Documentary theater asks: Where do unwanted people go? – An interview with Arlekin Players’ Igor Golyak

November 10, 2021November 11, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Shelley A. Sackett

(This interview originally appeared in the Jewish Journal)

When Igor Golyak, founder and artistic director of Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre, was researching “The Merchant of Venice,” he was smacked in the face by the discovery that Jews have been on the move throughout the span of their existence.

Their constant migration reminded him of his own family, which emigrated in 2004 from Ukraine.

Then, on July 1, Brighton Rabbi Shlomo Noginski was stabbed. Golyak attended a meeting with other Jewish refugees and he remembers someone asking, “Where do we go now?”

“My family came here to escape antisemitism. What I suddenly understood is that there is no escaping antisemitism,” Golyak said.

Israeli Stage Company Founder Promises a Bold Return

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Linda Chin

Guy Ben-Aharon and his family left their home country of Israel and moved to Boston when he was nine. After a gap year in Spain before college, he returned to study at Emerson, and while there, founded the Israeli Stage Company. The Return by Hanna Eady and Edward Mast, a human story of the desires of a Palestinian citizen of Israel and a Jewish Israeli, marks the last play of the company’s final season. With two of Boston’s best actors – Nael Nacer and Philana Mia – in the lead roles and Ben-Aharon directing, The Return promises to be another groundbreaking and thought provoking production. Family, friends, and fans may be reassured to know that Ben-Aharon is not leaving Boston, nor his life as a theater artist behind, but is creating a new venture that promises a bold return.

Theater Mirror Interviews Sara Porkalob, Creator/Performer of ‘Dragon Cycle’

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Deanna Dement Myers

On a snowy Sunday morning, I sat down with Sara Porkalob, storyteller and creator of the Dragon Cycle, being presented at the American Repertory Theater Oberon Theater until April 7. We had an inspirational and rambling chat where we talked about importance of a loving family, our shared Filipino-American heritage, the process of writing, and about creating the type of theater that reflects your values. She may have also given me tips on where to find the perfect lip color. 🙂

Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s ‘Happy Hour’ Comes to Boston – Interview

March 6, 2019March 11, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass in ‘Happy Hour’)

By Mike Hoban

‘Happy Hour’ – Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston and Monica Bill Barnes & Company, March 12-16, District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue in Boston’s Seaport. All performances at 6 p.m. with a Friday 8:30 PM show added to accommodate additional demand Tickets available at www.celebrityseries.org.

Celebrity Series of Boston will bring back Monica Bill Barnes & Company to Boston with their two-woman dance/comedy piece, Happy Hour, an immersive show that promises to “blend cringe-worthy humor with socially awkward empathy in an after-work get-together.” Part office party, part dance show, and part karaoke event, performers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass, dressed in men’s suits, crash an office party playing two utterly feckless would-be alpha males who attempt to seduce their way through the office happy hour. The performance is preceded by a 30 minute pre-show warmup hosted by Robbie Saenz de Viteri, who serves as MC for the event. Happy Hour features a potpourri of American dance styles – jazz, theater dance, tap and a bit of ballet and modern for good measure – along with a massive dose of broad physical humor. Theater Mirror caught up with Barnes and Saenz de Viteri by phone as they prepared for the upcoming performance March 12-16 at District Hall in the Seaport.

Theater Mirror Interviews Seth Rudetsky

October 8, 2018October 8, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Susan Daniels

“Broadway @ the Huntington” series – Performance by Chita Rivera and hosted by Seth Rudetsky. Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, October 13, at 5 and 8 p.m. Produced by Mark Cortale Productions.

By all accounts, you can call him Mr. Broadway. A multi-hyphenate, who always enjoys what he does, Seth Rudetsky will be spinning his magic in “Broadway @ the Huntington,” when he acts as host and music director for the ten-time Tony nominee and three time Tony Award-winning actress, singer, dancer Chita Rivera, who will perform hits from her vast musical theater repertoire Saturday, at the Calderwood Pavilion, in two shows, at 5 and 8 p.m.