Our Donors (7/26/13)

The Wilde Tales Family wishes to extend a HUGE Thank You to:

Kristen Morale
Donna Gioglio
Dwight & Kim Howard
Deborah Nicholas
Brian McManimon
Kathleen M Flaherty
Katherine Scott
Bryan Hartlett
Valentina Berger Maurette
S. David Mazzeo
LaRelle Gee
Jewel Frederick
Lillian Stoll
Katie Flood
S & J Savoy
Anonymous
Anonymous

And all of our gracious donors for their tremendous effort to help us reach our goal. Without their help we would not be able to mount this exciting work! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

A Discussion with our Director

Recently, our director, Kevin P. Joyce (more familiarly known as "KPJ") gave an exclusive interview about the project. The full article can be found here: http://dreamup2013.wordpress.com/

"Everyone has heard of Oscar Wilde. After all, the famed Irish playwright and novelist is probably the most-studied literary figure in the English language after Shakespeare. But did you know that in addition to his sharply witty works based in Victorian society, Mr. Wilde also wrote fairy tales? These relatively unknown works form the basis for playwright and director Kevin P. Joyce’s new work in adaptation, “Wilde Tales,” to be presented for the first time by Theater for the New City as part of its 2013 Dream Up Festival." Continue Reading

Our Donors (7/12/13)

The Wilde Tales Family wishes to extend a HUGE Thank You to:

Maria Mazzeo
Juan Fuentes
Maria Ferrigno
Anonymous
Amy Klouse
Guy Costa
Mirella Mazzeo

For their generous contribution to our fundraising efforts! We had a great fundraising week, we're about $2,000 short of our goal, and have two weeks left! There's still time to give!

Every Friday afternoon we will be posting our gracious donors on our Facebook and Blog. Hope to see YOU up here next Friday!

http://igg.me/at/DWATWildetales

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued support on Wilde Tales!  We have decided to postpone our launch party scheduled for Monday July 15^th at HERE Arts Lounge.  The launch party will be rescheduled later in our process when we can give you an enticing sample of the show! So be sure to stay tuned for details as they come! We only have two weeks left on our indiegogo campaign! Thank you so much!  CLICK HERE to check out our indiegogo and learn more about Wilde Tales! 

 

-The Producers of Wilde Tales

Meet Our Cast: Deanna Frederick

 Meet Our Cast: Deanna Frederick

Deanna Frederick

Deanna Frederick (the Swallow and Various) is a recent Pace University graduate. Previous theater credits include Steal Away (TracyAda), Amazing Grace (Ma), The Notebook of Trigorin (Nina), and others. Previous film and television credits include "South Side" (Chantal) and "Dirty Little Lies: Stalker with a Cause" (Rhonda).

Who are you?

I am Deanna Frederick and I will be playing the Swallow in “The Happy Prince”.

What drew you to this piece? Why is it relevant to a contemporary audience?

What drew me to this piece is its themes of love and selflessness. It warms my heart and puts a huge smile on my face to see the Swallow’s pure love for The Happy Prince and The Happy Prince’s love returned to him, and his feelings for the people in the city who are suffering. I believe that this fairy tale is relevant to a contemporary audience, especially with its themes, because I believe that the world is filled with a lot of hate, pain and suffering, and I think most, if not all, people can relate to having that one person out there looking out for them and willing to give parts of themselves for others happiness and well being. I believe the world needs more Happy Princes to see the darkness of the world and have a Swallow to carry out the kindness that the world needs, even when they are unable to. In this story, love and selflessness never die, and it brings a hope to the audience that it won’t die for them either.

Why do you think fairy tales are important/relevant?

I think that fairy tales are important/relevant, because they were first written to explain serious situations in a lighthearted way while not making fun of them or patronizing their audience. They are important because they teach valuable lessons that would otherwise be “too political” or “too spiritual” or anything else that people get offended by nowadays, and therefore these lessons would never be taught in fear of offending someone. Time may pass and we go through centuries and centuries of life, but the problems and lessons learned are always relevant. For me, fairy tales are history books that I enjoy reading or hearing.

What do you want to audience to take away from the Wilde Tales experience?

I want the audience to, first and foremost, have fun! And I want them to think about the themes and characters that were presented and carry them out with them. Fairy tales are meant to teach you something and leave you feeling better and more fulfilled. I want them to take away the sincerity of the Wilde Tales experience and to share it with their friends, family, and strangers on the street.

Why theatre? How did you start?

I was always acting out movie scenes and songs that I loved for as long as I can remember. I have memories of putting on shows in the living room with my older brother for my parents and anyone else who would watch. But I officially started theater in middle school. I auditioned for the musical and got in and I had been doing theater almost every year since then. I just fell into it, loved it, decided that I was terrible at it, and I never looked back.

Our Donors (7/5/13)

The Wilde Tales Family wishes to extend a HUGE Thank You to:

Roxanne Lowe

For her most generous contribution to our fundraising efforts.
Every Friday afternoon we will be posting our gracious donors on our Facebook and Blog. Hope to see YOU up here next Friday!

http://igg.me/at/DWATWildetales

Meet Our Producer!

Meet Kimille Howard, co-producer of Wilde Tales!

Kimille Howard is currently a Venue Director for 12 shows in the 2013 NYC International Fringe Festival. Recently she was the house manager for Partly Cloudy People's Tigers Be Still and the marketing assistant for The Movement Theatre Company's premier of Look Upon Our Lowliness. Last fall, Kimille was the assistant director of Kevin P. Joyce's adaptation of Pierre Corneille's L'illusion Comique. In Orlando, Kimille wrote and directed the 2011 production of Christmas Cabaret for Disney's S.T.A.G.E. Kimille was last seen on the regional stage as Calpurnia in To Kill a Mockingbird and in the ensemble of 9 to 5 the musical. She graduated cum laude from Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A. in Theater and International Film and Media Studies. Kimille is also a proud Disney College Program Alumna. Special thanks to mom and dad! Your unwavering support drives me everyday!

Who are you?

Kimille Howard, co-producer, Wilde Tales

Tell us a little about the fairytale you’re working on.

You mean besides the one I’m living in? Don’t get mixed up though, fairy tales as I know them don’t always end happily ever after. Sometimes certain characters lose their eyes or a piece of their foot, or they turn into sea foam. Mine is a mixture of Grimm mixed with a little Andersen and a bit of Dickens thrown in. I know Dickens didn’t necessarily write fairy tales (although one could argue that Our Mutual Friend and Oliver are 400+ page ones), but they are allegorical much like Wilde’s fairy tales.

What drew you to this piece? Why is it relevant to a contemporary audience?

I enjoy Wilde very much, and I love fairy tales! I grew up on Disney, although their adaptations are a far cry from what Grimm and Andersen actually wrote. I had no idea that Wilde even wrote fairy tales until Kevin told me. Finally a literary land that hasn’t been adapted to death (how many versions of Snow White do they think the world needs!) And I think the morals/messages of the stories are always relevant. The world is still a pretty dark place, and fairy tales provide that escape from the mundane while not necessarily numbing the mind with blatant silliness. They send a clear message that is cleverly masked by the world and the characters created.

How did you get involved with Wilde Tales?

Simply put, Kevin sent me the fairy tales, asked me if I was interested in co-producing, I said yes, and the rest is history. Sorry, no epic tale!

What do you want to audience to take away from the Wilde Tales experience?

Honestly, I just want the audience to enjoy the show, and hopefully take in the messages of each fairy tale. This is a pretty unconventional piece with a mixture of music, puppetry, and acting. I hope the audience will appreciate the approach to telling these wild Wilde Tales (see what I did there!). 

Why theatre? How did you start?

I started as a dancer when I was a wee kid, about 3, and I had my first major tap performance to the music of West Side Story when I was 8. We were encouraged to watch the movie, so my parents got it for me on Laser Disc (ah, the 90s). From then on I was hooked! I thought, “Hey, they dance, I can dance. They sing, I like to sing. They play pretend, that’s like my full time job as a kid! Sold!” My first show was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown my freshman year of high school (unless you count the Stations of the Cross in middle school). College was when I realized that I liked being on the production end as much if not more than being on the stage. So, here I am!

What’s your favorite Oscar Wilde quote or play?

“Let them eat cake!” That was Wilde right? Just kidding! “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.” It’s also my favorite line from the film Velvet Goldmine, which includes a young Oscar Wilde confessing to his class that he wants to be “a pop idol”when he grows up. Success Mr. Wilde!

What’s your favorite non-Wilde fairytale?

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen  I read that book over and over again in school, and I even bought the Canadian mini-series adaptation on DVD starring Bridget Fonda in her final on screen performance. It’s epic and dark, the way I prefer my fairy tales (insert sinister cackle). Seriously though, the story gives winter a haunting beauty and sadness that I never would have considered otherwise. I’d also love to be friends with the Robber Girl and the talking reindeer!

What’s the darkest secret you can tell us?

I was afraid of the dark till I was 16! Pretty dark, huh?