BAR CROSSED LOVERS - Episode 2: "The Draper"

Bar Crossed Lovers

Episode 2 "The Draper" 
May 18, 2016 on Vimeo
(Run Time: 2:46 minutes)

As Jessica faces the fact that it's been a while since she last dated, a (somewhat) dreamy guy shows up at her favorite bar. Jessica: Therese Anderberg. Kathy: Jenna D'Angelo. Lisa: Ava Eisenson. Written by Jenna D'Angelo. Directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann.

BAR CROSSED LOVERS (Webseries Premiere) - Episode 1: "The Neighbor"

Bar Crossed Lovers

Episode 1 "The Neighbor" 
May 11, 2016 on Vimeo
(Run Time: 3:37 minutes)

Justin gets nervous when a woman who lives in his building stops by his favorite bar. Justin: Justin Liebergen. Chris: Brennan Lowery. Brian: Greg Carere. Written by Jake Paque. Directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann.

BAR CROSSED LOVERS: The new digital comedy web series debuts May 11!

Wide Eyed Productions and StagNation Productions 

present 

Created by Jake Paque

Directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann

Episode 1 Premieres on May 11 on YouTube 

The new digital comedy web series Bar Crossed Lovers is about the steps we take and connections we (try) to make in the world of dating: the hits, misses, stumbles, tumbles, falls, gaffes, and occasional success. Most of the time, though, connecting with other people is challenging...pretty awkward...and sometimes downright funny. But when a genuine connection is made - it is pure magic. 

Bar Crossed Lovers stars Therese Anderberg, Greg Carere, Jenna D'Angelo, Ava Eisenson, Justin Liebergen, Brennan Lowery, Amy Lee Pearsall, and Billy Bob Thompson, with episodes written by Dan Kitrosser, Sam Byron, Andrew Harriss, Madison Comerzan, Michael Ross Albert, Jenna D'Angelo and Jake Paque.

Stay tuned for the Episode 1 launch on Vimeo on May 11, and join us each week as two sets of friends navigate the rocky waters of social interaction, friendship, and the possibility of love. 

Find Bar Crossed Lovers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and look for the hashtags #BCL and #BarCrossedLovers.

KEEP: The Reviews

"Besides having a flawless script, Keep also offers a high-quality performance by all four of the actors in the cast. Kim Krane’s performance as Naomi, whose pureness and sincerity in her acting drags the audience into her world from her first moments on stage; and Jenna D’Angelo who has a naturally likable vibe and a subtle but genius comedic timing." - quicktheatre

"Keep reminds theatergoers that the affinity shared between sisters can be powerful and ephemeral." - offoffonline

"Eye-opening, mysterious, and emotional, Keep brings one family’s deepest secrets to the surface...on a journey through a (literally) cluttered past." - theaterscene.net

"...a dynamic tour de force...On a profound level Pazniokas' work is about self-definition, identity and escape from pain." - Theater Pizzazz

"...it is hard to find a portrayal of hoarding that is nuanced, sensitive without being sensationalized.Keep explores hoarding from a larger, more complex emotional context, and, while it does not fail to address the physical mess of things, it does not simply stop there." - stagebuddy.com

Keep runs at The Barrow Group Theatre through April 30. Get your tickets here.

CALL FOR SCRIPTS: Season 4 of the Wide Eyed WINKS Staged Reading Series

Wide Eyed Productions is hosting our fourth installment of the WINKS Staged Reading Series. This year, we are focusing on roles for ladies, and on original plays written exclusively by local NYC playwrights! Wide Eyed Productions is excited to continue its work in developing new American plays like the award-winning Animals by Sam Byron and Dan Kitrosser's Dead Special Crabs. With the terrific response we’ve received to our previous seasons of the WINKS, we wanted the fun to continue. 

Presenting Season 4 of the Wide Eyed WINKS Staged Reading Series:

WHAT WOMEN WANT

New Theatrical Works Featuring

Great Roles for Female Actors

Each month will feature a 20-minute segment from three original works by three different writers which are related to, or inspired by, the theme for each month. The themes are as follows: September: MOTHER, October: MAIDEN, November: CRONE, December: MADONNA, January: WHORE. The only consistent element is that each play must feature a “great role” for a female actor.  At the end of each night the audience will be invited to select their favorite play of the evening by casting an anonymous ballot. The audience favorite decided upon by majority vote will be named a semifinalist and invited to submit a full text* to Wide Eyed Productions’ Artistic Board for consideration for our final round.

Two (or three) overall finalists will be chosen and given a full staged reading of their plays at the end of the WINKS series.  From the finalists, one winning text will be chosen based upon audience and board votes. This winning text will then be put into development with Wide Eyed in whatever capacity we believe would best support the text and playwright. 

What you need to know:
·  The play does not need to be a world premiere.
·  The play does not need to be a fully completed text when it is initially submitted.
·  Musicals will be considered as long as they are submitted with a music sample.
·  Directors and casts will be provided by Wide Eyed, but we love it when you have suggestions for people you love to work with!

·  Please submit selections of text, treatments, and other support material to submissions.wideeyed@gmail.com with the title of your play and the theme you think it best matches in the subject line.
·  The readings will be presented at The Drama League on the second Tuesday of each month.
· The full text of the submitted play is not to exceed a 90-minute estimated run time. Semifinalists will be given a deadline for submissions of full texts. 
·  Half of the proceeds from the readings will be donated to the women’s organization of our choice following the series.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS MAY 30, 2016

Happy writing!

Kristin Skye Hoffmann
Artistic Director

Meet the Cast: Jenna D'Angelo (KEEP)

Jenna D'Angelo is an actor, producer and yoga instructor based in NYC. She is a co-founder of Mastodon Theatre Company as well as a guest artist with Wide Eyed Productions. She has appeared in many films, webseries, and plays around the city. She is currently starring, co-producing, and writing for the upcoming digital series Bar Crossed Lovers premiering in May! Credits include: How Alfo Learned to Love (59E59), Elemeno Pea (Mastodon), Animals (FringeNYC), Leah in Vegas (FringeNYC), The Wedding Guest (reading: Moisés Kaufman), The Perfect Murder (Discovery ID), Madeleine Zabel (Cambridge Film Festival), Silent Wave (Best Supporting Actress in a Short nomination), Vlogger (Take Two Festival), Bruiser (Intendance Film Festival), Kin (Nitehawk Film Festival). Jenna received her BA from Western Michigan University. www.jennadangelo.com

You’ll be performing in the world premiere production of Keep, which we are co-producing with Mastodon Theatre Company. How was the rehearsal process? Can you tell us a little bit about the character you’ll be playing, and your favorite thing about this role? (No spoilers!)

It was a really fascinating rehearsal process, in large part because the show takes place in a hoarders house (which in and of itself almost acts as a fifth character in the play), so the room is filled with all different kinds of things. In the rehearsal room, we didn't have the luxury of having a lot of stuff to interact with, so we had to experiment a lot with miming and working to build this world in large part with in our minds. I think I speak for everyone when I say we couldn't WAIT to load in and have a fully packed living room to play with!

I'm playing Kara, one of the sisters who come to help stage the intervention. I love playing Kara—on the outside she is really tough and sarcastic and always feels like she is in charge, but underneath it all she is really battling with a lot of her own issues and fears. I love that dichotomy between her interior and exterior life.

This is a play that deals with – among other things – hoarding belongings. What’s one thing that you really should release from your own personal stash of objects?

Hah! Ummm, ALL OF MY CLOTHES. I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up last summer, and as I read it I felt really inspired and I started to get rid of some things...but I have a LONG way to go. My closet is filled with clothing that I barely touch, but I always think, “but I COULD wear this!” or “it MIGHT come back into style!” I need to just bite the bullet and get rid of things.

When did you know that you wanted to be an actor? How did you get started?

I've wanted to be an actor ever since I was a little kid. I always loved to perform for people and make people laugh. I always watched a lot of movies and musicals—I had a phase where I came home from school every day and watched Annie and sang along to all the songs. I did school plays and musicals in elementary school and never stopped.

Who or what do you consider to have been your biggest creative influences to date?

Oh wow. That's a really hard question! I guess I would have to say the other artists around me. I find a lot of inspiration from the actors / writers / directors / producers who I work with or who I see work. Reading plays, seeing shows, watching movies and TV shows, going to museums—all of those inspire me to create more, do more, push myself more.

We’d love for our audience to get to know your work a little more. Could you tell us a little bit about your last project?

I just did my first Off-Broadway show at 59E59 over the holidays this past year - How Alfo Learned To Love - and had a really amazing time. The entire team across the board was phenomenal. The cast had a really incredible bond and I felt very blessed to be a part of the production. Plus I got to play a really sassy, loud-mouthed Brooklynite, so you can't beat that.

Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Is it something you can tell us about?

A few things! Mastodon is producing a night of Pint Size Plays at The Barrow Group on April 25th which will be a great time.  I wrote a piece, will be acting, and may also be directing a piece. And Bar Crossed Lovers, the digital series that Wide Eyed Productions and StagNation Productions are co-producing, will premiere in May! I'm starring in it, working as a co-producer, and wrote a couple of episodes, as well. We are so proud of this series, and I think it is going to be a ton of fun.

Outside of the arts, I started teaching yoga this year after getting my certification this winter, and it is has been such a fun transition to make! If anybody reading this in NYC wants to try out yoga or just chat, please check out my website (www.jennadangeloyoga.com).

Keep begins previews at The Barrow Group Theatre on April 7 and runs through April 30. Get your tickets here. Bar Crossed Lovers Episode 1 premieres on May 11. Stay tuned!

Join us for the Wide Eyed WINKS Staged Reading Series Season 3 FINALS: April 18-24

April 18 - 24, 2016 

Wide Eyed WINKS Staged Reading Series 

Season Three Finals 

The Barrow Group Theatre 

312 W. 36th Street, 3rd floor, NYC 

$5 Suggested Donation 

Monday, April 18 at 7:30pm 
Callaway by Phillip Gerson 
Directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann 
In this play, inspired by Raymond Carver's short story Chef's House, a recovering alcoholic finds himself at a picture-perfect beach house on the Florida Panhandle, striving to revitalize his marriage and earn back his wife's trust. However, it's when his fellow AA member, now landlord, decides to give the house to his recently widowed daughter, that this mending and hopefulness is put to the test.

Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30pm 
Modern Day Alchemy by Ashleigh Catsos Yager 
Directed by John Lampe 
Two young couples buy a house together. An old man prepares to end his life. Modern Day Alchemy is a play about growing up, or choosing not to, and the same elemental desire that fueled the early alchemists in their laboratories which now connects these characters: the search for truth, meaning and perhaps a little magic. 

Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30pm 
Electra Orleans by Joe Musso 
Directed by Lauren Miller 
Murder, lust, and vengeance! Set in modern-day New Orleans, this play is inspired by the Greek tragedy Electra. 

Sunday, April 24 at 3:00pm 
Swashbuckling Sam and the Tale of Blackbeard's Revenge by Leonora Bernstein 
Directed by Stephanie C. Cunningham 
Sam is seven years old and having a rough time at home and with school. To cope with everything she creates a pirate world with a wacky pirate crew that help give her the courage to adjust to all of the new changes in her life and her school tormentors.

Come celebrate new work and applaud our 

Season Three Finalists!