A blog on theater (and other stuff) from the fine folks at Apple Core Theater Company
ACTC’s next show: A Modest Suggestion
Our next production, A Modest Suggestion by Ken Kaissar, doesn’t beat around the bush, so we won’t either.
In this pitch-black comedy (written by, it is worth noting, a religious Israeli-American playwright), four businessmen meet in an anonymous conference room over a pad of paper and a box of donuts to discuss the next item on their agenda: whether the world is a better place with or without the Jews.
Like its namesake satire (“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift), A Modest Suggestion utilizes extreme taboos and irreverent humor to ask difficult questions: why does racism and anti-Semitism exist? what does it mean to be Jewish? how malleable is one’s personal identity? and how does racism turn into violence? In producing this unique work, we seek to inspire an honest, thought-provoking discussion around these complicated, often forgotten topics.
And while the play deals with weighty issues, it is wholeheartedly rooted in old-school Jewish comedy. What better way to exhibit Jewish identity than to tackle such daunting, dangerous subjects with belly laughs? Even the musical rhythms of the dialogue feel Jewish — as one of our actors observed, even the goys in this play are Jews.
However, as I told many of members of my own family, the central premise of the play is unquestionably controversial and it may elicit in many people a strongly negative reaction. I am very sympathetic to that. There are some subjects for some people that are too significant and too sacred to be depicted onstage — and especially to be treated with any kind of humor, satirical or otherwise.
But even with that in mind, I am beyond thrilled to be producing A Modest Suggestion. I think that art — and especially theater — is a means by which to discuss the hardest topics. It is often best when it exposes the worst parts of human nature, when we see a tragic flaw onstage that reflects our own tragic flaws. And with the knowledge gained in art comes the power to change the world around us. Racism and even impulses towards genocide still happen. Everywhere. That is why it’s important to me to produce this show.
But I think, actually, that Ken’s rabbi Joshua Gruenberg put it best, as rabbis often do. When Ken showed the play to him, he simply said: “If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we’re lost.”
* * * * *
Over the next few months we’ll update this blog with insidery information about A Modest Suggestion, including rehearsal photos, interviews with the cast and crew, and a further dialogue about its complex themes. But as we feel this play is so deeply rooted in Jewish humor, we are also excited to include on this blog an Homage to Jewish Comedy (or HJC, for short).
In the coming weeks, we’ll be writing (perhaps arguing, as we are wont to do) about what Jewish humor really is. Don’t worry: we’ll also be enjoying plenty of examples along the way. We’ll post jokes and video clips from movies, stand-up routines, plays, even music videos that exemplify to us the specific characteristics of Jewish humor — everyone from the Marx Brothers to Mel Brooks and Neil Simon, Fanny Brice to Joan Rivers, and Lenny Bruce to Jerry Seinfeld. The possibilities are endless. It’s actually easier to narrow down who in comedy ISN’T Jewish.
To whet your appetite, and in honor of Passover and Easter, in the next post we will leave you with one perspective on what it means to be Jewish from my favorite movie…
Long time, no see!
Look at you! You look great. Have you lost weight? I love what you’ve done with your hair.
Seriously. It’s so good to see you.
I know. I know. We haven’t posted in a bit.
Because we’re bums. Like these guys.
But real quick, here’s an update.
We concluded our successful run of Mel Nieves’ By the Dawn’s Early Light last August, and we were floored by the generosity and kindness of our friends. You see, it wasn’t enough that we raised over $750 during the run for the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation — that would have been amazing enough.
But in addition, we received the very bad news that our last weekend would be cut short by Hurricane Irene. Because the public transportation was shut down for safety measures, that meant Broadway as a whole shut down too, along with Theatre Row.
As a side note, while Hurricane Irene did quite a lot of horrible damage in the Northeast, its impact in New York City was pretty much this:
So yeah. It was wet. …
Nevertheless, the loss of the revenue we could have earned during that last weekend was quite substantial. However, when we told our sob story to our friends and family, what did they do? They opened up their wallets AGAIN (!) and basically saved our theater company from tailspinning into astronomical debt.
No really. Without the generosity of our friends and family, we wouldn’t be writing this blog post because we would still be sobbing seven months later.
For those of you out there reading this — you know who you are — from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
In the meantime, we read some plays, we made some plans, we joined A.R.T./New York and took some classes there, and BOY did we write some grants! I mean, grant writing is just really thrilling, seriously! I know people disparage it, but it’s really a great exercise, almost like trying to figure out how the puzzle pieces fit together, because you know, it’s like what do they want to fund? what do you want to say? And it makes you think about your production and who you are and what your necessity is in the New York City cultural landscape and…
What? You don’t want to hear about grant writing?
Oh. You want to hear about the new show.
So. The new show.
We’ll be producing A Modest Suggestion by Ken Kaissar at Theatre Row, May 10 - 27.
And we’ll tell you more about it soon.
Not in 7 months. In like a couple of days. Don’t worry. So stay tuned.
“And the clock begins to wind down.”
It’s so hard to believe that we’re already in our last week of By the Dawn’s Early Light! While we will surely have more blog posts as we wrap up our run, our playwright Mel turned in his final, very contemplative, very heartwarming post last night. (Sigh.)
And the clock begins to wind down.
How is it possible that as I write this, we as a company are about to embark on our final week of performances? Six more shows and the theatre will go dark. Costumes and make-up removed for the final time. Props placed in a box for some other times, others given as remembrance of a joyous creative experience, and others discarded like so many unwanted toys.
It’s going to be tough, no doubt. It has been some ride for me. The journey from first phone call, to table read, run through and first performance – first laugh being heard from the audience, as well as the sniffle of a tear, will be always remembered.
As Arturo Castro said: “Dude, we’re on f**king Theatre Row, bro!” – Yes we were, and we done good.
I have sat in the back of the theatre on many a night marveling as I watch Walter, our director, hunched over the control panel, intensely watching the performance, smiling, shaking his head, cheering, wipe a tear away and still continue to take notes as if it were the first day of rehearsals.
I watch Kevin move deeper and deeper into Freddie’s journey with the ease of a great painter who knows just what strokes are needed to fill in the colors of his canvas.
I still find myself welling up when Karen says: “Victor, when you leave it’s going to be quiet. I don’t like that kind of quiet.”
This has been a truly rewarding collaboration. I have made new friends and have enriched others. The seeds of future collaborations have been planted with the work that we have done as a company.
How did we all get here? Hard work and trust are often good starts to any collaborative endeavor and this one was no exception to that rule, but I think there were other factors involved as well – factors that perhaps in a month or so, when I find myself at a quiet moment, glass of wine in hand, it will come to me. But for now this will have to do: The Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer Kahlil Gibran once wrote, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
To the ensemble cast: Kevin, Arturo, Gordon, Alicia, Wynn, Camilo, Karen, Mark, Gustavo, Flor, Damian and Jorge – thank you for truly giving of yourself and to your art to brings these stories so beautifully to life.
To Walter and Allison, you remind one constantly of why we do what we do with this life of ours in the theatre and the both of you do it inspirationally.
Yeah, I will be saying the same words as Angie does to Victor once the final curtain comes down on Sunday – “I don’t like that kind of quiet too.”
… “Midnight Mass”!
Here are Joey Castillo’s photos of our second half of By the Dawn’s Early Light.
Remember: we’re only running through Sunday August 28th, and it’s only a 55-seat theater… so get your tickets soon at www.telecharge.com.
We hope to see you at Theatre Row!
Our wonderful photographer Joey Castillo took these great photos of “Los Embrujados” in By the Dawn’s Early Light. And of course, he also took photos of…
applecoreblog
Apple Core Theater Company produces emotional, entertaining plays by American writers. Valuing the immediacy and intimacy of theater, we strive to present plays that cut down to the core and go straight to the heart. Believing that theater should be accessible to all people, we are committed to providing affordable theater to New York City.
Group Members
What we're up to (in 140 characters or less) Theme created by 
