Saturday, August 1, 2015

The Play in the Apartment

A sold-out crowd joined us for this month's Salon featuring a play set in an apartment. The play, written by Daniel Mitura, features 4 characters reuniting on a sultry summer evening in a NY city apartment. How fortunate for us that Kambiz Shekdar graciously leant us his apartment. He and Eric Grossman were the perfect hosts.
Daniel Mitura is an actor and writer originally from Dallas, TX. He is best known for his adaptation of historical classics. His adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray played at Theatre Row (produced by Tony Award Winner Adam Blanshay (Kinky Boots, JerusalemHow To Succeed in Business), and is currently in production for a tour in Brazil and Portugal (in translation). Other works include The Genius! about the early days of painter Salvador Dali, Falstaff, a Shakespearean adaptation about the life of Henry V and his mentor Falstaff, a stage adaptation of the Richard Condon novel The Manchurian Candidate, and an adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel The Magician. He has always enjoyed working on period pieces, from a site-specific version of the Laclos/Hampton Les Liaisons Dangereuses set in 18th century Paris to an ongoing reading series of the work of Tennessee Williams.  Mitura’s work has been performed at Playwrights Horizons, Theatre Row, The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Atlantic, The Looking Glass, The East 3rd Loft, and in other states and abroad. Upcoming projects include: a musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, a film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned (called Gloria), and a new translation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit

"Love Among Friends":

Matt (Grayson Powell) invites his best friend Sam (Daniel Mitura) over for drinks to celebrate his return from a trip around the world. Joining them are Matt’s girlfriend Emily (Leigh Wade) her best friend Jenny (Lauren Schaffel.) The casual evening soon spirals out of control as secrets from the past are unearthed and they struggle with th nature of love, friendship, and their futures together.
A buffet dinner catered by Di Palo Fine Foods was served immediately following the play. The playwright and the actors were in attendance to answer questions. Many thanks to Swing & Ballroom teacher Margaret Batiuchok for the photographs. http://dancemb.com










And a few more photos: