|
Small Boat Will Host VALENTINE'S PRE-GAME: A Two-Show Series
Performances begin on February 9th at 5 PM.
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 03, 2025
VALENTINE'S PRE-GAME WITH SMALL BOAT is a two-show series presented by Small Boat Productions LLC ahead of the February celebration of love. Small Boat Productions LLC continues to bring new work to light centering some of New York theater's rising stars. The company will kick off their "pre-game" with THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (AND QUEER): A STAGED READING at The Brick Aux on February 9th at 5 PM.
Maya Jeyam directs an amazing cast featuring Zavi Odetta, Joelle Woodson, Nancy Umba, Trinity Ross, Nolan Quintanilla, Sarah Nandola, Aubree Chanel Dixon, and Jude Walker. Lauren Pick will be stage managing.
On directing this twist on the Oscar Wilde classic, Maya Jeyam says "In 1895, Oscar Wilde published this play to satirize the upper class and their values. This Sunday, 130 years after its publication (five days before the precise anniversary), we shall be doing the exact same thing.
With casting, my primary goal was to create a theatrical space for marginalized actors to indulge in pure play. I believe that marginalized actors are too often asked to commodify their pain for the sake of the performance industry. Participating in stories that discuss the painful realities of our lives is, of course, necessary and rewarding in its own right. But it can also be demanding, exhausting, and even exploitative. There's not enough room in this industry allotted for marginalized folks to just PLAY. So I am making a room!!
Art that is fun and silly is not infantile or trivial, it's healing. Join us this Sunday if you want to play with us."
Two days later, on February 11th, Small Boat Productions LLC will present LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE: A CONCERT WITH INDIA BEER AND FRIENDS.
India Beer will lead a night of songs about love, from pop to jazz to Broadway classics. She will be joined by special guests Jeremy Vance Suarez, Joel Meyers, Lauren Wilmore, Ben Natan, Maya Jeyam, and Milena Makse. Arin Edelstein leads the band on piano with Oscar Alexander Javier on the drums and Carter Broad on the bass. Mitchie LaDue will be stage managing.
On producing the VALENTINE'S DAY PRE-GAME WITH SMALL BOAT, artistic director Ben Natan said "It's so exciting that Small Boat is entering into a phase where people are coming to me with ideas and we work together to make them possible. I want Small Boat to be a platform for talented, motivated theater artists to showcase their work and it's clear that is what is beginning to happen. Both India Beer and Maya Jeyam came to me with these respective projects and I was more than happy to get involved and bring them to an audience. Finding a 'yes' for these artists is what Small Boat is all about."
Videos