Theatre East Blog is Go!

Working hard with Theatre East to keep bringing Art to Life, On Stage and Off! Check out the blog, the website, and join us at O'Lunney's Times Square for Theatre East Third Monday Mixers!

Bike MS NYC 2010 Wrap-up

Last week, I rode 100 miles (in one day!) to raise funds and awareness in the battle against MS. Over the years I have done a number of these rides back in Minnesota but I hadn't done one for a long time when I was prompted to fly back in 2008 to join my niece, Alli, in her first MS150 (150 miles over 2 days). That was only Alli's first MS150; now 12 years old, she's completed 3 of them. So I figured I should step up and do NYC's MS100.

It took a little longer than I expected, since it takes longer to ride up the hills of Palisades Interstate Park than the flatlands of Minnesota. But it was a lovely day for a ride, the rain of the preceding week lifting for the weekend just long enough for me to finish the ride, which took about 10 hours from entering the Lincoln Tunnel to returning to Pier 94 on the Hudson River in Manhattan. The photo is of my "I ride for" bib & the medal they gave out at the finish (more photos here).

Probably the most memorable moment of the ride was in Garnerville, NY. They were holding their Columbus Day parade a week early, so there were vintage cars and civic leaders in sashes milling about as the marching band warmed up; nothing to lift your spirits like riding out to the marching band rendition of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

However, the most memorable aspect of this entire experience has been the generosity of my friends and family, who in a very short time helped me raise over $1,500. Sadly, this is in part due to the fact that MS touches so many lives that many people donated in honor of someone they know affected by the disease. It is my hope that someday soon there will be a world without MS, and that in the meantime those with it can remain as positive as my Uncle Ron, who took his last step 15 years ago and yet feels that "Even though my legs and my arms don’t work anymore, I wake up every morning with a smile. I have a great deal to be thankful for. I am a happy man. I am a lucky man." (Read more from Uncle Ron here.)

Thanks again to all who donated!

Riding to Battle Multiple Sclerosis

My family will be riding 150 miles again this year in the MS150 in Minnesota. I won't be able to join them, but don't let that stop you from donating!

http://bit.ly/MS150RR

Red Letter Day

Went out with the wife to the Lower East Side last night. Originally we were headed to Gallery 151 for an Art & Aromatherapy lecture, since those two topics hit Jody's areas of interest and expertise.Unfortunately the lecture was canceled due to illness, but we were happy to check out the current installation (and the current space -- Gallery 151 is a moving gallery, so check out this show at 311 E. 11th before the end of the month).
After chatting with the artist and the owner and the gallerist, we decided to grab a bite to eat in the neighborhood. Since our friends Guy & Sara used to live there, we asked them.
Motorino was the first recommendation and we lucked out: the 30 minute wait ended up being only 7, and we got the prime table by the windoor (or whatever you call a floor-to-ceiling window open to the street). We had the warm & spicy octopus & potato starter, a salad and Jody had the spicy soppressata pizza and I had the special with ramps. The look big, but the thin Neapolitan crust makes it very easy to finish a whole pie by yourself. This is perhaps the best in the city (Jody had heard of it but somehow I had not). Do yourself a favor and check it out.
This all followed Jody winning a cool new lamp for our apartment on Apartment Therapy and being featured in yet another Etsy showcase.

HomeLand reading with David Straithairn, Jay O. Sanders, and many others

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of being at the Lark Play Development Center once more, this time for a reading of HomeLand by Christopher Cartmill, originally commissioned by the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This is an amazing play that I can't begin to describe, but it centers ostensibly on Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca Nation and on themes of home, identity, and so much more.

The cast included me, Christine Marie Brown, David Strathairn, Gerry Rodriguez, LeRoy McClain, Jay O. Sanders, Annie Henk, and Kathryn Layng Hwang.

Bold New Steps for Theatre East

Had a great company meeting last week for Theatre East. Very exciting, ambitious plans for our Education Outreach and Community Outreach committees, not to mention some cool artistic programs forthcoming, like our Mi Casa Es Su Teatro program.

Jumbotron On Your Laptop

After some technical difficulties, I have finally been able to upload all four of the Big Ten Network Commercials I shot about a month and a half ago (and first mentioned here).

You can see them full quality on YouTube, on my website, or in little blogger videos below:

#1) First Rule

#2) Email

#3) My Hero

#4) Silence

Hunting & Gathering tonight @ Walkerspace

Very excited to be reading Astor in Brooke Berman's Hunting & Gathering with No Name Theater Company tonight at 8pm at Walkerspace. Producer Jay Spece and director Michelle Tattenbaum have pulled together a great crew, including Gideon Banner, Emily Vaughan, and Maren Langdon; it should be an enjoyable evening.

Walkerspace is located at 46 Walker Street, NYC
between Broadway and Church St.

Take the N, R trains to Canal Street;
A, C, E trains to Canal Street.

Admission is free; details here.

Eye of God listed in the New Yorker

Check out the Goings On About Town - we're in pretty good company!

Big Ten Network commercial

Recently shot a series of cable commercials for
with Tallboy Films (casting by Adrienne Stern Casting).

Should be able to post them here in a few days, but a buddy of mine who was at the Vikings/Cowboys game at the Metrodome told me it's already played on the Jumbotron there.

Eye of God - Director's Vision

As Director of Communications for Theatre East, I shot and edited this short clip.
Director Lisa Devine talks about what the play means for her and what she hopes to give to the audience.

Had a great rehearsal last night. Tim Blake Nelson attended and seems energized about this production. He is even going to be giving us some cuts/rewrites!

Playbill & TheaterMania

Tonight is the first night of rehearsals for Eye of God with Theatre East. Check out the write-ups in:



and



Also check out Recession This! to figure out which Metrocard to buy.

Headin' East with Theatre East

I have not been posting much in the past month because I have been keeping really busy with Theatre East. First I was just bouncing ideas off of them (and vice versa) but then they made me a full-on company member and now I am on staff as Director of Communications.

I was also cast in their inaugural production, the New York premiere of Tim Blake Nelson's Eye of God. Mr. Nelson will be directly involved with the production and is even writing new material for us! (I guess he has wrapped up post-production on his new film, Leaves of Grass with Edward Norton.)

Rehearsals start next Tuesday under Lisa Devine's direction -- more soon!

NoBuddies Episode 12 "The Actor Whisperer, Part 2"

Girl got deep into her method training for Football Princess 2. The gang brings in the Actor Whisperer to talk her down. Does it work?

Bill - William Franke
Gray - Sean McCormack
Cal - Kevin Tor
Girl - Sue White
Alexis - Catherine Nicora
AW - Dan Truman

Directed by William Franke
Written by William Franke, Sean McCormack, & Kevin Tor

Music - "Flow is Special" by rokamic (ccMixter)
"Montage" by Kevin MacLeod

Goldman Sachs Can Suck It

from Working Families:

"It seems for some people, the economy isn't all that bad.

Goldman Sachs, which took in billions in federal bailouts, is back in the black. Last week they announced profits of $3.44 billion in the last quarter alone. Now they're planning to spend $11 billion in bonuses to celebrate - about $770,000 per Goldman employee.

It's enough to make the average taxpayer's head spin. Now there's another outrage: the Daily News reported yesterday that Goldman-Sachs could soon receive up to $321 million in city and state taxpayer dollars as part of an incentive program to keep their offices near Ground Zero. That's on top of $1.6 billion the investment firm has already received in publicly backed bonds and tax breaks for its shimmering new downtown headquarters.

Enough is enough. With the economy down and the city and state budget strained, now is no time for corporate welfare. I just joined the Working Families Party's campaign to stop the public giveaway by sending a personal to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Will you join me in asking him to publicly pledge he won't take more public subsidies now that his company is back in the black?

If enough New Yorkers speak out, we can embarrass Blankfein into doing the right thing."

Thanks,

Franke

NoBuddies Episode 11 "The Actor Whisperer"

Girl gets a sweet role in a kids' movie. Training goes a little too well.



Bill - William Franke
Gray - Sean McCormack
Cal - Kevin Tor
Girl - Sue White
Alexis - Catherine Nicora

Directed by William Franke
Written by William Franke, Sean McCormack, & Kevin Tor

Music - "Flow is Special" by rokamic (ccMixter) "Montage" by Kevin MacLeod

Remove the Trojan Horse from Global Warming Legislation

the following is from a CREDO petition I just signed:

Dear Friend,

Your representative is about to vote on legislation designed to stop global warming. Unfortunately, members of the House who answer to the worst polluters have succeeded in including a Trojan Horse at the heart of the legislation - a prohibition on Obama's EPA being able to use the Clean Air Act to take additional action on CO2.

This little known, almost secret provision actually guarantees that the United States will fall short of doing what the scientists tell us must happen - a reduction of 80% of CO2 emissions from their 1990 level.

Mr. Obama ran for president on a very strong global warming platform which achieved the 80% reduction, launched a cap and trade market without giving away free permits to polluters, and set strong standards for boosting clean renewable energy. Special interests are warping his pledge almost beyond recognition.

But the worst and most important compromise - and the one most secret and hidden from view - is the crippling of EPA's powers. This is precisely what Newt Gingrich and the Republican-controlled House of the 1990s did to President Clinton's EPA from 1995 on. They simply prohibited EPA from enforcing many laws. We cannot let the House strip President Obama of his most powerful tool to stop global warming.

I just signed a petition to tell my representative to stand up for President Obama's best weapon to fight global warming - the EPA. I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/trojan_horse/?r_by=4609-1476850-gZvO7Qx&rc=paste

SmartPower Ad - Jason vs. Frank

Another one of [nod] films's entries for the SmartPower commercial contest.

SmartPower Ad - Time Machine

One of [nod] films's entries for the SmartPower commercial contest.

Generosity in Tough Times

This post is a shout out to some generous friends of mine*, to my niece** and to my uncle, Ron.

Last year, I rode in the 150-mile MS150 Bike Ride in Minnesota to raise money for multiple sclerosis research & support with my niece, Allison.

Not only did she ride the whole 150 miles, but she's doing it again next weekend!^

I realize times are tough, money is tight, and many of you have already given to other worthy causes, but if you could donate even a few bucks (I believe you can do it anonymously, too) it would be awesome. Alli is halfway to her goal of $2100, so if you can find even $5 or $10 to give, it would go a long way.^^

The MN MS Society put together a video of people living with MS and how they cope with this disease:

Alli's great-uncle (my uncle) Ron is her personal reason for riding; you can watch just his portion of the interviews here (and scroll down past the video to read his story in his own words):

powered by Splicd.com

"My name is Ron Franke. After four months of symptoms, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in April of 1983. The next 13 years were a struggle, but I lived a relatively normal life. I walked, drove and worked full time. But the walking became more difficult, and during the last week of November in 1995 I took my last step. Over the next nine years my arms steadily became stiffer and weaker until they were gone. Just like the ocean waves continually pound the shoreline into sand, so did the waves of MS pound away at my mobility. But just like the ocean waves could never catch the wind, the waves of MS could not catch my attitude. Even though my legs and my arms don't work anymore, I wake up every morning with a smile. I have a great deal to be thankful for. I am a happy man. I am a lucky man.
Rather than reminisce about times gone by or dwell on my lost abilities, I choose to revel in my new life and all that I still have. I believe that people with disabilities and able-bodied people alike are often trapped by their own fears. Back during the November week when I quit walking, I was initially gripped with the fear of my loss. But soon I experienced the elation of my newfound freedom and the removal of the shackles on my withering legs. I have released myself from the prison of my fears. Now I am free. Now I can fly."

Thank you,
Bill Franke

* Specifically Alison, Andi + Hamish, Carolina, Lara, Tim, and Uma (in alphabetical order).
**And the rest of my family who is riding in the event again (I am not because it's in Minnesota and it nearly blew out my knee/IT band last year).
^My Dad, sister, and brother-in-law will also be riding again. I think this year marks my dad's 12th ride!
^^If you are able to donate (I won't harass you), just tell Alli that you're a friend of UB's.