Careful perusal of the Village Voice listings a week ago revealed a festival of free readings starting March 25 presented by INTAR and NYU's Department of English and its Program in Dramatic Literature to celebrate playwright Maria Irene Fornés' 80th birthday. Casting director Billy Hopkins helmed the reading of Fefu and Her Friends at Theatre for a New City, on Monday, March 29 starring original cast member Rebecca Schull. If anything could engender a lifelong passion for the uniqueness of the theatrical experience then this play would certainly be up there with the American greats; as if an innocent gentle breeze wafted through one's being yet hung on the heart forever and a day.Author of the forthcoming Fornés book Scott T. Cummings and moderator of the Saturday, April 3 evening reads the final tribute of the evening. Excerpts from Michelle Memran's film The Rest I Make Up: Documenting Irene were screened along with reminiscences from Edmund Gaynes, Aileen Passloff, Alice Playten and Rebecca Schull.
Happy Birthday Irene Fornés
Irene's conduct dance of life
On Monday April 12th at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) as a benefit for The Off-Broadway Alliance: concert performance of Maria Irene Fornés and Al Carmines' Promenade on Monday, April 12 at New World Stages, directed by Pamela Hall, with musical direction by Ken Lundie. At Saturday's tribute Alice Playten gave an unforgettable rendering of the song Irene wrote specially for her. No video could properly capture that sublime moment.
Last Monday, April 5 at the Cherry Lane Theater, Mayra Ferrer, Felipe Javier Gorostiza, Jacquelyn Landgraf and Kay Matschullat each directed a one act play performed together for the first time as the tetralogy What of the Night? proving just how funny, mischievous and perceptive is Fornés of human foibles and our often utter failings.
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=.......photos and video shot by CosmicViva
