Horse Trade Theater Group Presents the 2011 FRIGID New York Festival

Horse Trade Theater Group (Erez Ziv, Managing Director, Heidi Grumelot, Artistic Director) will present the 5th Annual FRIGID New York Festival, an open and uncensored theatre festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of theatre on the fringe of the mainstream, 100% of box office proceeds will go directly to the artistS. Boasting over 150 performances and 30 shows over 12 days in 3 theaters, FRIGID New York will kick off the annual North American Fringe Circuit with a bang!

The FRIGID New York Festival was founded by Horse Trade and EXIT Theatre in 2007. Since founding The San Francisco Fringe Festival - the 2nd oldest fringe in the United States - nearly 17 years ago, EXIT has learned a thing or two about festival running. They introduced Horse Trade to the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) in mid-2006. Besides feedback from dozens of thrilled CAFF participants and artists, Horse Trade was drawn to its main principle: "...to provide all artists, emerging and established, with the opportunity to produce their play no matter the content, form or style and to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible for the members of the community," Horse Trade is proud to sign on to the tradition and chill out the New York independent theatre scene's ideas of what a theatre festival can be.

"Forget everything you think you know about theater festivals." Gothamist

"Never mind the rest of the festivals... because the FRIGID Fest has them all beat!"
New York Press

"Completely different from the other festivals out there...Horse Trade should be applauded for rethinking the traditional festival model and giving every artist a chance."
Broadway World

"Known for its uncensored take on independent theatre, the festival is a great slice of New York culture."GO Magazine
"FRIGID New York brings in a diverse and interesting group of plays...While the phrase "something for everyone" gets bandied about a little too much, it is safe to say that the downtown theatre crowd will find plenty to see at this festival." StageBuzz

Riding the fringe of winter, the hit celebration of independent theater will run February 23-March 6, 2011 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows will go on sale January 7, 2011 and may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

FRIGID 2011 SHOWS

A Kind Kind Man
Written by Catherine Weingarten & Directed by Zach Stasz
Presented by Stasz/Pruitt Productions Queens, NY
When 14-year-old Flora shows up on Willard's doorstep selling toothpaste with a smile, Willard's repressed masculinity surfaces - triggering desires to drop his perfect muffin baking wife and run off with the unwilling Flora to the Virgin Islands. Dentistry meets Little Red Ridding Hood in this dark and modern farce.

The Bitter Poet: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Black Box Performance Spaces
Presented by The Bitter Poet New York, NY
New York City's comic performance artist, The Bitter Poet, performs his guitar-driven poems in this darkly humorous and satirical one-man show about searching for True Love and the contortionists you meet along the way... A high-energy, irreverent celebration of the crazy things we do for love.

Boat Load
Presented by Stars and Hearts London, ON Canada
Gary is a brilliant actor who needs a thousand dollars to participate in a high-profile performer showcase. Also, his cat needs a thousand dollar operation, but that's too much money to spend on a cat.

The Clown and What I Owe
Written by Chris Enright
Presented by Comfy Blanket Productions Brooklyn, NY
When Manbrat and Clown encounter The Creature, their tired act gets a sexy dose of hurly burly. Absurd situations and antic vaudeville shenanigans help them to "remember the fun", but the cruelty of their entanglements is no comedy.

Fate, Fury and Musical Theatre: A Kind of Cabaret
Presented by The Furies Theatre Company New York, NY
In a panic, a young actress drives from her house in the suburbs of New York until she can't drive anymore. On the beach at the very tip of Long Island, the Three Fates of ancient mythology, androgynous and fabulous, wash onto the shore like Venus on the foam and lead the girl on a journey of self-discovery and showtunes.

f-ing Girls
Written by Ben Thompson & Directed by Paul Leopold
Presented by My Lieges Brooklyn, NY
A hilarious and misguided romantic fantasy about a young man "sleeping" his way through his ex-girlfriends en route to find true love, with a couple of major speed bumps along the way.

FUNNY
A trunk show
Presented by Denmo Ibrahim San Francisco, CA
A solo mash-up of sexy, stupid, ridiculous dreams. FUNNY a trunk show is a highly physical look-see into the secret of happiness. Brighter than a fruit bowl, bigger than a breadbox, Delilah exposes the world wedged deep within the corners of a single trunk.

Goodnight Lovin' Trail
Written by John Patrick Bray & Directed by Akia Squitieri
Presented by Rising Sun Performance Company New York, NY
Goodnight Lovin' Trail is a subtle and touching drama that takes place at a truck stop diner in West Texas, where two desperate and lonely strangers find redemption in each other's eyes while discussing a stolen guitar. The play explores raw human emotions and consequences while these two desperate characters navigate and come to terms with the choices they've made on the road of life.

Hi, How Can I Help You?
Written by Scout Durwood & Directed by Lucile Baker Scott
Presented by Mighty Little Productions Brooklyn, NY
The silly side of the sex industry: a one woman musical. Six women at a NYC house of domination navigate the volatile economy of the sex industry during a recession, the night of Barrack Obama's 2008 presidential election. They laugh, they cry, they roller-skate and hula-hoop.

The Hyperbolist
Presented by Joe Mazza Chicago, IL
Grandiloquent farces of tiny proportion-- or-- desperate puppets want love. Joe Mazza's phantasmagorically raucous world returns to NYC.

I'm Not Sure I Like the Way You Licked Me!
Written & Performed by Bricken Sparacino & Directed by Lori Kee
Presented by Birch & Bricken New York, NY
Through humor, honesty and a little bit of rock and roll, come share with Bricken the battles she has fought, the mountains she has climbed and the licks she has endured.

Inside Straight
Written by George Ridgeway & Directed by Letty Cruz
Presented by Thousand Eyes Productions New York, NY
Johnny Ace is a street-smart surveillance expert. He plays poker with our lives and tells us like it is. A "New Age Noir" detective, he tracks a life-and-death story about the invasion of privacy in our high-tech world.

JapJAP
Written & Performed by Una Aya Osato & Directed by Moises Belizario
Presented by Keep It Movin' Productions New York, NY
JapJAP is trying to find out who she is, tearing down borders and tearing off clothes. Her body is her only road map as she embarks on a journey through identity, culture, and history.

Joe: The Perfect Man
Written by Rachelle Elie & Directed by Adam Lazarus
Presented by Crowning Monkey Toronto, OR Canada
After losing his job, Joe's passion to play all the lead roles in "The Scottish Play" explodes to the surface. Soon after he stumbles upon a Macbeth Open Call Audition and sees it as his one chance to fulfill his destiny. Through ridiculous failures and absurd attempts at brilliance he stumbles through the opportunity of a lifetime.

Mendacity
Written & Directed by Lauren Rayner New York, NY
Through the integration of dynamic multi-media installations, Mendacity, a solo word-collage, takes you deep inside the mind of a splintering personality wrought with self-loathing and denial over sexual assault. Join us in a rebellious journey of fragmented transcendence and the offering of hope.

The Mysterious Mystery of Mystery Street
Written & Directed by Sergio Solorzano
Presented by Blame Your Fate Productions New York, NY
A beautiful lady in a red dress hires two clueless private eyes to investigate a matter of intrigue, foul play, and homoerotic undertones. Dangerous mystery, mysterious danger, and one big Lonely Sausage.

My Pal Izzy: The Early Life and Music of Irving Berlin
Written by Melanie Gall & Directed by Karen Gall
Presented by Sisterscene Productions Brooklyn, NY
Narrated by Berlin's childhood friend Becky, My Pal Izzy is a musical comedy that explores the early life of famed composer Irving Berlin. From a song plugger to a singing waiter, young Irving would do anything to succeed.

ONEymoon (A Honeymoon for One)
Created & performed by Christel Bartelse
Presented by Dutch Girl Productions Toronto, ON Canada
A solo tour-de-force comedy about a woman who decides to marry herself. Humor, heart and tap-dancing too!

The Oregon Trail: Quest for the West!
Presented by No. 11 Productions New York, NY
Inspired by the iconic game, The Oregon Trail: Quest for the West! is an interactive comedy with music. Join our five brave pioneers on a grueling journey as they fight snakebites, dysentery and meager rations. Will YOU ford the river?

Pretty-n-Papi
Written by Leah James Abel, Cody Schreger, and Olivia Lehrman
Presented by Awkward at Best Brooklyn, NY
The very last reality show to be made. Are Pretty & Papi the first 'reality' lesbian couple? The 1st immigrant couple? Poster children for love after sixty? Let this zany trio of women take you on an energetic and absurd ride to the future of reality television.

Saving Tania's Privates
Written & Performed by Tania Katan
Presented by AJ Epstein Presents Seattle, WA
Funny, outrageous and true! This critically acclaimed comedy hit from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival will have you laughing till you weep. A show about far-out families, quirky girlfriends and boobs...but not necessarily in that order.

Scarlet Woman
Written by Matthew Wells & Directed by Rob O'Neil
Presented by Sunset Gun Productions Minneapolis, MA
Scarlet Woman is a two-woman, film noir thriller. This brand-spanking new play is a colorful homage to all the dangerous Delilahs of noir. A fast and furious exploration of all the extreme female archetypes in this genre. One femme fatale, two actresses, twelve characters, and more dead bodies than the last scene of Hamlet.

The Shorebound Swim With a One-Click Kick: A Tragedy of Reason
Written by Markus Paminger & Directed by Alison Carroll
Presented by The Lucky Artist Theater Company Brooklyn, NY
A genius removes himself from society and attempts to unlock the science behind the secrets of the human experience; a boy gets his first taste of love, lust and betrayal; and a desperate caretaker struggles to control her destiny in this gripping drama that connects the cerebral with matters of the heart.

There is No Good News
Written by David Mogolov & Directed by Steve Kleinedler
Presented by The Plant Cambridge, MA
Bringing together bullwhip-armed children, bomb scares, and runaway fryalators, There Is No Good News is Mogolov's hilarious search for something-anything-he can teach his daughter. Somewhere between Spalding Gray doing slapstick and Mike Birbiglia analyzing McLuhan, Mogolov's style is relaxed, congenial, and witty, sneaking insights in between near-constant laughs.

Tired Wave Stop!
Written by Steve Boleantu & Directed by Miguel Rivas
Presented by Brave Face Theatre Edmonton, AL Canada
The Sea Captain has one rule: life at sea. But after falling in love with a mermaid, plus taking on a new crewmember, the old man of the sea is forced to examine the costs and rewards of his stubbornness. A grown-up comedic yarn.

We Might Be Experimenting On You
Written by Kym Bernazky & Melanie Jones
Presented by Collision Productions New York, NY
Dr's. Bernazky and Jones (PhD, BFA, WTF) are seeking participants in a theatrical research study. Lab rats will be asked to perform various convention-blasting, audience-related tasks. Hijinks and non-slip shoes are required.

Wonder Woman: A How To Guide for Little Jewish Girls
Written & Performed by Cyndi Freeman Brooklyn, NY
Two-time FringeNYC award-winning writer/performer Cyndi Freeman's latest solo show traces her journey from little suburban Jewish girl obsessed with Wonder Woman to becoming the fabulous burlesque Queen, Cherry Pitz, in NYC. Join her on a crusade to right wrongs while wearing fabulous costumes.

Year of the Slut
Written by Jennifer Lieberman
Presented by JJ Rockstar Productions Maple, ON Canada
As a horny 18 year old virgin on a quest for romance, a naive Jewish Canadian girl moves to NYC and becomes entangled in seduction, heartbreak and adventure. Jennifer Lieberman weaves her provocative poetry across the stage while bringing nine vivid characters to life.

YIPPIE!
Written and Directed by RAndy Anderson & Harrison Williams
Presented by The Beggars Group Brooklyn, NY
YIPPIE! is an explosive look back on the events that defined the Youth International Party. 1967 meets 2011 in this time twisting exploration of freedom, fun, and fanatics.

You Shouldn't Be Here
Written & Performed by Kelly "Killy" Dwyer Brooklyn, NY
No one is safe and nothing is sacred as Killy Dwyer declares war on fear in this surprisingly personal comedy of terrors. This multimedia, musical, comedic performance artsploration "sees something and says something" about our love-hate relationship with control and dysfunction.

 

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