Tweed theaterworks
TWEED Theaterworks, also known as TWEED, Tweed Ensemble, and theatretweed, is an experimental theatre company founded in 1983 known popularly for its Fractured Classicks series; spoofs of classic American plays and films that employ unique casting choices,[1] as well as its critically acclaimed[2][3] productions featuring drag icon Lypsinka.[4]
TWEED Theaterworks' mission statement is stated as:
TWEED unearths raw, yet sophisticated, socially relevant artists and material and ushers them to the threshold of acceptability (and often beyond) to cast an irreverent mirror on contemporary culture.[5]
TWEED has been led by Artistic Director Kevin Malony since the company's founding in 1983. Originally intended as a platform for actors to present adaptations from literature and agent showcases, TWEED and Malony rapidly became a part of the thriving early 80s art movement in Manhattan's East Village.[6] The TWEED New Works Festival (1985-1995) presented the early work of many of today's recognized theater artists, including Bill Russell, Lisa Kron, John (Lypsinka) Epperson and John Kelly.[7]
The dancer and choreographer John O'Malley choreographed pieces for TWEED such as "Hotel Martinique" and "Atomic Opera".[8]
Reviewing TWEED Fractured Classick "The Mailman Always Comes Twice" in 2002, Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times called the show was a "ribald parody" of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Of Varla Jean Merman's leading performance as "Nora Papadopolous," Genzlinger wrote, "[she had] the Lana [Turner] look pegged pretty definitively, including the legs." Genzlinger described the show as "simply hilarious -- a terrific, if indescribable, bit of staging".[9]
References
- ^ Malony, Kevin. "TWEED". TWEED TheaterWorks Official Site. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (2014-11-13). "John Epperson Returns, in 'Lypsinka! The Trilogy'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (2000-09-16). "THEATER REVIEW; Those Eyes! Those Sighs! Lypsinka, What a Dame". The New York Times Theatre Section. The New York Times. Retrieved April 2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ New York Times Theater Reviews 1997-1998; 1999-2000 issue both cite Lypsinka!
- ^ TheaterWorks, TWEED. "About". TWEED TheaterWorks Official Site. Kevin Malony. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ Malony, Kevin (November 2012). "The Complete History". TWEED TheaterWorks Official Website. TWEED. Retrieved March 2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "TWEED TheaterWorks Description & History". NYC Service Organizations. The City of New York. 2016. Retrieved April 2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Hendrix, Grady (2008). "Obituaries John O'Malley, 47, a top dancer and choreographer". The Villager. 77 (33).
- ^ "THEATER IN REVIEW; 'The Mailman Always . . .'". New York Times. 15 November 2002. Retrieved 7 April 2016.