Tickets on Sale NOW for THE NEW NORMAL by Donnetta Lavinia Grays

Coyote REP Theatre Company Presents
The World Premiere of

THE NEW NORMAL
by Donnetta Lavinia Grays
directed by Isaac Byrne
October 13th-23rd, 2010 (Limited Two Week Run)
Starring Nell Mooney*, Michael Mason, Andrea Caban* and Emily Rossell*

Dates and Times:
October 13th-15th 8pm (Previews)
October 16th 8pm (Opening Night)
October 17th 2pm and 8pm
*October 18th 8pm
October 20th-23rd 8pm

Tickets $18
Available online at Brown Paper Tickets (*Special Monday Night Performance)

About the Show:
Meet Anna, a 30 something funny and frank southern warrior living and thriving in Seattle with her rocker husband and 3 year old kid. As a mom, a wife and a survivor she's handled more than her fair share of drama, but nothing could have prepared her for this. The New Normal: Sometimes survivors need a survival guide.

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The New Normal is a groundbreaking original full-length play developed by Coyote REP Theatre Company and written by Donnetta Lavinia Grays. Inspired by the life of 2009 Puget Sound Survivor of the Year Anna Warren Schumacher, it is a hard hitting play that tells the unique story of how a young woman finds humor and grace in the unexpected challenges of survival.

Starring Nell Mooney*, Michael Mason, Andrea Caban* and Emily Rossell*

*Actors Appear Courtesy of Actors Equity Association



THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.




Sound SFX system provided by a generous donation from Stage Research

Coyote REP on CBS New York's Komen Special Sept 11th

Set your TiVo's, Kids!!

We are proud to announce that Coyote REP will be featured in CBS 2 New York's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Special airing Saturday Sept. 11th at 7pm.

Artistic Director and Playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays sat down with CBS 2 News Reporter Cindy Hsu to talk about Coyote REP's upcoming production of THE NEW NORMAL which premieres October 13th-23rd at Wings Theatre.

Ms. Hsu also spoke to the woman who served as inspiration for the piece, 2009 Puget Sound Susan G. Komen Survivor of the Year Anna Warren Schumaucher, via satellite from Seattle.
Please tune in to meet Anna and hear tell her story in her own words.

The segment traces the friendship between the playwright and her muse and details what moved CR to develop and produce this groundbreaking new work about a young woman's unique story of survival.

Stay tuned this blog and our website for more information about THE NEW NORMAL!!

Fringe Frenzy!! Answers to "Questions"

Questions My Mother Can't Answer opens Sunday the 15th!!

You got questions about "Questions"? Here are the answers:

Where can I see this amazing show?

Questions My Mother Can't Answer will be presented at New York Theatre Workshop's 4th Street Theatre (located at 83 East 4th Street, between Bowery and 2nd Avenues)

What is the performance schedule for the show?

You only have five chances to see the show:

1. Sunday, 8/15 @ 10:15 PM
   

2. Sunday, 8/22 @ 1:45 PM
   

3. Tuesday, 8/24 @ 2:00 PM
   

4. Thursday, 8/26 @ 6:45 PM
   

5. Friday, 8/27 @ 9:15 PM

How much are tickets?

Only 15 bucks!

How can I buy tickets?

Follow this link (Here) to TICKETWEB. A full calendar and online ticket purchasing are currently available. You may also purchase your tickets at the door.

What is the official website?

www.questionsmymothercantanswer.com ...and it is awesome

Tell me more now!! What's the talk about town?

Broadway World Feature: Here
NYTheatre.com Feature: Here
Behind the Fringe Feature: Here
Join us on Facebook and let us know you'll be comin': Here

What's the history of the piece?

Read more about Andrea's process: Here

I love the show. I've seen it and want to tell the world!!

Great! There are two ways to show your love!

VOTE for "Questions": in the Innovative Theatre Awards categories listed: (HERE)
VOTE for "Questions": as an Fringe Audience Favorite: (HERE)


...Okay kids. You are now fully armed and ready to go. The fine folks at Coyote REP sure do hope to see you there as we usher in our first trip to the Fringe!!

Meet Mike! Our New Literary Manager

It's the week for special announcements at Coyote REP!

And here's a great one.


Mike Caban has been named CR's new Literary Manager! He's smart. He's experienced. He ours! Meet the man who will help shape seasons to come at CR.


Welcome aboard, Mike. We are lucky to have you.



Get to know Mike Caban:

Mike Caban is excited about joining Coyote REP as Literary Manager. He first became involved with Coyote REP through his wife Andrea, also a company member, in late 2007 as a volunteer working on their annual Rising Moon Fundraiser. Since then, he has worked with CR as an actor in their successful radio play Deception, and is now honored to take on a more substantial role in the Company.

Mike brings considerable experience in working behind the scenes of a theatre company, as he was co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Jobsite Theater, an acclaimed theater based in Tampa, FL. From their humble beginnings playing at a minuscule art gallery that once was a row home in a bad neighborhood, to their present home in a state-of-the-art black box space at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Mike was there for the first two years and came to appreciate the work involved in rallying a group of like-minded artists -- all of whom were close friends from university --into working as a company and cultivating an audience. As an actor, he knew he wanted to do shows that spoke to him, that were politically and socially relevant. As a co-founder, he was influential in working with the other members by encouraging them to pick interesting, under-celebrated works by
established playwrights, and presenting them with a fresh, innovative perspective.

But by far his favorite part of that group’s repertoire was the Original Works program, which invited new voices -- starting with the founding members of the company -- to create plays and present them in their October-November slot. Now as a writer, director and company board member, Mike learned first-hand the challenges involved in fostering brand new work and sharing it with their nascent, hungry audience.

To Mike, the most alluring aspect of Coyote REP is their ambition and courage to look from within, to encourage the company to create what they present, and to do so with tremendous success. It is his hope that as Literary Manager at Coyote REP, he can continue in that track with this impressive group of artists and help to discover new playwrights -- be it the person across the table from him or even in the mirror -- and to cultivate an audience that will be back again and again, knowing that they will always have a home for fresh work at Coyote REP.

Questions My Mother Can't Answer

QUESTIONS MY MOTHER CAN'T ANSWER by Andrea Cabab

Sunday May 10th 7pm Bruce Mitchell Room
ART/NY
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

I got the idea to write "Questions My Mother Can't Answer" (a working title by the way) after one of the performances of my last solo show, "You Got Questions? I Got Answers!" That piece was a documentary theater collage derived from the interviews I conducted with 8 New Yorkers about when they feel the most isolated and when they feel the most connected. A friend of mine brought her mother to the show. Her mom commented to me that I interviewed people of all different races, genders, & ethnicities, but I had no one in my play that represented her generation, the voice of women in their early 60's. I felt a little guilty I hadn't included anyone of that age. And then I felt a little curious.

Then I started finding friendships, lots of friendships, with women around my mom's age. My husband thought it funny that while my peers were going out for drinks until the wee hours, I was making dinner dates with 60-something year old women I met on the subway! I started to wonder what it was these friendships were giving me that perhaps my relationship with my mother did not. So I started asking for interviews. And unlike with my first piece, every women I asked said yes! There was absolutely no shame in their stories...they were pleased to be able to tell me about the moment they found out they were pregnant, about the fall of their first marriage, and a few things they wouldn't tell their own daughters.
So not only was I gaining the benefit of delving into the lives of these highly fascinating and highly flawed women, they were finding release in the telling of stories, that in some cases, they had never told anyone before. And they had never told anyone before because no one had ever asked.

I tell people when I work in this way, I start from a curiosity and follow my nose until a play presents itself to me. I titled this one before I knew what the heck it was going to be about. So when I interviewed my mom, I was shocked at and grateful for the answers I got. I don't think I'm giving too much away by saying that.

Andrea Caban is an actor, writer, producer, and teacher. She last appeared in Craig Wright's The Pavilion in the role of the narrator and 17+ other roles at Boise Contemporary Theater. Andrea received the 2008 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for her documentary-based play You Got Questions? I Got Answers! Her play also earned Outstanding Short Script & Outstanding Performance Art Production nominations. Regional and New York credits include productions at The Public Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Long Wharf Theater, New World Stages, HERE Arts Center, GAle GAtes et al, and The Hayworth Theater in LA. BA: University of South Florida. MFA: University of California, Irvine. www.andreacaban.com

The New Play Development Program is our commitment to nurturing the original work of our company's playwrights. This intensive, ten-month program provides a structured series of workshops culminating in our May Works-in-Development Series, a public presentation of readings.

RATED 'M' FOR MATURE

Coyote REP is very excited about the work we are showcasing in or Works-in-Development Series at ART/NY and The Barrow Group Theater. We asked our company playwrights to share more about the pieces they are featuring for the month long May event.

RATED M FOR MATURE by Greg Ayers
Sunday May 9th 7pm Bruce Mitchell Room
ART/NY
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)


Let me make one thing clear: I love video games. I always have. I can still spend an entire weekend playing any one of the Final Fantasy games. Videogames will always occupy a special place in my heart because I grew up on them. Some of my earlier memories include playing Jungle Hunt and Joust on the Atari 2600. Back when I was in elementary school, owning a specific game could be viewed as a status symbol. I remember being the first of my friends to own Super Mario Bros 2. I suddenly had people begging, yes, begging me to let them come over and play the game. And, I admit, I may have taken advantage of my new position of power by demanding that everyone share their fruit rollups with me in exchange for 10 minutes of game play. So what if I was drunk with power? I was ten. And I was having fun. And for me, that’s what videogames are all about: having fun. Entertainment. But somewhere along the way, for some people, videogames have become a serious addiction. That’s not so fun.

I suppose there are a few reasons I decided to write Rated M for Mature. The first being, I had recently read an article about a teenage boy who shot both his parents in the head because they’d taken away his favorite videogame. And then, a while later, I heard about a couple in China who were so wrapped up in creating a second life for themselves in an online game that they neglected to feed their newborn baby, which ended up starving to death. Clearly, these are two example of love for videogames gone wrong.

Another reason I was inspired to write this play is because I find teenagers to be some of the most fascinating and exciting people out there. I can vividly recall the pain that shaped my teenage years. The pressure. The bullying. The frustration. The anger. But I’m now at an age where, although I can still empathize with the plight of teenagers, I also feel a tinge of fear whenever I see a group of them

on a subway platform. I feel disconnected from them. And at times, I feel intimidated. I mean, do they really need to talk that loud? Really??

Rated M for Mature is a play about all of the above. The confusion and disconnect some parents feel towards their children. The pain and frustrations of being a teenager. And the need to escape life by immersing one’s self into an online fantasy world.

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Greg Ayers co-wrote and starred in John and Greg's High School Reunion, which premiered at last year's New York International Fringe Festival. As an actor, some of his favorite credits include Small Tragedy at the Aurora Theater, HOLES at the Orpheum Theater, and The Lion in Winter at PCPA Theaterfest. Greg is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts

The New Play Development Program is our commitment to nurturing the original work of our company's playwrights. This intensive, ten-month program provides a structured series of workshops culminating in our May Works-in-Development Series, a public presentation of readings

WORKS-IN-DEVELOPMENT SERIES MAY 2010!

Coyote REP Presents its inaugural
Works-in-Development Series
May 9th-May 24th, 2010 ART/NY and The Barrow Group Theater

You are invited to support the works of Coyote REP's up and coming playwrights by attending this month long festival of new work! We have always been a company that supports work from within our ranks. But in 2009 we began specifically encouraging our members to write plays for development by the company. The goal is to learn the process of developing a piece of theatre as a company from its beginning ideas all the way through to a full Coyote REP sound or stage production.

We ask that you come out and witness the seeds of this process, offer feedback and lend your own support to these promising writers!

*Talkbacks to follow each reading.

Rated 'M' for Mature
By Greg Ayers
Directed by Paul Dobie

Sunday May 9th 7pm
ART/NY Bruce Mitchell Room
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

Eric, a lonely sixteen year old, is addicted to living vicariously through his avatar in an expansive online video game. But when he starts to neglect his real life, his computer is taken away. How far will he and his friends go to get it back?
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Questions My Mother Can't Answer
By writer/performer Andrea Caban


Monday May 10th 7pm
ART/NY Bruce Mitchell Room
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

Questions My Mother Can't Answer by writer/performer Andrea Caban, is a documentary-based collage of the true mythologies of women from her mother's generation and her search to fill in the blanks of her own mythology. Andrea navigates through the stories of 8 women as they reflect on growing up in the 50's, getting pregnant in the 60's, raising children, having sex, finding happiness & becoming characters in a play.

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What She Means
By Rebecca Tourino
Directed by Michael Lluberes

Sunday, May 16th 7pm
The Barrow Group Theater
The Garret Studio
312 West 36th Street (at 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

A writer in the very act of writing a play, five children trying to take over the story, and the mysterious old woman they all love. Battles of will. Games of tag. Existential crises. Inexplicable cabbages. What She Means is about memory, childhood, grief, and the bewildering process of creation.

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a rhyme for the UNDERground
by chandra thomas
Directed by Tia Hodge

Monday May 17th 7pm
The Barrow Group Theater
The Studio Theater
312 West 36th Street (at 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

“a rhyme for the UNDERground," in a sentence, is not your mother’s solo show! This new work follows chandra, a social researcher, as she interviews people from all over the world as they travel on the New York City subway. While she thinks her interviewees are there to help her with her book, she quickly discovers they are really there to save her from the precipice. Actor/writer chandra thomas journeys through 17¼ characters in her humorous and moving play infused with poetry, songs, spoken word and dance.
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The New Normal
By Donnetta Lavinia Grays
Directed by Isaac Byrne

Monday May 24th 7pm
ART/NY Bruce Mitchell Room
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)

Anna is a spontaneous and fun-loving 32-year-old; a hot mama with a new baby, new family and a new life in Seattle. Just as her new life is kicking into high gear she is handed a diagnosis of Breast Cancer that changes her plans. This is a story of survival. This is a story of humor. This is the story of a family fighting with this disease…and it’s also the story of survivors feeling each others breasts at cocktail parties…This is The New Normal.
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You are invited to attend the talkbacks following each reading.

To reserve seats, email info@coyoterep.org with the following information:
Subject: Reservations
Name:
Email:
Phone Number:
Desired Reading(s):
Desired Number of Tickets:
($5 Suggested Donation at the Door)

*Seating is limited so make your reservation early!

The New Play Development Program is our commitment to nurturing the original work of our company's playwrights. This intensive, ten-month program provides a structured series of workshops culminating in our May Works-in-Development Series, a public presentation of readings.