scribbled down notes through the process and really listened to what the actors had to say. He graciously and openly took the feed back.

It’s amazing how much he has already done with this piece. I was sincerely laughing throughout. It’s clear that he’s interested in telling this story, and reaching a wide range of people with it, and that is what I would call a true artist. I can’t wait to see how the script will evolve even further.

We'd love your support! Click here to donate on indegogo!

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:47:28 -0400

We'd love your support! Click here to donate on indegogo!

A Brand-New Prologue

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 01:17:00 -0400

By Ben Prusiner, director and adapter of “The Alchemist”

One of the joys of adapting this play has been the opportunity to write new lines of iambic pentameter, in the style and spirit of Ben Jonson, one of Shakespeare’s greatest contemporaries. Here’s the new version of the opening prologue that I’ve written. It has a few lines of Jonson text sprinkled throughout. Hopefully it will set the tone for what is to come!

Greed is our theme, and also much more:
No topic’s better suited for your whore,
Your liar, thief and suckers of each kind,
Presented for your view, if you’re inclined.
Our scene is Wall Street, words from London old,
Because these characters’ stories may be told
As well today as in a by-gone year,
With verses by Ben Jonson, friend of Shakespeare.
This author claimed that with his pen
He never aimed to grieve, but better men;
And so today we hope our story’s craft
Will make you say “I saw myself, and laughed.”

Check out our logo by graphic designer Neal Mhaskar. The...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 01:00:00 -0400

Check out our logo by graphic designer Neal Mhaskar. The original image was of the Wall Street sign. And that building that looks like a Roman temple? It’s the New York Stock Exchange. Yup, a temple to money!

Ben Johnson's THE ALCHEMIST meets a reflection with humor on the financial world

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:02:00 -0400

by Carrie Edel Isaacman - Marketing Intern

I am so happy to be the marketing intern for Re:Verse Theater and look forward to assisting on this production of Ben Johnson’s THE ALCHEMIST. This blog will be a space for likeminded artists to contribute conversation and ideas about the text of Ben Johnson’s THE ALCHEMIST. We will have guest bloggers who are involved in classical theater as well as those who are in the financial world reflecting on the play and the upcoming production.

On a personal note Having grown up in a financial family and having spent 10 years working in the financial industry while pursuing theater. To now be a part of a collaborative collective where we are working on Ben Johnson’s THE ALCHEMIST with a reflection on the financial industry is one that is very meaningful for me and is fun. I am sure that our future audiences will have an enjoyable and reflective time and that other theater artists will also enjoy the performances as well.

Carrie Edel Isaacman is the marketing intern and is also an educator, actor and director.