TONGS AND BONES SHAKESPEARE Opens Tonight at Theater For The New City

Theater For The New City, Crystal Field (Artistic Director), Frank Farrell Productions, and Stage Voices will present Tongs and Bones, Shakespeare: Tempestuous Amusements, Interludes, Noises, and Drollery, written by Bob Shuman and directed by Frank Farrell as part of the Dream Up Festival from August 25-September 15, 2024 in the Community Theater at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, New York, NY 10003.

The cast features Noni Alley - Fairy, Dog, Ariel, Martext, Cleomines; Meghan Covington - Titania, Pig, Forester 1, Audrey, Stranger; James Dryden - Indian Boy, Donkey, Spirit 2, Jaques, Shepherd; Alejandro Flores - 2nd Ape, Sailor 2, Duke Senior, Voice of Apollo; Jennifer Kim - Judith, Puck, Spirit 1, Rosalind, Vasilios; Mychal Leverage - Oberon, Sailor 1, Touchstone, Dion; and Emily Ross - 1st Ape, Sycorax, Forester 2, Reader of Stage Directions.

Performance dates: 

Sunday - September 1 - 8pm

Wednesday - September 4 - 6:30pm

Friday - September 6 - 6:30pm

Sunday - September 8 - 8pm

Wednesday - September 11 - 9pm

The Plays included in Tongs and Bones Shakespeare by Bob Shuman are: “The Wanton Wind,” “From a Cloven Pine” and “The Coxcomb's Wedding” which are based on A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596), The Tempest (1610-1611), and As You Like It

After intermission, the cast will present a staged reading of “Disasters in the Sun” by Bob Shuman which is based on The Winter's Tale (1609-1611).

ABOUT “TONGS AND BONES SHAKESPEARE”:

Collected by his sister, Judith, “Tongs and Bones Shakespeare” includes four one acts culled from the miscellaneous papers and sides, as well as incomplete early drafts, of the great Bard. The manuscripts, found diluted and corrupted, discovered in Brno, Czech Republic after WWII, were only recognized and identified by collectors in 1993, following the end of the Cold War. This work of the imagination is the story of the uneducated sibling's work, with an itinerant actor who helped her organize and compile the pieces before her untimely death, due to suicide, in London. Largely ignored and untold, Bob Shuman's revised versions of the material, directed by Frank Farrell, highlights characters who do not always play prominent roles in the larger “sister” or well-known companion works, and answer questions such as:

What became of the Little Indian Boy in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

How did Jacques, in As You Like It, lose his mirth?

And why did Ariel need to be freed, before ever meeting Prospero, in The Tempest?

TONGS AND BONES SHAKESPEARE

Written by Bob Shuman

The “PROLOGUE” (invokes Virginia Woolf)

Cast: Jennifer Kim

“THE WANTON WIND”

“The Wanton Wind” portrays the secret lives of fairies, most specifically those of their King and Queen, Oberon and Titania. In “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Shakespeare reports on the couple's disagreements and brawls, and now their entangled relationship is vividly examined and brought to life, specifically, with regard to a child, the little Indian boy, left in their care by the votaress of Titania's order. During preparations for a festive court masque, Puck appears with unannounced visitors, from far away, unleashing riot and mayhem into the world of sprites, animals, and “moonlight revels.”

“The Wanton Wind” Cast:

• Meghan Covington (Titania & Pig)
• Mychal Leverage (Oberon)
• James Dryden (Indian Boy & Donkey)
• Jennifer Kim (Puck)
• Noni Alley (Fairy and Dog)
• Alejandro Flores (Ape)
• Emily Ross (Ape)

“FROM A CLOVEN PINE”

The great sorrows of the powerful Algerian witch Sycorax are revealed and enacted in “From a Cloven Pine,” a one-act based on “The Tempest.” Before Prospero landed on the mysterious enchanted island, there was a previous magician who lived there. Banished from her own home after becoming involved in the civil strife of her nation, she was then abandoned to the elements and fate (by sailors while pregnant). In an attempt to help her survive, a spirit, Ariel, offers rehabilitative efforts, only to realize the limits of what can be offered.

“From a Cloven Pine” Cast:

• Emily Ross (Sycorax)
• Noni Alley (Ariel)
• Mychal Leverage (Sailor)
• Alejandro Flores (Sailor)
• Jennifer Kim (Spirit)
• James Dryden (Spirit)

“THE COXCOMB'S WEDDING”

The audience is invited to the union of Audrey, a country wench, and the jester Touchstone, in the Forest of Arden. Is he sincere or not? Is he too immature or privileged, as a courtier, to marry? Some might even espouse the belief that he has been sent to infiltrate the country community and report back to his lord, Duke Frederick. Considerations such as these plague the discernment and adjudication of Jaques, a second fool under allegiance to the banished Duke Senior, in the short play “The Coxcomb's Wedding,” based on “As You Like It.” His decision, influenced by his tumultuous past and conflicted conclusions, will expose the naked truth.

“The Coxcomb's Wedding” Cast:

• Alejandro Flores (Duke Senior)
• James Dryden (Jaques)
• Meghan Covington (Audrey, Forester)
• Emily Ross (Forester)
• Jennifer Kim (Rosalind)
• Mychal Leverage (Touchstone)
• Noni Alley (Martext)

“DISASTERS IN THE SUN”

Frank Farrell and his cast have agreed to an additional format, for the Dream Up Festival at Theater for the New City, by giving a reading of a further one-act play by Shuman, based on Shakespeare's “The Winter's Tale.” Two Sicilian diplomatic envoys, and their servant, journey to the ancient Delphic Oracle to ascertain the truth behind the fidelity of the king's wife. When they reach Greece, one in their party is involved in a serious riding accident, yet despite the setback, the characters intend to press on, lost in an unfamiliar Greek world populated by mythic creatures, both monstrous and divine.

“Disasters in the Sun” Cast:

• Meghan Covington (Stranger)
• Mychal Leverage (Dion)
• Noni Alley (Cleomines)
• Jennifer Kim (Vasilios)
• Alejandro Flores (Apollo)
• James Dryden (Shepherd)
• Emily Ross (Reader of the Stage Directions)

WHO'S WHO IN TONGS AND BONES SHAKESPEARE

NONI ALLEY they/them (Fairy, Ariel, Sir Oliver Martext, and Cleomines) is an actor and Voice-over artist based in New York City. An acting alumnus from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, with a background in circus arts, Noni performs in film, anime, and live theater, with a special interest in characters that break gender expectations.

MEGHAN COVINGTON (Titania, Forester #1, Audrey, and Stranger) is a NY-based actor, playwright, and producer. Her most notable acting work has taken place regionally on the stages of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co, The Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theatre J, Olney Theatre in Washington DC, and Firehouse Theatre, Richmond Shakespeare Festival, and Theatre Lab in Richmond, VA. She was also a company member for Synetic Theatre, where she spent over four years developing skills in classical pantomime technique, physical theatre, and dance. Meghan has a BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University, and she currently serves as the Artistic Director and Board President of River's Edge Theatre Company in the Lower Hudson Valley.

James Dryden (Indian Boy, Fairy, Jaques, and Shepherd) is an aspiring actor from Durham, North Carolina.

ALEJANDRO FLORES (Ape, Sailor #2, Duke Senior, and Apollo) is an actor from Ossining, NY, who graduated from the City College of New York, where he was part of multiple productions, including Morriseau's “Pipeline” (Dominique), Lynn Nottage's “Sweat,” and Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (Nick Bottom). Besides acting in school productions, Alejandro has pursued directing, lighting design, improv, and film. His love of the craft has led him to explore monologues from various Shakespeare plays, and he is extremely excited to be performing in this production and creating something wonderful with his fellow castmates and the production crew. Alejandro thanks his family and friends for supporting him throughout his journey!

Jennifer Kim (Judith, Puck, Spirit #1, Rosalind, and Vassilios) is a NYC-based actress. Her recent roles include Cassandra in the Gallery Players' “Oresteia,” Zubaida Ula and Catherine Connolly in St. Jean's Players' “The Laramie Project,” and Beth March, Aunt March, and Hannah in First Flight Theatre's “Little Women.”

MYCHAL LEVERAGE (Oberon, Sailor #1, Touchstone, and Dion) is an alumnus of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and has been a performer his entire life. Off-Broadway: “Sleepy Hollow the Musical” (Ichabod Crane). Tours: “Little Women” (Prof. Fritz Bhaer). Regional: “Daddy Long Legs” (Jervis), “The Addams Family” (Gomez), “Shrek the Musical” (Shrek), “A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder” (Monty), “Nice Work If You Can Get It” (Jimmy), “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (Oberon). His hobbies include playing Magic: The Gathering and not much else, actually. He lives in New Jersey with his lovely wife Heidi and their dog Atticus Finch. W: mychalleverage.com IG: @MychalLeverage

Emily Ross they/them (Ape, Sycorax, Forester #2, and Reader of the Stage Directions) is an artist from Chistochina, Alaska. They are a founding member and current artistic director of the Clementine Players and a graduate of Atlantic Acting School. They were last seen as Harriet in Megan Quick's “Vice and Virtue,” the Sheriff in “Brokeneck Girls: A Murder Ballad Musical,” and Macduff in “Macbeth.”

William Shakespeare

(Playwright, 1564-1616) The Bard's incomparable, seismic canon of work far exceeds the plays, used as foundations, for the one-acts in “Tongs and Bones Shakespeare.” Yet there is little factual information regarding his life. Baptismal records document that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, part of a family that included seven brothers and sisters. His own children numbered three, after his marriage at age eighteen to Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his elder. The first mention of his career in the London Theatre is as an actor and playwright in 1592. His prodigious outpouring of dramatic writing includes “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “The Tempest,” “As You Like It,” and “The Winter's Tale” and at least thirty-three other titles.

BOB SHUMAN

(Playwright & Co-Producer) earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU/Tisch and is the owner of Marit Literary Agency and the Theatre website Stage Voices (www.stagevoices.com). He is also a playwright, a senior editor with experience in mainstream publishing, a college professor, and a recipient of Hunter College's Zarkower Award for excellence in playwriting. His dramatic work has appeared in four anthologies from Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, which includes a volume of monologues for kids. He co-edited “Acts of War: Iraq and Afghanistan in Seven Plays” (Northwestern University Press) and has written for the Eugene O'Neill Society and judged work for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Co-author, with fashion florist Michael George, of “Simply Elegant Flowers,” Shuman is a past fellow of the Lark Theatre Company, and his work has been given readings with the Amoralists, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Second Stage, and the WPA, among others. Productions and readings of his plays have been presented at New York University, Ursinus College, Hunter College, and University of Mount Saint Vincent. He has also spearheaded three monologue events at the Drama Book Shop, where he was a featured author, and he ran such an evening at the Cornelia Street Cafe. He attended the Sewanee Writers Conference in Tennessee, and his musical compositions for “As You Like It” and “Twelfth Night” have been heard at Ursinus College. Additionally, Shuman has acted in college productions and in local theatre in NJ and GA. He has seen productions of every Shakespeare play, many of which he has reviewed for his site, and has interviewed industry notables such as playwright Albert Innaurato (in his last “talk” before his death), Natalia Kaliada (Belarus Free Theatre), and Mia Yoo (La MaMa), among others. The actor Liv Ullmann answered several of his questions for “The Guardian” (UK). In 2021, one of the projects he represented as a literary agent was optioned by HBO, and he currently teaches courses on Eastern European Literature and Environmental writers.

Frank Farrell

(Director & Co-Producer) recently returned to his hometown New York City and directed “Walt Kelly's Songs of the Pogo” as part of the 2024 New York City Fringe Festival. An actor in Chicago for 40 years, he received four Joseph Jefferson acting nominations, and directed and produced plays for the Free Shakespeare Theatre Company, Temporary Theatre, Shakespeare's Herd, Steppenwolf Theater, Raven Theatre, Equity Library Theater Chicago, the North Lakeside Players, and Theatre-Hikes. Frank has formed seven theater companies, including the Free Shakespeare Theatre Company, Chicago's first year-round Shakespeare performance ensemble, Theatre-Hikes in Chicago and, in Grand Haven, Michigan, the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company. In New York City, for First Flight Theatre Company, his new performance group, he wrote, directed, and produced “Forgotten Soldiers from Our Forgotten War.” Also for First Flight, he coordinated several stage readings of Maxwell Anderson's plays in New York City, New Jersey, and Chicago, and he directed and produced a 2022 production of Anderson's play “Valley Forge.” His Zoom film “In the Garden of Live Flowers” recently won Best Biopic at the Green Academy Awards Film Festival. With First Flight in New Jersey in July, he directed his adaptation of “Little Women.” This past August, through his company FFP, he produced “Hamlet on the Run” at the Tank Theater in NYC. Farrell has published several books, including “Forgotten Soldiers from Our Forgotten War,” Maxwell Anderson's three plays “What Price Glory,” “First Flight,” and “The Buccaneer” and his outdoor stage adaptation of “Little Women.” All are available at Amazon.com.

BEN MASTERTON

(Musical Composer and Sound Design) has composed and arranged music for dozens of Shakespeare productions in Chicago with the Shakespeare Festival of Chicago, Free Shakespeare, and Body Politic, including “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “Macbeth,” “Hamlet,” “The Winter's Tale,” “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” “Twelfth Night,” “The Merchant of Venice,” and “All's Well That Ends Well.” Other favorite productions include, “The Lennon Play,” “Dagon,” “The Lorenzaccio Story,” “A Dorothy Parker Revue,” “Dear Brutus,” “The Songs of the Pogo Podcast” (with Frank Farrell), “The Imaginary Invalid,” “The Successful Life of 3,” “The Snow Queen,” “The Crucible,” and “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (Raven Theater), “Three Sisters” (Commons Theater), and “The Enchanted” (Chicago Waldorf School). Ben has written over a hundred songs and currently resides in Gainesville, Florida.

Production Team:

Frank Farrell (Set Design); Ben Masterton (Original Music); Ben Masterton (Sound & Music Design)

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY (TNC)

is a Pulitzer Prize-winning community cultural center that is known for its high artistic standards and widespread community service. One of New York's most prolific theatrical organizations, TNC produces 30-40 premieres of new American plays per year, at least 10 of which are by emerging and young playwrights. Many influential theater artists of the last quarter century have found TNC's Resident Theater Program instrumental to their careers, among them are Sam Shepard, Moises Kaufman, Richard Foreman, Charles Busch, Maria Irene Fornes, Miguel Piñero, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Vin Diesel, Oscar Nuñez, Laurence Holder, Romulus Linney and Academy Award Winners Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody. TNC also presents plays by multi-ethnic/multi-disciplinary theater companies who have no permanent home. Among the well-known companies that have been presented by TNC are Mabou Mines, The Living Theater, Bread and Puppet Theater, the San Francisco Mime Troupe and COBU, the Japanese women's drumming, and dance group. TNC also produced the Yangtze Repertory Company's 1997 production of “Between Life and Death,” which was the only play ever produced in America by Gao Xingjian before he won the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature. TNC seeks to develop theater audiences and inspire future theater artists from the often-overlooked low-income minority communities of New York City by producing minority writers from around the world and by bringing the community into theater and theater into the community through its many free Festivals. TNC productions have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and over 42 OBIE Awards for excellence in every theatrical discipline. TNC is also the only Theatrical Organization to have won the Mayor's Stop The Violence award.

STAGE VOICES:

Stage Voices Web site (www.stagevoices.com) includes reviews, interviews, current events in the entertainment world, Shakespeare quizzes, and Stanislavski quotes, among others. Owned by Bob Shuman, the Internet destination has been called, “one of the best online publications, featuring the gestalt of today's theatre scene.” —Frank Gagliano, Benedum Professor of Playwriting, West Virginia University; “[A] valuable blog; you make a great contribution to theatre, and it's most appreciated.” --Roger Hendricks Simon, The Simon Studio. David Gibbs, press agent, DARR Publicity, says, “I sometimes wish we had more reviews/write-ups like yours in the theater world. It's interesting to read someone's perspective on a work vs. whether it was good or bad. ... Art is subjective, so it's refreshing to read an essay like this. I enjoy the debate on the choices a writer and director makes. And you give the reader smart context.”

Frank Farrell Productions LLC in August produced “Hamlet on the Run” at the Tank Theater in NYC and in April produced “Walt Kelly's Songs of the Pogo” for the New York City Fringe Festival at the Wild Project Theater in NYC. FFP produced a Zoom film in 2021 of “Songs of the Pogo” which was submitted to film festivals all over the globe winning several awards and prizes. That was followed by an eight-episode “Songs of the Pogo” Podcast which is currently available for listening wherever podcasts can be found or at www.thesongsofthepogo.com. Two other Zoom films produced and submitted to Film Festivals: the play “Salvador” by Rick Young winning 6 awards and several prizes, and “The Leaves Were Falling” winning 2 awards and several prizes. Zoom films produced by FFP as benefits were Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” at The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ and the play “Whisper Into My Good Ear” benefiting Tacoma Older LBGT in WA. The company also shows and sells artwork by Rick Young (1954 – 2021) www.rickyoungart.com. Frank is the founder and current artistic director of the not-for-profit First Flight Theatre Company www.firstflighttheatreco.com.

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