Brendan Connellan

ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS’ JANUARY SHOWCASE AT THE CELL

Join Artists Without Walls for its January Showcase at The Cell, 338 West 23rd Street, Manhattan, Tuesday, January 24th. Presenters include jazz fiddler Michi Fuji, author and lecturer Suzanne Bernier, singer/songwriter Martina Fiserova, artist and singer Maia Nero, writers Billy Barrett and Mike DeLucia, playwright Brendan Connellan and actor Faye Franzini. Charles R. Hale and Niamh J. Hyland are the evenings hosts and emcees.

The doors and the bar open at 6:45. Performances begin at 7:30. This is a free event.

Artists Without Walls’ January Showcase at The Cell Theatre in NYC

Artists Without Walls’ January Showcase at The Cell Theatre, 338 West 23rd Street, Manhattan, will take place on January 24th. The doors and the bar open at 6:45pm. The presentations begin at 7:30pm. The evenings presenters included playwright Brendan Connellan, actor Faye Franzini, writers Billy Barrett and Suzanne Bernier and musicians Martina Fiserova, Michi Fuji and Maia Nero.

OUTSTANDING LINE-UP of TALENT for FRIDAY'S SHOWCASE at THE CELL

11998814_10153064976681109_797891839802251318_n-2 — **Tara O’Grady**

Tara O’Grady is the band leader of a dynamic group of elite NYC jazz musicians who have performed with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Debbie Harry. Her voice is usually compared to Billie Holiday, but she has a distinct sound all her own. The New York born singer-songwriter with Irish roots has four cd releases, and she has appeared in the BBC film Danny Boy – The Ballad That Bewitched the World which was nominated for Best Documentary at the Irish Film & Television Awards in 2014. Her recording of the famous song, Danny Boy, was recently ranked the #6 best selling jazz/blues mp3 in the UK.

Stella Pulo is a writer and performer. In 1992 she became the first Australian to be made lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Shrimp Shells in My Cleavage is a collection of stories, each set in a different country where Stella has lived and worked.

A longtime AWOW member, Brendan Connellan has written and staged multiple productions in New York City. Among them, Kill the Bid, Pompa Pompa, Death, Please and Python. He is currently completing two new ones called Gash and Savage and working on his novel.

Tue Hoé, who will be performing a scene from Connellan’s play, is originally from Denmark. He has lived and has worked in New York for the past five years since graduating from The William Esper Studio. He has worked both with theater and film in New York as well as Denmark.

Faye Franzini is a New York based Brazilian actress and singer. She studied acting with Bill Esper, at the William Esper Studio and improvisation at the PIT. Faye has been part of various theater, music and improv productions as well as written, directed and acted in some of her own projects.

Poet and novelist Justin Colón-Rabinowitz graduated from Dartmouth College in 2005. He has traveled extensively throughout Spain, the Dominican Republic, and lived in Puerto Rico. Justin will also be reading at the well-known literary space, the KGB, Bar next month as part of Hofstra University’s MFA fall program.

Prague born singer, songwriter and musician Martina Fiserova will be making her fourth appearance at an AWoW Showcase. She would also like to invite readers to her release party and introduce you to her latest CD “Shift”, which stamps her mark on the NYC arts scene, and was created both in Europe and in the USA. “Shift reveals the maturing and development of an artist, who is not looking back” – James Nadal, All About Jazz

Richard Deane spends his time between New York City and Rhinebeck and has been continuing to work on his novel “When Yesterday Comes” while free lance writing and editing for a periodical financial publication. Richard will be reading a scene from his novel about a young girl with amnesia who finds herself homeless on the streets of the city in the care of a stranger.

The Cell Theatre is located at 338 W23rd St in Manhattan. The doors and the bar open at 6:45. Hope to see you there.

"TALENTED PERFORMERS, FRIENDLY PEOPLE and TIME to MINGLE": AWoW's SHOWCASE at THE CELL THEATRE, TUESDAY 3/24

“As a first time visitor of an AWoW Showcase, I enjoyed everything about the evening…. Talented performers, friendly people, time to mingle … fantastic. I will be back for certain.” Clyde Berger

Ashley Galvani Bell has performed as a soloist in the United States, Italy, Spain, France and Russia. Recent performances include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in Narni, Italy, Musetta in La Bohème at the National Opera Center, and Norina in Don Pasquale with Rioja Lirica in Spain, where she was called unstoppable in her brilliant singing and a true “stage animal” with her hilarious interpretation of the two sided character of Norina/Sofronia. This will be the popular soprano’s third appearance at an AWoW Showcase.

I.S. Jones is a spoken word poet hailing from Southern California. She moved to New York to pursue her passion for poetry. Her intense fire & honesty brims through every performance; It has been said she has a voice bigger than her body. Her works have appeared in Chaparral, The Harpoon Review, Fat City and various others literary magazine.

Mary Tierney will be directing a scene from Brendan Connellan’s Savage. According to Mary, “We’ve given it the Ingmar Bergman treatment. In Sweden, he’d rehearse actors from the National Theater for six months before a production was ‘ready.’ That’s what our actors, Larry Fleishman and Courtney Torres have done. ” Fleischman, has performed at a number of AWoW Showcases, and Torres, who recently performed at Beal Bocht in Sacred Sow, will be making her AWoW debut.

Prague born singer/songwriter Martina Fiserova has established a following on the NYC music scene with her unique songwriting approach and intimate and emotional vocal performance. She is finishing up an album of her original music, which will be her second release after the jazz oriented debut Clearing Fields.

Alison Sylvia is a “poet.in.progress,” and Tuesday, she will connect her poems with dance. Allison dazzled the audience with a spellbinding performance of her epic poem “Scroll” at her first AWoW appearance. “I am honored to have performed for such a receptive audience and to share the space with such talented artists,” she said. “That was the first performance I’ve done where I summoned the appropriate chutzpah to make the concluding sword trick work.” Her’s was an absolutely mesmerizing performance.

Gabriela Gyergeva was born in Macedonia and studied at University in Bulgaria, majoring in opera and voice. Gabriela performed extensively in Bulgaria and Macedonia before moving to NYC three years ago. Last year she performed at Carnegie Hall and the Mono No Aware film festival in Brooklyn. Currently Gabriela performs at St. Francis Xavier church in the city.

Joanna Migdal is a poet working on a chapbook of centos, one of which she is reading Tuesday night in honor of women poets of the past as part of the celebration of March Women’s History Month. Her cento will be posted 3/31 on a site called www.womenyoushouldknow.com

AWoW’s Showcase is hosted by The Cell Theatre, located at 338 W23rd St., NYC. Drinks at 6:45; the show begins at 7:20. Hope to see you then.

NICE PHOTOS AND WRITE UP IN THIS WEEK'S IRISH ECHO

The March 26th Artists Without Walls’ Showcase was an incredible evening. Here are a few of Vera Hoar’s photos as they appeared in the Irish Echo.

BRENDAN CONNELLAN'S FILM "KEEP HER CLOSE"

After staging three full productions in the past year at Theatre Row – Pompa Pompa!, Kill the Bid! and Death, Please! – Brendan Connellan has turned his hand to making movies. Here is a brief excerpt from his dark and strange (and fun) 15 min short film – KEEP HER CLOSE – which he wrote, directed and features in. Further portions will be released in the coming weeks.

CAT DWYER'S PHOTOS: ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' SHOWCASE, 3/26/14

Cat Dwyer’s photos from the Artists Without Walls’s Showcase, 3/26/14. The names of the photographed appear above the photo.

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Billy Barrett

Jerry O’Sullivan

Jerry O’Sullivan and Connie Roberts

Tara O’Grady, Miguel Vias, Brendan Connellan and Alessia Sushko

Warren Malone

Maeve Higgins

Noah Hoffeld

Joe McElligott, Charles R. Hale and Niamh Hyland with students from Lehman College

Noah Hoffeld and Salina Sias

Kate McLeod

Bernadette Fee and Pat Coyne

Intermission

JOIN AWoW on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 7PM: "ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' SHOWCASE at THE CELL."

Join Artists Without Walls for its next Showcase at The Cell Theatre on Wed., March 26, 7pm. A great night is planned including, Comedian Maeve Higgins, singer/songwriter Warren Malone, playwright Brendan Connellan, singer/songwriter Salina Sias, performing together will be poet Connie Roberts, Niamh Hyland and uilleann piper Jerry O’Sullivan, playwright/author Kate McLeod, writer Billy Barrett, and the duo of fiddler Bernadette Fee and guitarist Patrick Coyne. Charles R. Hale, emcee.

It’s going to be an incredible evening of entertainment and fun. See for yourself what all the buzz is about. Stay tuned, more info to follow. The Cell Theatre, Wed., March 26, 7pm.

Photo montage by Vera Hoar

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ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' MEMBERS "ON THE TOWN": WEEK of MARCH 9, 2014

Brendan Connellan’s DEATH, PLEASE!, which is directed and produced by Brendan, is opening on Tuesday, March 11th at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd St., NYC. There will be six shows running through Sunday, March 16th. Evening shows on Tuesday at 7, Wed-Sat at 8. Afternoon matinees Wed and Sat at 2 and Sunday at 3. The cast (in alphabetical order) are Alessia Sushko, Amit Gupta, Brendan Connellan, and another AWoW member, John Moran. No intermission. 70 minutes

For AWOW, instead of the $21.25 cost via Telecharge, go to www.broadwayoffers.com the ticket price is $17.25 with a lower service fee! Use the code TRAWOW.

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Peter Quinn, Honor Molloy and others will be discussing “Dagger” John Hughes and the Rise of Irish New York at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220-1227 Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 13pm, 6:30pm. Free for museum members, $12 students/seniors, $16 general public.

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Eamon Loingsigh‘s new book “Light of the Diddicoy” will be released at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St. in NYC’s Greenwich Village on March 12, 6pm. It’s a free event and books will be available.

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Join IFNY, The Irish Film Board and Under the Milky Way for a screening of the critically acclaimed film Good Vibrations in celebration of the iTunes release of four Irish films this March. Where: Wythe Hotel Screening Room, Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn. When: Friday, March 14th @ 7:30 pm. Tickets: $10.00 (available for purchase online http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/594198)

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Artists Without Walls will be presenting the University College Dublin Choral Scholars in a fund raising event called Sailing Away: Songs of Farewell, a program filled with songs of love, loss, parting, immigration and the sea at St. Peter’s Church Chelsea, 346 West 20^{th St.,} New York City, Saturday, March 15th, 7:30pm.

Listen to “Parting Glass”

Special guest, historian/author Peter Quinn, will share stories of his family’s immigrant experience. “Peter Quinn is a poet and an historian and one of our finest storytellers,” said National Book Award winner Colum McCann. Click here for tickets $20

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Honor Finnegan will be performing in a tribute to Patty Griffin at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street, NYC, on Saturday, March 15, 8pm.

ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' MEMBERS on the TOWN: WEEK of 9/29

Brendan Connellan’s play KILL THE BID! will have its final performance today, Sunday, at 3pm. at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $21.25 (including Theatre Restoration fee) but AWoW members and friends can go to www.broadwayoffers.com and punch in the code TRAWOW and pay $18.25in the box. Phone 212-239 6200 or 800-432 7250.

Artists Without Walls presents its “Showcase at The Cell Theater,” 338 W. 23rd St., NYC. Monday, 7pm, September 30th. Evening includes actors Jack O’Connell, Nancy Oda and Mary Tierney, author Honor Molloy, singer/songwriters Tara O’Grady and Sasha Papernik, the soulful sound of mbiraNYC’s music of Zimbabwe and more.

The plays of Kate McLeod, who also is the event’s producer, and Tzila Levy will be performed at the Bacon Theater Festival, Thursday Oct 3rd, 6:30-9:00pm at the Ding Dong Lounge, 929 Columbus Avenue, NYC. Tickets are $25, which includes one bacon mac and cheese, 1 dessert and 1 glass of wine. Click here for tickets

Niall McKay and “Irish Film New York” is back with its third annual slate of top-notch contemporary Irish cinema. All films screen at the Cantor Film Center of New York University on East 8th St. The festival kicks off Friday October 4th with “Run and Jump” starring Saturday Night Live’s Will Forte and directed by the Oscar-nominated Steph Green. AWoW members can buy discounted $10 tickets (normally $12) for any of the films included in the festival by using the promotional code: OFIG. For more information on the critically acclaimed films included in this year’s festival and to watch trailers and buy tickets go to http://www.irishfilmnyc.com/tickets/

New York Irish Center Concert Series hosts Tara O’Grady & her Black Velvet Band, Friday, October 4 at 8:30pm. 10-40 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NYC Advanced tickets: Tara O’Grady Regular Tickets $25 Tara O’Grady Seniors/Students/Unemployed $15 If you missed Tara’s CD launch, this is your chance to hear her full band perform favorites off all three albums. Doors open at 7:30pm.