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“……engaging, promising sample of a new, fresh, lively kind of theatre.” - The New York Post ANOTHER URBAN RIFF is a new ensemble theatre company that has already impacted New York's theatre scene as the force behind the critically acclaimed hit, MONO, which will celebrate its 3rd anniversary the weekend of August 21-23. AUR (and MONO ) re-located this past spring to its new home on 320 W. 37 th Street (between 8 th and 9 th Ave). Join the cast of MONO on Thursday and Friday, August 22nd and 15 th , for post-performance parties with open bar, DJ, live music, prizes and more to salute MONO's 3-year anniversary. And as part of our 3-year anniversary weekend, AUR is proud to present on Friday, August 16th, at 10pm (directly following MONO ), a new production of MAMBO QUASIMODO, written and directed by Steven Tanenbaum and performed by Lawrence Jansen, one of the veteran cast members of MONO. RSVP 212.629.5399. Download Press & Photos @ www.catchmono.com. Three years ago MONO burst onto the scene in NYC, and became an instant cult classic, garnering rave reviews from Time Out NY, Paper magazine, citysearch, and more. Today MONO continues to infect and enthrall audiences from all over the world. People are drawn to MONO for a number of reasons, be it the neoteric interactive format; the energetic pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat, or the accomplished international cast. One of the reasons MONO has continued at its frenetic success is the ability to keep the show absolutely fresh and innovative. Talented cast members frequently switch roles, and with the contrasting interpretations, MONO becomes a new show almost every weekend! MONO also holds a mirror up to New York City's cultural melting pot, with cast members from Trinidad, Australia, Japan, Puerto Rico and the Bronx. These elements and more have made MONO a true New York underground hit! In addition to our already successful, long running show, MONO, AUR's new production schedule is already under way. To commiserate MONO's 3rd birthday, AUR is presenting MAMBO QUASIMODO, a one man show written by Steven Tanenbaum. MAMBO is a stand up drama about a comic hunchback who does everything possible - pop pills, drink, and even audition for Road Rules - to avoid his dying father. Following the tradition of MONO, MAMBO is set in a nightclub and transforms the stand up format to tell its story, incorporating the audience and text messages as characters. This is just the beginning of what AUR hopes will be something of an avant-garde theater renaissance. Starting this summer, with a new Midnight Series, entitled Score: short, serialized weekly off-the-wall interactions that will make use of all the space in and around AUR, evolving our tradition of smashing the fourth wall and other barriers. Set to premiere in the fall is the original play, Your Best Friend, which was previewed in early spring 2003. It is literally a 2-story play: 2 stories unfold simultaneously on 2 different floors of the same building. We have also recognized the potential of our new space, beyond theatre, and plan to expand our interests into other areas of creativity, hosting galleries, live music, and other events to make the loudest artistic ruckus possible. “Tanenbaum and AUR have a bright future ahead of them and a hot, versatile space in which to make it all happen.” The Village Gazette-07/03
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR “MONO” “Critics' Pick” from Time Out New York, New York Magazine, Paper Magazine, CitySearch.com, Play by Play, NYTheatre.com, Show Business Weekly, & more. “shocking, engaging
and the kind of off-the-beaten-track theater for which NY is notorious”-
WHERE
STEVEN TANENBAUM (Writer/Director) is an accomplished storyteller, published monologist and playwright. Tanenbaum's new play, YOUR BEST FRIEND, previewed in the spring, featuring the cast members, Yasu Ikeda, Lawrence Jansen, Tricia McAlpin, Nick Paglino, and Kerri Tucker, from MONO , and will premiere later in 2003. His screenplay SUPERBAD is currently in pre-production. The critically acclaimed one-man show Q101, first performed in June 1999, documented his experience as a teacher on Riker's Island in a maxi-maxi security facility and in the prison's AIDS ward. The Village Voice raved, “Tanenbaum's sincerity is thorough and powerful, his simple, good intentions showing through with remarkable clarity.” Score is preoccupied with the same things people all over the city are after midnight: getting laid and the meaning of life. Every audience member will be handed the same quiz used in the play so they can “score” their own life. Cheap beer will be available for low scorers. |