--Origins

In October '99, Marymount Manhattan College hosted 2 panel discussions on the performing arts. The first panel included an Academy Award winner, a star from "ER" and a screen writer whose movie was directed by Spike Lee. Alumni, Steven Tanenbaum was invited to speak on the second panel. Certain his alma mater was sending him a message, Tanenbaum almost declined participating in "Creating Your Own Opportunities In Theatre."

At the end of the seminar, one of the students, Tricia McAlpin spoke to Tanenbaum. It was a short dialogue of the type that seldom occurs when two strangers actually risk listening to each other. Tanenbaum had felt this instant kind of rapport only twice before working with kids in Loco-Motion, a theatre program for kids, and teaching convicts on Rikers Island. This sincere dialogue led directly to the inspiration for Tanenbaum to create his own opportunity in theatre. A month after meeting McAlpin, the first draft of MONO was finished - and appropriately it was a play about listening or rather not listening.

Casting: Fittingly, the first actor cast was Tricia McAlpin, the person most responsible for MONO's start. The second actor was a former tank commander in the Israeli Army, Yafit Hallely. Her relentless drive powered MONO's engine for two years. There is now a core group of dedicated actors who have been with the show for 2 years: Yasu Ikeda, Lawrence Jansen, Maya Macdonald, and Kerri Tucker. Nick Paglino and Donan Whelan are nearing their 1-year anniversary with MONO. This ensemble, that Show Business Weekly called the leaders of a "new generation of cutting edge theatre,"--along with MONO playwright Steven Tanenbaum, wanted to take advantage of their collective experience and forge an ensemble company. That company, ANOTHER URBAN RIFF, continues to produce what the NYC media praises as "shocking, engaging" work, "the kind of off-the-beaten-track theatre for which New York is notorious."

This is the origin of the MONO ensemble - S.T.