Constance Congdon and Tales of the Lost Formicans just might be the Next Best Thing you haven't heard of yet. Just $5 and your school ID get you into the show, where you can discover for yourself. Click on any link below to get tix today!
03/29/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
03/30/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/04/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/05/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/06/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/07/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/12/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/13/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
04/14/07 @ 8:00 p.m.
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Sure, Broadway's got glam, with its big-budget values and full-page ads in The Times. And yeah, Lincoln Center's cornered the market on offering thousands of great performances. But before the big name stars saw their names in lights, they started small. After all, Jonathan Larson (Rent) once had shows downtown in the Village, and Savion Glover (Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk and "Happy Feet") spent hours in Manhattan dance studios before getting his big break. Artists of all stripes come to NYC in hopes of becoming the Next Big Thing -- and you can catch them on the way up.
High 5's got hundreds of shows from great artists who are itching to be discovered -- and that's why we invite them into the Q-Box, a place where an artist or performer fields a few questions that give you an insider's look at soon-to-be stars. Check out the Q-Box for extra info on a High 5 show -- then head out and catch the Next Big Thing!
In the Q-box: Constance Congdon
Alzheimers, Adolescence and...Aliens? It's a combination you don't usually expect to see on stage, but both Nicu's Spoon and playwright Constance Congdon tackle the questions without the easy answers. Nicu's Spoon produces socially reflective theatre that challenges stereotypes and touches the heart in unexpected ways. Congdon's plays -- produced at the Public Theatre, Primary Stages, the American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), the Humana Festival, and other theatres around the world -- cover topics as diverse as aging grandparents, female presidents and nuclear weapons, confronting controversial topics with imagination and wit. High 5 got in touch with Connie to get to know her and her work a little better....
What was your first time on stage?
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I played "Ma" in a play called A Feuding Over Yonder at West Junior High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was 11. My character work consisted of pulling my lip over my teeth to simulate toothlessness. I followed this tremendous success by performing the song "Good Ole Mountain Dew" on the same stage the next year. I sat on a full-sized milk jug surrounded by hay bales and accompanied myself on the guitar -- a huge f-hole Harmony steel string which was nearly as big as I was.
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What was your first show you ever saw?
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Cyrano Debergerac -- my choir director played the lead and entered from the back of the house and jumped on stage. It was genius. The next show was The Music Man with Forrest Tucker in Chicago. I sat behind a pole but that didn't matter -- love, love, love. It is a perfect musical.
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Before a show, do you have any opening night rituals?
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I deliver my cards to the theatre before the call and then go back to the hotel and get duded up. Opening nights don't make me nervous -- they're pure excitement. The first read-through of a new play makes me slightly nauseous and light-headed and I'd like to sit under the table but don't.
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What were the craziest performance conditions you ever had?
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My play about the first test of the Atom Bomb (No Mercy) done on the porch and lawn of a house--outdoors in Russia.
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If you planned a whole episode of Law & Order (any series), what would be the special twist to the crime?
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I would cast all my friends and there would be no murder.
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What high school activity would your friends be surprised to hear about?
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I played snare drum in the marching band.
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As a teen, what were your favorite Saturday night plans?
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I worked. Saturday night was big night at the A&W Root Beer Stand. After work, I would drive around with my friends, talking about life, listening to the songs on the radio.
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What's your favorite undiscovered New York spot?
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Are there any?
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What was the last arts event you attended?
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I go all the time -- I work in the theater and teach it.
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What current arts events are at the top of your Must-See List?
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Hmmmmm. Any table-top theatre going on? Paul Zaloom. Ralph Lee and giant puppets?
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THE STATS:
Title/Role: Playwright
Show: Tales of the Lost Formicans
Company: Nicu's Spoon
Venue: Theater 54
Performance Dates: March 28 through April 15
High School Attended:
Garden City High School, Garden City, Kansas
Favorite class:
Contemporary American Problems; Civics; English, Band, Debate.
Favorite pizza:
mozarella and cilantro
Next up in her Netflix queue:
Jesus Camp
Favorite performance ever:
Mark Lamos's Cymbeline at Hartford Stage
Favorite place to take tourists:
Times Square
Artist she'd most to work with:
William Shakespeare (the guy from Stratford)
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