Joan Kane: Speaking Truth

July 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I had to tell my story. I needed to be able to say, ‘Look, I grew up in a time period in Brooklyn where racism was horrific and it was rampant.’ I needed to talk about sexual assault. I needed to talk about survival; how you can have horrible things happen to you. . . And I think it’s relevant today . . . I wanted to give some hope to folks: Look! Yeah, you can do it! You can go, you can push ahead. Tell your stories. Make sure that your truth is out there. For me, it’s very important that my truth is out there because, I believe, it’s truth that sets us free.

Joan Kane (writer/actor/producer) is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus.

The theatre is my church and I am a true believer. I see shows, I write plays. I produce, direct and perform. I love to see stories brought to life and I love making them.

Almost 13 by Joan Kane will be presented by Ego Actus in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Greenside Venues, 6 Infirmary St in August 2022. The play dramatizes the memories of a young girl’s violent summer in Brooklyn. Emotionally broken from witnessing a murder and ore, she finds herself dancing with a ghost. Can she survive being caught between a disintegrating family and racial violence?

This is a solo adaptation of the memories of a young girl’s hot, sweaty summer in Brooklyn. Can she survive being caught between a disintegrating family at home and racial violence on the streets? All she wants to do is jump in the waves at Coney Island and see the fireworks. Joan wrote the original 15 character play at the LaMama playwriting symposium in Umbria, Italy.

EGO ACTUS PRESENTS “ALMOST 13”
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOAN KANE,
DIRECTED BY BRUCE A! KRAEMER.
These are the memories of a young girl’s violent summer in Brooklyn.
Can she survive a disintegrating family and racial violence?
WHERE AND WHEN:
In the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
at Greenside Venues, 6 Infirmary St, Edinburgh EH1 1LS, Scotland
August 8 to 13 at 18:30
August 15 to 20 at 18:30
August 22 to 27 at 16:10
Tickets £12.00 (Concession £10.00)
Run time: 50 minutes

Edinburgh Festival Review

Published August 23, 2022 by Paul Levy

This is visceral, credible and well written drama, documentary yet delivered in part-fictional style through character acting, storytelling, occasional heart-breaking humour and a life-affirming message that lingers as we leave the theatre, pondering, humbled and ready to start talking further about Almost 13.

Bruce A! Kraemer (producer, designer, and playwright) is the producer of all Ego Actus shows.

Joan was named one of the 2011 People of the Year in honor of her contributions to the
NY theatre scene and inducted to the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com. Her
shows have been nominated for 61 awards, winning 21. Joan has also directed plays and
readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theater, Nylon
Fusion, Articulate Theatre, Abingdon Theatre, Oberon Theatre, the Samuel French Short
Play Festival, the Actors Studio, T. Schreiber Studio, the Broadway Bound festival and
many others. Joan graduated from the High School of Performing Arts, studied acting at
the Neighborhood Playhouse and has an MFA in Directing from The New School and an
MS in Museum Education from Bank Street College. Early in her career she was an
Equity, AFTRA and SAG actress. She later became a teaching artist for Henry St
Settlement, Young Playwrights and Theatre for a New Audience. Joan went on to teach in
New York City Public Schools and she was a staff developer and at Fordham University
as an adjunct professor for both under graduate and graduate classes. Joan is a member of
The New York Madness Company, Rising Sun Performance Company, The Episcopal
Actors’ Guild, the League of Independent Theatre, the Dramatists Guild, New York
Women In Film and Television and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers. She
is a voting member for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards Artistic Achievement
committee and a Nominator for the Kilroys List. Joan is also an ex-officio Vice President
for Programming on the Executive Board of Directors of the League of Professional
Theatre Women.

Social Media Links
Twitter: @EgoActus, @kanejoan1
Facebook: EgoActus, Joan Kane
Instagram: egoactus, joankane9, kanejoan
Website: http://www.EgoActus.com, http://www.JoanKane.us

#ALMOST13 #One WomanShows #metoo #ViolaDavisFindingMe #EGO ACTUS #Sexualassault #Playwriting #Women’sRights

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Dani Martineck: Pronouns Matter

June 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

In the moment we’re in, I myself, as an individual, have developed certain habits in ways of being where … if I am misgendered like it happened at the beginning of this conversation, to me, it becomes a learning opportunity.

Dani Martineck is a New York-based non-binary actor, writer, and award-winning audiobook narrator with a background in experimental psychology.

I’m a storyteller. I’ve found that in communicating truthfully through the stories I tell, other people feel seen and understood, and it just radiates this ripple of openheartedness outward to places I’ll never know.

they/them – what’s this?


Dani is here to celebrate moments of connection that bridge our experiential differences and create radical empathy. They bring their experience as a storyteller (as an actor, writer, and award-winning audiobook narrator), their experience as someone with their own daily meditation practice, and their experience as one who has found meaning living between several binaries to their offerings to you.

On screen, Dani has a recurring role on Blue Bloods on CBS, they can be seen (for a few seconds) cursing at Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession and (for many more seconds) in short queer rom com Potion Masters, as well as several other short films and series. Their first audiobook narration, for We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey for Penguin Random House, won an Odyssey Honor. Through both their acting and their writing, Dani celebrates moments of connection that bridge our experiential differences and create radical empathy. They also offer meditations for free on Insight Timer and in a more personalized process for custom guided meditations.

Explore some of Dani’s work:

Screenwriter, Producer, Actor:

Experimental-narrative short film The Rushing of the Sea explores familial loss and grief as an immersive experience. Younger and Older are adult siblings who’ve just lost their mother to terminal illness. Older is processing by taking care of Younger, who has sunk into a grief where she intrusively relives the last perfect day the three of them had together: on the beach, with the rushing of the sea underscoring impermanence. When Older has to leave Younger alone for the first time since the funeral, Younger’s surreal, sensory grief threatens to drown her. She must turn into the swell and face it, accepting the help and love of her family—both here and gone—to resurface.

Screen Actor:

Voice Actor:

Give Me Away by Gideon Media

Audiobook Narrator:

We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey

The Witch King & The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor 

Writer:

“Pan the Pirate”

“Merlin and the Dragons”

“Storm Magic”

Filed Under: Arts Advocacy, Featured News, First Online with Fran, League of Professional Theatre Women, Podcasts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Moise Morancy: Returning the Favor

January 24, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Artists have a responsibility to reflect the times . . . my experience as a young Black male looks through the experiences of an African-American male, but I’m a Haitian-American, so then there’s all those different dynamics that I’m taking from my Haitian culture, and I’m bringing these things in, and I’m taking from my American culture. Let me pick their brain. Let’s talk about what’s going on. Let’s put it on a camera. Let’s be authentic and be good people while doing it and tell the story.

Moise Morancy is an American actor, writer, director, producer, poet and activist from Brooklyn, New York. 

Moise always had a passion for telling stories. His career as a writer began as a young boy, capturing personal aspects of life’s challenges through written expressions such as poetry, songwriting and eventually screenwriting. His literary works are transparent and serve as a safe haven for his life experiences. He has always had the mindset of turning one’s pain into power. He believes that is what gave birth to his writing career. 

His theatrical background has spanned for 20 years. He has performed at notable theaters such as the August Wilson Theater on Broadway, The Public Theater and has starred alongside Chloë Sevigny in Downtown Race Riot at the New Group which had a successful run at the Signature Theater. 

Since the age of ten, Moise has pursued a career in film and television. He has appeared on a number of television shows such as Law & Order: SVU as a Trayvon Martin inspired character. He was invited back years later as a guest-star as Antonio, acting with Hip-Hop legend, Ice-T. He has also appeared on Showtime’s The Affair,  Happy!, Quantico, Blue Bloods, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Hunters, and more. 

Morancy’s diligence and willingness to learn has brought him under the guidance of television producer and show-runner, Patrick McManus as well as Littleton Road’s President, Kelly Funke. They were vital in assisting in the development of a television pilot based on his award-winning short film “When a Tree Falls,” a quasi-true story of his life, which was written, produced and directed by Moise himself. 

I wrote, directed, produced, and starred as Cleon in The Warriors prequel. A proof of concept. What would happen if Cleon, a Black man in the 70’s – formed a gang with people from different walks of life? Shout out to our amazing cast and crew! I would like to take this time to heap praise on everyone involved in the original film. We stand on your shoulders. You all paved the way for us to be better at our craft. Thank you for the audacity to make that film and make us feel like we can bop our way through any adversity. You guys weren’t good. You were “the best.” Growing up, I studied the video game and the movie. I’d always tell myself …. If there’s ever a Warriors remake and there’s an audition for the role of Cleon. You best believe…. ”it’s on. And we’re going.” The Warriors (2022) out now! 🙏🏿

Over the years Morancy garnered hundred of millions of views as his videos sparked conversations regarding sexual assault, race, AIDS awareness, politics, sexuality and more. 

Independently, Moise has been featured on platforms like: BET, Huffington Post, BBC News, Vibe Magazine, Essence, Deadline, Variety, NY Daily News, XXL Magazine, Shade45, AJ+ and more. He was even hailed as American Black Film Fesitval’s “Emerging Director.”

His viral poems and rap songs captured the attention of the likes of music legends such as T.I, Erykah Badu, Nas  and more. Hot97’s Ebro played his music on his radio show “Ebro in The Morning.”


It’s safe to say that Moise is a man of many talents, you don’t know what you’ll get next…

#The Warriors #BET #WhenATree Falls #AmericanBlackFilmFestival #TVpilotColumbia #Patrick McManus

Social media handles:

www.facebook.com/moisemorancy

www.instagram.com/moisemorancy

www.twitter.com/moisemorancy

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Margarita Espada: Teatro Yerbabruja, a Conduit for Change

December 20, 2021 by Leave a Comment

The immigrant stories that are here. . . when they see in us the possibility that it’s real. That’s why I focus on a specific community because we know the challenges . . . so young artists they see in us, [and] know that [change] is possible and we are here to support them.

Margarita Espada has traveled the world in her careers as an artist, educator and cultural organizer, training in physical approach to theater practice. Margarita is the founder and director of Teatro Experimenantal Yerbabuja, an art organization with the mission to use the arts as a tool for social change.  She is part of the faculty at the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University where she teaches theater and activism.

Teatro Yerbabruja’s mission is to use the arts as a tool for social change, to promote professional artists and to nourish emerging artists. Its programs are designed to promote creativity and to motivate civic dialogue. (The Yerbabruja is a medicinal plant from Puerto Rico that flourishes in the harshest of conditions.) 

Teatro Yerbabruja’s mission is to use the arts as a tool for social change, to promote professional artists and to nourish emerging artists. Its programs are designed to promote creativity and to motivate civic dialogue.

The Yerbabruja is a plant that flourishes in the harshest conditions and survives for a better tomorrow with just the sunlight for hope. Our mission at Yerbabruja is to connect community, art, and education and create a positive impact in the lives of the people we connect with through our work! 

Yerbabruja believes that artistic enrichment and social revitalization go hand-in-hand, and together build strong and sustainable communities. Teatro Yerbabruja’s programs are anchored in the values of racial justice that honor the contributions of people of color, and that are truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We understand that definitions of art, culture, and creativity depend on the cultural values, preferences, and realities of residents and other stakeholders in a given community.   

We create and produce experimental theater & use theater and other art forms to increase and encourage the understanding among people of different cultural backgrounds; provide opportunities to minority artists through performance, arts and workshops to develop their works. We provide knowledge and appreciation for the arts.

Get involved:  volunteer; artist opportunities; vendor opportunities

Margarita received her Master of Fine Art in Dramaturgy  from Stony Brook University and her Bachelor of Art in Education from Puerto Rico University. She is a New York State and Puerto Rico-certified theatre teacher with over 30 years of experience as an educator, performer, playwriter, arts activist, and cultural and community organizer.  

She has conducted research, supported school and organization change efforts, and facilitated teacher / professional learning around applied theater, culturally responsive practice, curriculum design, problem solving, and reflective communication. Margarita also works as a project manager for Center for Community Inclusion, Long Island University. Her works includes coordinating with Family Engagement Specialists/Parent Liaisons in various districts to develop and conduct family friendly practices within schools.

  Margarita has won multiple awards for her arts excellence and community work including Suffolk County Proclamation,2019, Recognition Senator Boyle, 2019. Martin Luther King Living Legend Award, NAACP Islip, NY, 2018. Citation for  Cultural Organizer, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, 2018, Artist of the Year, Legislator Monica Martinez, Suffolk County, NY,2016.

  She has received numerous awards and proclamations for her leadership, her art and community work including Suffolk County Proclamation,2019, Recognition Senator Boyle, 2019. Martin Luther King Living Legend Award, NAACP Islip, NY, 2018. Citation for Cultural Organizer, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, 2018, Artist of the Year, Legislator Monica Martinez, Suffolk County, NY,2016. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Times and by the Associated Press, Newsday, and numerous other media outlets.

Location: Second Avenue Firehouse Gallery

17 2nd Avenue
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631.626.3603

Facebook: #teatroyerbabruja

Instagram: #teatro.yerbabruja

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Jessica Wu: Open Access Paths to Success

September 24, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Actors Equity is opening its doors. I think this is one of the most exciting things that’s happening in my almost two decades as a Union member. It shifts the way people can become members. . . It is now OUR choice to become a member and that’s incredible.

Jessica Wu is an award-winning NYC-based playwright, director, songwriter, educator, and actor. Performance credits include the Broadway revivals of A Chorus Line and Miss Saigon, and she is the writer of numerous theatrical works including several full-length musicals – YOU, ME, I, WE (O’Neill Conference Semi-Finalist, Live & In Color Finalist, Winner of NAAP’s Discover New Musicals), and Poupelle of Chimney Town (debuting in Tokyo, Fall 2021; NYC, Summer 2022). In addition to her writing, Jessica is an Adjunct Theatre Professor at American University in Washington DC, and a Lyricist-Mentor with the Harvard-Radcliffe G&S Players. After spending several years running a Times-Sq non-profit theatre as Associate Artistic Director, Jessica is now is the owner/operator of her own consulting and development company Inspirate Creative. 

More than writing, directing, dancing, or producing my own projects – I love helping other creatives find their voice. 

In these past 2 decades, I’ve worked with a lot of creative people, on a lot of creative endeavors, in a lot of different stages of creative development. I’ve witnessed some incredible successes, but I’ve also seen innovative concepts fail to launch and brilliant ideas buried in mundane works.

I can 100% say: the most successful artists I’ve met are those who are truest to their own voice and the story they have to tell. 

While this may seem simple to the non-artist – believe me, I know from first-hand experience how impossible it can be with hundreds of other people’s influences, opinions and demands (not to mention your own hyperactive ideas and intense self-doubt) swirling around you. 

And, even though it is more-than-often single-minded, lonely work – I sincerely believe you shouldn’t have to be on that creative journey alone. 

That’s where I come in.

Through open-hearted collaboration, we can work together to help you and your work soar. 

I’m here to amplify your creativity and I can’t wait to connect with you.

Everything is storytelling and you are the storyteller. Your story and how you tell it has no choice but to be unique.

But I’ve worked with too many directors, producers, dramaturgs, and so-called ‘artist-mentors’ whose version of guidance is to impose their ideas, their ego, upon your work. 

So, I’m here to help you find your voice. Not their voice. Not my voice.

Your voice. 

Open Access  · Actors’ Equity Association (actorsequity.org)

As actor and delegate Jessica Wu (she/her) said, “To open up access to, especially, these communities who have been historically excluded from our industry through systemic racism, opening up that one pathway to be able to be seen, is a big step. It does not do anything to make more jobs, specifically for BIPOC artists. But it opens the door.”

#OpenAccessEquity #AsianActor #AEA #JessicaWu #BaayorkLee #Actor #FirstOnlineWithFran #Arts Advocacy

FB/Instagram: @woohoojwu

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