Review #5: A Man Puts On A Play

Antonio Amadeo Brings Magic to Florida at Naked Stage with A Man Puts On A Play

 

by RICHARD CAMERON

 

To read Richard Cameron's review in examiner.com, please click the image above.

Review #4: A Man Puts On A Play

The Naked Stage's A Man Puts On A Play is Antonio Amadeo's Audacious And Ambitious Entry

 

By BILL HIRSCHMAN Florida Theater On Stage

 

Antonio Amadeo and his crew build a set before a bemused crowd in Naked Stage’s A Man Writes A Play / Photo by Bachi Frost

When you first come into the theatre to see A Man Puts On A Play, you might wonder if you came a week too early...

 

To read Bill Hirschman's full review in Florida Theater On Stage, please click the image above.

Review # 1: A Man Puts On A Play

Superstar, Antonio Amadeo, Does It All - Produces, Writes, Acts, Directs, Builds A Set - At Naked Stage

 

And, Makes It Look Easy

 

By RON LEVITT Florida Media News / ENV Magazine

 

Kaitlin Sarnacki, Ricardo Redd, Jake Tompkins, Shawn Burgess, Kathleen Robiou
 

MIAMI SHORES, FL - South Florida super-star Antonio Amadeo actually makes it all seem so simple!

 

That is because:

 

1. He - with his large student crew - actually build a set before your eyes

 

2. He is brilliantly honest in the truism which most "theatre folk" already know, it is difficult to prioritize your on stage life against your personal family existence.

 

3. He actually produces, writes, acts and directs the entire show - A Man Puts On A Play - his latest foray into multifaceting at his Naked Stage theatre

 

4. He then writes a short play which, by everyone's estimation, could be a pacesetter in best new work, if the last 20 minutes of this opus could stand alone in a short play contest.

 

That may seem a lot to accomplish in a couple of hours - but Amadeo proves anew he is at the top of his game as an actor, playwright and scenic designer. Furthermore, he is gutsier than most in the crazy business of theatre, in producing such an avant-garde work as he has done at the Pelican Theatre at Barry University. If I were a little freer with certain words, I might say this work smacks of genius.

 

A Man Puts On A Play follows Amadeo and his company as they frantically race against the clock to put up a show before the crowds arrive on Opening Night. Just when you think the building of the set (with background music) is over, the audience is asked to take a 10-minute break before they actually see a brilliant one-act, short play starring Amadeo, Andy Quiroga and new comer Kathleen Robiou. (working, of course, on the set that had been built by the three primary actors plus Shawn Burgess, Stephanie Meskauskas, Ricardo Redd, Victor Rodriguez, Kaitlin Sarnacki and Jake Tompkins.)
 

 To view Ron Levitt's full review at ENV Magazine, please click the image above.

Naked in November!

The Naked Stage has two amazing events planned for November that you do NOT want to miss.

First:     The World Premiere production of A Man Puts On A Play. November 2nd - 18th. Naked Stage Executive Artistic Producer Antonio Amadeo has written, produced, directed and designed a play that gives the audience a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the struggles an artist faces before the curtain goes up. Set in an alternate reality, A Man Puts On A Play follows Antonio and his company as they race against the clock to put up a show before the crowds arrive. With Antonio Amadeo, Andy Quiroga, Kathleen Robiou, Shawn Burgess, Stephanie Meskauskas, Ricardo Redd, Victor Rodriguez, Kaitlin Sarnacki & Jake Tompkins. Costumes are by Leslye Menshouse. Stage Manager is Kaitlin Sarnacki.

Second:     The Naked Stage's Theatre Project 2012! Fundraiser at Gablestage. Monday, November 12th at 8 p.m.

How does it work? At 7 p.m., on Sunday, November 11th, 2012, 8 playwrights will gather at Gablestage -- at the historic Biltmore Hotel -- and select a theme from which they must each write a short play to be staged, rehearsed and performed the next day -- just 24 hours later! At sunrise on Monday, November 12th, their randomly distributed actors, directors and stage managers arrive and spend the entire day bringing the writers’ work to life. A process that usually takes weeks! That night, at 8 p.m., an audience will gather to see . . . well, we have no idea what they're going to see, actually! It’s like the entire creative theatrical process on SPEED! This one-night event is coordinated by Naked Stage Artistic Director, Katherine Amadeo, and features many of South Florida’s TOP actors, directors & playwrights, such as: Alex Alvarez, Andie Arthur, Jim Ballard, Nan Barnett, Tracey Barrow-Schoenblatt, Sally Bondi, Amy Miller Brennan, Marj O'neill-Butler, Clay Cartland, Anne Chamberlain, Marckenson Charles, Oscar Cheda, Matthew William Chizever, Clive Cholerton, Andrea Conte, Dave Corey, Christopher Demos-Brown, Christopher De Paola, Todd Allen Durkin, Lela Elam, Tony Finstrom, Patti Gardner, Arielle Hoffman, Avi Hoffman, Dan Kelley, Christopher A. Kent, Julie Kleiner, Mcley Lafrance, Michael Leeds, Dan Leonard, Amy London, Margery Lowe, John Manzelli, Amy McKenna, Hunter McConnell, Michael McKeever, Stuart Meltzer, Hugh Murphy, Andy Rogow, Juan C. Sanchez, Deborah L. Sherman, Adam Simpson, Barbara Sloan, Karen Stephens, Shane Tanner and more! (Participant list subject to change.) The Naked Stage would like to extend a very heartfelt “Thank you!” to Joe Adler.

TICKET & LOCATION info for A Man Puts On A Play & The Naked Stage's 24 Hour Theatre Project 2012 Fundraiser:

The Naked Stage’s production of A Man Puts On A Play runs November 2^nd – November 18^th, 2012 (Thursday – Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm). There will be a brief talk-back session with the director and actors following every Sunday matinee performance. The Naked Stage performs at the Pelican Theatre located on the campus of Barry University, 11300 NE 2^nd Avenue in Miami Shores. Single seats are $25; Senior discount tickets are $18 (60+); Student discount tickets are $12 (must provide ID at door). Tickets may be purchased at the door, by phone at 1(866) 811-4111, or you can just click the ticket icon to the right of this blog. Doors open at 7:45 pm. For this production, the Pelican Theatre will have 36 general admission seats and they fill up fast, so get your tickets quick!

The Naked Stage's 24 Hour Theatre Project 2012 Fundraiser  at Gablestage, 1200 Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables. Seatin is very limited. VIP tickets are $50 (include reserved seating and a limited edition commemorative poster.). General Admission are $35. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1(866) 811-4111, or just click the ticket icon to the right of this blog. Doors open at 7:30 pm. This event fills up fast, so get your tickets quick!
For more information on either event, or to contact The Naked Stage, call (954) 261-1785.

Well, there's no turning back now!

Andy Quiroga & Kathleen Robiou
study the script. 

A week and a half into the rehearsal process for my new play, I'm beginnig to get excited about its potential. Which is good, considering how frightened I am to let anybody see it. This is the first play I have ever written. I've always wanted to do this, but stopped myself from trying 'cause I was terrified of failing at it. But, as my wife Katie (The Naked Stage's Artistic Director), and I were contemplating this Fall slot we had reserved at the Pelican Theatre, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to finally face my fears. Being the ambitious artist that I am, however, I thought the show should be more of a fulfilling experience for the audience, and the artists involved, than just "a new play by an amateur playwright." And I think I've come up with something pretty cool. I just hope the process doesn't kill me before it gets to Opening Night. It probablty will kill me. I'm producing, directing, writing, designing and acting, and THAT... is really stupid. (Perhaps I should have called the play Hubris: The Embarissing, Self-Imposed Collapse of an Artistic Idiot.)

 

Jake Tompkins

Thankfully, I have assembled an amazing team of artists. Andy Quiroga, Kathleen Robiou, Victor Rodriguez, Stephanie Meskauskas, Ricardo Redd, Shawn Burgess, Jake Tompkins and Kaitlin Sarnacki. So far, this has been one of the most positive and creatively satisfying experiences of my career, and I am happy to be sharing it with all these people. The script has gone through 9 revisions already. It was going down a terrible path until Katie read it and set me straight. She is one of the most intelligent artists I know and I am truly blessed to have her at my side. John Manzelli (The third co-founder of the Naked Stage, along with Katie and myself) was also invaluable to the trimming process. I love collaborating with him. I believe the script is in a pretty good place.

 

Shawn Burgess & Kaitlin Sarnacki

I'm excited to see what happens this week. The set is being built and rehearsals will switch, day to day, between two different casts. There is an experimental element to what we are doing, so I'm sorta "wingin' it" for some of this. It should make for some amazing art. I think. But, what do I know? Nothin'.

 

A Man Puts On A Play opens on November 2nd and runs through the 18th. We play Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm with a brief talk-back session with the actors and me after each Sunday matinee performance. Tickets are $25 for a single seat, $18 for a senior (60+), and $12 for a student (student ID at door). If you'd like to come see the World Premiere of my first effort as a playwright, click the ticket icon to the right of this blog and by your tix TODAY!!!

 

The theatre will only have 36 seats for this production, so get yours now!!!

 

Due to the small size of the space and the amount of noise made by the lobby door, there will be NO LATE ADMITTANCE! So get there on time, or you'll miss out.

 

The Naked Stage performs at the Pelican Theatre on the campus of Barry University.



Ricardo Redd & Stephanie Meskauskas

The Pelican Theatre
11300 NE 2nd Ave
Miami Shores, Fl 33161.

For more information on all things Naked Stage, call Antonio Amadeo at our administrative office at 954-261-1785.

For tickets, click on the ticket icon to the right or call 1-866-81-4111.

Q&A with Naked Stage Co-Founder Antonio Amadeo

Talkin’ in the Green Room With: Antonio Amadeo

BY BILL HIRSCHMAN

Welcome to a regular, if intermittent feature: Irreverent, lighthearted question & answer sessions with some of South Florida’s best known professionals. Unlikely but perhaps, secretly, Antonio Amadeo is actually a nasty rotten misanthrope, but no one will ever believe it. Amadeo is widely-regarded as one of the nicest guys and quietly talented members in the local theater community, eliciting comparisons to Tom Hanks and a teddy bear (although Amadeo himself reveals below that he’s Batman.) Over the decades he has built an enviable resume of acting roles, including the tortured souls in Mosaic Theatre’s The Elephant Man, GableStage’s The Pillowman and Promethean Theatre’s The Unseen...

Click on the image above to read the full article at Florida Theater On Stage.