Featured Associate Artist: Quincy Tyler Bernstine

Happy New Year, everybody! Meet our January Featured Associate Artist. Many thanks to Quincy for participating! Click HERE to see our 2012 Featured Associate Artists' answers to these questions.

Name: Quincy Tyler Bernstine
Year Joined The Civilians: 2001. I'm one of the original members.
Where you're from: Born in Madison, WI. Raised in Washington, DC.
What City You're Living In: Queens, NY

How did you first get involved with The Civilians?
I actually went to graduate school with Steve. We were in the same class at UCSD. When he was forming the company, he asked me to participate.

What have you done with us, both in terms of investigating and performing?
Let's see...one of my "interviews" made it into Gone Missing. The guy who is desperately trying to explain to the cops (while being arrested) that he lost his id? I overheard that from my bedroom window late one night. I also performed a handful (or less) of performances of Gone Missing (on one of it's tours) back in the day (I went in for Alison Weller). I was in the original workshop production of Paris Commune. I also did the Ladies and (I Am) Nobody's Lunch. Oh, and Mr. Burns (not the Woolly production but I was a part of that original process). I think that's it.

Tell us about something that surprised you, either in an interview, in using the investigative method, or in a rehearsal process.
Few things surprise me anymore. How sad it that?!

Why has it been interesting to work in this way?
It's so easy to get caught up in the mundane details of our own lives. Or, let me not speak for everybody. It's easy for me to do that. What I love about this type of process is that it forces you, if only for a brief time, to think outside yourself. I love that The Civilians celebrates the fact that everyone has a story or, at least, something to say. And that there's artistic value in that.

What is the last project you worked on outside of The Civilians?/What are you currently working on?
I recently closed a production at Soho Rep. WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENATATION... The title goes on and on. It was an incredible experience. [Editor's note: The play is by Civilians' R&D Group writer Jackie Sibblies Drury!] I start rehearsals in early February for a show at The Public. It's a play called Neva by Chilean writer/director, Guillermo Calderon.

What artist has had the biggest impact on you?
That's a difficult question for me to answer. I am constantly being impacted by artists...those I work with on a daily basis, and those whom I've never met. But if I had to give one name it would probably be Lynn Nottage.

What’s the last play you saw?
What Rhymes with America at the Atlantic.

What’s your favorite bad movie?
Probably, Dirty Dancing.

Do you like sports?
I love sports. RG3 is all I have to say. I prolonged my Christmas vacation so that I could be in DC when the Dallas Cowboys got their asses kicked. And they did. It was awesome. I expect the Redskins to win the Superbowl this year. GO SKINS. I played soccer for 10 years growing up (and even into my freshman year of college), lacrosse, and softball.

Question from Last Month’s Featured Associate Artist (playwright Bess Wohl): 
What's the meaning of life?
Man, I wish I knew...I guess to make your life have as much meaning as possible. Whatever that means.

What question would you like us to ask our next Featured Associate Artist?
If you didn't work in theater, what would you be doing career-wise?

Click HERE for Quincy's bio!

Death, Part III

Here is our last episode about death, featuring an interview performed in a cabaret at Joe's Pub last season. Jeanine Serralles performs an incarcerated woman in the national women's prison in Bogotá, Colombia describing a near-death experience. This interview, conducted by Lorena Lopez, is part of a larger project about the annual beauty pageant that happens in the prison. We wrap up this week's episode with the song "Stars" by Michael Friedman from our show Gone Missing, performed by Matt Dellapina, Emily Ackerman, Daniel Jenkins, and Emily Rossell, accompanied by Kris Kukel. Thanks for listening - subscribe, rate, and review us!

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Updates from Bogotá - Domestic Drama

Things have been going great down in Bogotá, where Steve Cosson is working with Colombian artists on conducting research and interviews in El Buen Pastor Women's Prison about the annual beauty pageant that they put on there. The winner is being crowned today -- more on that soon!

In the meantime, there's been some drama around the apartment. Steve's recent Facebook status was:

oh dear lord. I am presently trapped on the balcony of my rental apt here in Bogota. I guess when I rented the place I should have specified that I wanted a door to the balcony with handles on the inside AND the outside. It's funny how sometimes you don't realize there's no handle on the outside until you shut the door. I'll be here for an hour until the landlord comes with a key. It's cold and I have to pee. Please share amusing thoughts to stave away the panic.

55 comments later, he was rescued by our Project Coordinator Ella, though the food he had cooking on the stove wasn't so lucky. The resolution, as per FB:

A few more details now that I"m back home in my smokey apt. When the moment of rescue came I heard "steve steve" from above looked up and there was Ella, her friend who lives in the building, and the doorman looking over the ledge of the balcony above with three different sets of pliers... they got lowered one by one on Ella's yarn. The third one worked. Got into an apt filled with smoke. And the landlord arrived 2 minutes later. Of many things I learned today - in Colombia the doormen don't keep spare keys because nobody trusts their doormen enough. And the smoke detectors are only in the halls... so basically you can asphyxiate to death in your own apt and if the fire gets really really really bad and makes it out in the hall then some alarm goes off.

So we're happy to report that with no fires or injuries, Steve was successfully returned to the interior of his apartment.

Meanwhile, out in the hall: This poster has been posted around Steve's apartment building. Transcription and translation below.

Jerónimo perdió su osito de dormir en el edificio: 

Jeronimo lost his little bear in the building.

Si lo encuentras por favor retornarlo al apt. 2105: 

If you find it, please return it to apt. 2105

RECOMPENSA!!!!

REWARD!!!!

Muchas Gracias!

Many Thanks!

  

(El señor Berns sabe)

(Mr. Berns knows)

Pretty reminiscent of another poster that has popped up in The Civilians' world: 

Lost Back-Pack

Valuable Contents: 

2 Beanie Babies 

and a toy dolphin

mostly needed back/ 

If found, please call

That's right - this is a snapshot of the original poster quoted in Gone Missing, complete with absolutely adorable illustrations. It's hanging in our office now. We'll let you know if Jeronimo finds his bear, and we can only hope that the beanie babies and toy dolphin have safely found their way home.

GONE MISSING at Barrow Street on 8/08!

We would like to give a big thank you to everyone who came out to the Barrow Street Theatre last Monday for the concert version of GONE MISSING! It was such a treat sharing the show with members of the original audiences as well as introducing it to some fresh new faces. Everyone had a blast, but we all seemed hyperconscious of forgetting something upon exiting the theatre…  Keys? Check! Rings? Check! Phone? Check! The nostalgic event brought back many great memories (though as we learned from the show- the word nostalgia comes from the Greek roots “algia” meaning pain and “nostos” meaning homecoming).  I found myself reflecting on things that I have lost in my own life along the way. The investigation might be completed for now, but we still want to hear from you- Do you sometimes feel like your mind is an etch sketch? Is your apartment the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle? Share your own stories of lost and found in a comment below!

And here are some photos from rehearsal for you to enjoy!

 L-R: Emily Ackerman, Colleen Werthmann, Brian Sgambati, Stephen Punkett, 

Lexy Fridell, and Matt Dellapina

 Down in front! Just kidding, that's Steve.

And this one is from the production at Barrow Street in 2007!

GONE MISSING - Blast from the Past!

In celebration of the Gone Missing concert this Monday, August 8th at Barrow Street Theatre, we have been checking out some videos of past productions of Gone Missing on the web. Professional and community theatres as well as universities and high schools have been putting up productions all over the country. These talent-filled, heart warming, and sometimes hilarious performances have brought back lots of great memories.

Check out this video of Everett High School's Drama Club rehearsing for their performance of the show. Don't miss the 2:10 mark- you will fall for this actress' spin on our work!

And let us not forget this incredible animation done by Rita Sá for School of Visual Arts:

Can't get enough? Be sure to pick up tickets, put on your Gucci pumps (if you can find them), and join us next Monday. So if you saw the show at Barrow Street and have missed it, or missed it during its last run, don't miss Gone Missing on August 8 at 8pm!

Tickets can be purchased at Barrow Street's website:

http://www.barrowstreettheatre.com/whats-on/gonemissing_onenight.asp

See you all next week!

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA FOR A CIVILIANS SHOW?

If you have reached this page, it means that you just bought tickets to our benefit this year, BENEFIT X! Tickets will be held at the door for you under the name used to purchase the tickets. If you would like further confirmation, please email Rosalind at rosalind@thecivilians.org.

First and foremost, THANK YOU! Can't wait to see you on May 2!

Secondly, we are asking a question (as we do every year), and YOUR ANSWERS will be used to create an original Civilians' performance for the benefit! This year's question is:

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA FOR A CIVILIANS SHOW?

Tell us your answers in a comment at the end of this post!
(Or email them to liaison@thecivilians.org.)

And lastly, if you haven't seen all of The Civilians' shows since 2001 and are wondering what our ticket levels are all about, I'll just let the shows speak for themselves:

GUCCI PUMP - FROM GONE MISSING

TOM

So, do you know Laura? So she was meeting with some big TV people. And she had on this pair of black Gucci pumps and a nice skirt and everything, and after her meeting we were all going out. And somewhere along that night she lost her shoe.  One of her Gucci shoes, because she had changed at PS 122 because she felt overdressed. She thinks that she left the shoe in the bathroom. I think she actually lost the shoe later that night, because I think they went out drinking--

answering machine beep 

LAURA 

Hi, it’s Laura, um I was really hoping that you could have secured the shoe before you

left town but apparently you have not, so I’ve been working with Tom and Tom has gone back to PS 122 numerous times. And I’m leaving numerous messages for the house manager, the artistic director, the director of development to see if they have gotten their act together enough to find the shoe.  Um, I am sending a packet of flyers to you, to Tom, to Big Daddy, and to Elizabeth, and I’m sending maps of where I’d like you guys to post the flyers because I’m really hoping if someone sees some--you know-- one legged person wearing it–who wears a size six--that uh, it will become clear whose shoe that is and where they need to send it to in Los Angeles immediately. Um, I am working on the flyer, and I’ve also started an email address:  ilostmyshoe@earthlink.net.  So, um, I don’t know if you have gone back to PS 122 or not--no one there returns my calls and it’s really depressing-–but I’m really hoping the flyers will stir up some leads!

FRENCH GOOSE - FROM CANARD, CANARD, GOOSE?

CHARLIE

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special little treat for you tonight – no, no I’m sorry we can not give you a sad story about little lost frozen popsicle geese – there is no sad story about little sad chilly little imprinted-on-Anna-Paquin geese –No– tonight we give to you ladies and gentlemen the real geese of Long Lake.  They are from French.  France. And do not be tricked, ladies and gentlemen, although these geese star in a “documentary,” they are not amateurs.  No. They are professional performers.  And these geese live now in a comfortable tedious retirement with two French girls who wait ever so patiently for them to die.  So, please help me welcome these very very talented geese to our stage, they are very very happy to be here, as they have nothing else to do.

SCHRODINGER'S CAT - FROM (I AM) NOBODY'S LUNCH

MALE SOLO

I've been thinking how love is like Schrodinger's cat

Locked up tight out of sight in a box and how that

Means it's dead and alive at the same time and so—

When you think of the box it's like seeing a

Photo of a cloud or fog

It’s an outcome that remains uncertain

You can't see a thing in all that fog

You can't see a man behind the curtain.

FEMALE SOLO

What are you so afraid of?

We’re gonna find an answer, it’s just around the corner and I know…

What are you so afraid of?

We’re gonna find an answer, find an answer…

So leave your comments below! Thanks again!