Tag Archives: Producer & Director

Alberto Vazquez Actors Workshop

November 1, 2009Corrientesactor, Actors Studio, Adelphi University, Alberto Vazquez, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, August Men, Bano de Damas, Barbizon School, Brian De Palma, Buffalo, Bulgaria, Charles Fuller Patrick Tracey, Charles Montoya, Charlie Montoya, Christopher Durang Oriana Navarro, Christopher Presley, Colgate University, Crossroads, Dan Margulies, dance choreographer and director, David Mamet, Deborah Houston, Fear Factor, Fordham University, Friends for Life, Gary Cruz, Gene Frankel, HB, HB Studio, Hoboken Films, Ida Vega, Incorporated, interdisciplinary artist, Judith Shakespeare Company, Karen Contreras, Law & Order, Lorena Jorge, Los Angeles, Luis Guzman, member of the stunt team, Mexican desert, Miguel Pinero, National Sports Academy, NBC, Neil Simon, New York, New York City, Nilo Cruz, Patrick Tracey, Pearl Classical Theatre Company, Plinio Villablanca, Producer & Director, Producerï¿½s Club, Rodney L. Cummins, Salem Ludwig, Sam Shepard Ida Vega, Santo Domingo, Scarsdale, School for Film and Television, screenwriter, Silence, Story, Thalia Spanish, The Black Dahlia, The Producerï¿½s Club, The Regina Opera Company, Third Watch, Tina Satin, Tracy Moore, TROY, Vernonescalona

1st bi-Annual Showcase

January 15

At
The Producer’s Club
358 West 44rd Street @ Crown Theater

Produced & Directed by Alberto Vazquez

Performances @ 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Reception after performances at the in house bar

FOR RESERVATIONS
latinfrommanhattan@earthlink.net
917.286.0466 / 917.331.3850

(eight exciting scenes / seven exciting monologues

BIOS:

Ida Vega: Ida Vega has been dong community theater on and off while
raising a family since the 1980s. She trained with Tina Satin at the
Open Cage Theater in Mt. Vernon, NY and is now training with Alberto
Vazquez. Mr. Vazquez has been training her for a year and a half doing
camera study and scene analysis. She recently performed the Vagina
Monologues at the Greenville Community Theater in Scarsdale, NY and has
auditioned for the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.
Patrick Tracey: After eight years of being in the industry, which
started off doing some background work, Patrick graduated to being
featured in, Bringing Out The Dead, Oz, Third Watch, Law & Order. He
was a finalist in NBC’s Fear Factor – 100th episode (where he stole the
show). He also made recent appearances in magazines, “D-Mode” and
“August Men”, and since, has auditioned for Independent films, “Friends
for Life” and “Incorporated” which he was cast as Mimms.
Oriana Navarro: Oriana has studied acting at Bellas Artes school in
Santo Domingo for two years. She has performed in three plays at
Bellas Artes and has done numerous commercials. She has studied
modeling and acting at the prestigious Barbizon School. She is
currently studying acting at the Alberto Vazquez Actors Workshop.
Vesellin Todorov: Vesselin Todorov has started to study acting 4 months
ago when he met Alberto Vazquez, but he fell in love with the art in
2003 when by “accident” accepted to be an extra for the movie TROY
(with Brad Pitt). He spent 100 days in Mexican desert learning and
doing stage combats for the movie TROY. When he went back to Bulgaria
he became a member of the stunt team of National Sports Academy. For
the next two years he has done stunts in live shows, commercials and
movies (the last one: The Black Dahlia by Brian De Palma).
Plinio Villablanca: A Bronx native has studied with the Judith
Shakespeare Company and the Pearl Classical Theatre Company. He has
also studied with Gene Frankel for four years and with Salem Ludwig
(Actors Studio) for three years at the HB Studio. Plinio’s theatre
credits include: Othello at LA TEA, Steambath (directed by Gene
Frankel), Miguel Pinero’s The Sun Always Shines for the Cool. Plinio
has also appeared in several independent features: Liberty Kid,
Elevator Weekend and Immaculate Perception. Plinio has also appeared
in various print and television commercials.

BIOS:
Gary Cruz: Gary Cruz studied Acting at gene Frankel Theater Workshop,
The Actors Connection, HB Studios, Tracy Moore Monologues Workshop.
He has performed at The Regina Opera Company, Shakespear In The Park,
Tropicana, Puerto Rican traveling Theater, The Nuyorican Café. Recently
filmed the short film: 9-12 as Peruchin.

Charlie Montoya: Charles Montoya has spent the last 5 years studying
the art of acting at the School for Film and Television. Charles was a
dance choreographer and director for the Latin American Dance Troop at
Colgate University where he would produce a campus wide performance
twice a year. Presently, he is pursuing his love of performance
through acting with Alberto Vazquez. This will be his first live
performance as an actor.

Lorena Jorge: Lorena Jorge is an emerging interdisciplinary artist in
theater and film. She has studied in both Fordham University and
St.John’s Preparatory high school where she received a National
Championship Award within the Forensic League Section of Drama. She has
been featured in Sonny Boy Productions independent short film
“Silence,” and starred in Center City Film and Video’s educational
video. Her theater credits include Fordham University’s A Tribute to
August Wilson, “Ten Cycles of Ten Decades,” where she performed two
lead roles, Thalia Spanish Theater’s Bano de Damas/The Ladies Room and
their most recent play of fall 07′ La Senoritas de Avignon/The Ladies
of Avignon.

Rodney L. Cummins: Rodney L. Cummins: Rodney began his foray into film
& video while studying Film and Television Production at Adelphi
University. Rodney branched off into acting in 2006 and continued his
studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City
where he was trained by acclaimed Theatre Directors Deborah Houston and
Christopher Presley. He has performed in 2 plays at the AADA and has
appeared as an extra in the television Pilot “The Winky Wright Show”
and the Bollywood Feature “Crossroads”.

Karen Contreras: Under construction

SCENES:

1. Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard
Ida Vega / Oriana Navarro

2. The Odd Couple by Neil Simon
Vesellin Todorov / Plinio Villablanca

3. Anna In the Tropics by Nilo Cruz
Charlie Montoya / Lorena Jorge

4. Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang
Oriana Navarro / Gary Cruz

5. Soldier Story by Charles Fuller
Patrick Tracey / Rodney L. Cummins

6. Friends by TV Network
Lorena Jorge / Vesselin Todorov

7. American Buffalo by David Mamet
Plinio Villablanca / Patrick Tracey

8. Collected Stories by Dan Margulies
Karen Contreras / Ida Vega

MONOLOGUES:
(monologues between scenes)

1. Karen Contreras

2. Patrick Tracey

3. Ida Vega

4. Charlie Montoya

5. Gary Cruz

6. Rodney L. Cummins

7. Oriana Navarro

Producer & Director

Alberto Vazquez has been an actor for thirty-two years. He has acted
in over twenty films and forty TV shows, numerous commercials and on
Broadway.

He is a screenwriter and has a film being produced in Los Angeles by
Hoboken Films.

Alberto Vazquez directed his short film called “Naked Cards” with Luis
Guzman in L.A.

He has been teaching in New York since 2002. He teaches group and
privately. This is his first showcase with these very talented actors.

www.actoralbertovazquez.com
(click: bio and credits at the bottom)
CONTACT:917.331.3850

THE SIXTH ANNUAL HANDBALL COURT SUMMER FILMS SERIES IN WHITE PARK

November 1, 2009CorrientesAl Gore, America, An Inconvenient Truth, An Unreasonable Man, Around the World, bank scandals, Bill Arnot, bipolar disorder, Bob Dylan, Bob Roberts, Chris Rock Runtime, Congress, Correspondent, Curator, Davis Guggenheim Runtime, DIRECTOR, Frontline, George W. Bush, Germany, Governor, head, Head of State, health systems, healthcare system, Henriette Mantel Runtime, idealistic young lawyer, Japan, Jon Palfreman, Jonathan Lynn Runtime, Judith Escalona, Leo Rodriguez, Marcela Gaviria Runtime, Michael Ritchie Runtime, Nelson Denis, New York City, President, producer, Producer & Director, public advocate, R. Reid Runtime, Ralph Nader, recent Head, Ritalin, small-time con artist, Steve Skrovan, Switzerland, Taiwan, THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN, United Kingdom, United States, United States Senate, Vice President, WHITE PARK, young lawyer, young politicianescalona

THE SIXTH ANNUAL
HANDBALL COURT SUMMER FILMS SERIES
in WHITE PARK
(106th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues)
SATURDAY NIGHTS – AT SUNSET (approx 8PM)

For information: 212.828.0401 or info@medianoche.us

“Political Animals”, this year’s curatorial theme….

MediaNoche presents the free Handball Court Summer Film Series at White Park beginning Saturday, July 12. “Political Animals” is this year’s theme. Curator Judith Escalona brings together a set of fictional films, dramas and comedies, examining the U.S. electoral process. The Candidate (1972), which looks at how a young politician slowly gives up his ideals to be elected, is as relevant today as when it premiered 36 years ago! In the more recent Head of State (2003), a young politician who knows the ropes finds his voice and a way to embrace his ideals. The last film in this set is actually a documentary entitled An Unreasonable Man, a moving portrait of America’s greatest public advocate Ralph Nader that includes a critical view of the entrenched two-party political system.

“Hazardous to your health” groups films dealing with health and the environment. Not to be missed are: Sick Around the World, comparing health coverage in five capitalist democracies, and The Medicated Child, how troubled children are over-prescribed medicines that have unknown long term effects. Lastly, An Inconvenient Truth, screened last year but presented here again, to stress the urgency of global warming.

MediaNoche is a project of PRdream.com. Some program notes were provided by rottentomatoes.com and pbs.org.

“Political Animals”

July 12
THE CANDIDATE (Drama, 1972)
Director: Michael Ritchie
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
An idealistic young lawyer and son of a famous governor is pushed into running for the U.S. Senate against the popular incumbent with the assurance that he will lose and not have to give up his integrity or ideals. As the campaign deepens, he finds himself giving in, allowing himself to be manipulated as the polls slowly change and swing in his favor. Soon his backers decide they want him to win after all. By the time Election Day arrives, the young lawyer has become the person he used to speak so vehemently against.

July 19
VOTE FOR ME! (Comedy, 1998)
Director: Nelson Denis, former New York State Assemblyman
Runtime: 1 hr 15 mins
Mad as hell and can’t take it anymore? Become a candidate of the people, fighting for better schools, litter-free streets, more jobs, and less crime! A tenement superntendent Leo Rodriguez decides to make a clean sweep of things in Spanish Harlem by throwing his hat in the ring to help his community. A satirical look at New York City politics – funny and unfortunately based on real events. The names have been changed to protect the guilty!

July 26
HEAD OF STATE (Comedy, 2003)
Director: Chris Rock
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Just weeks before the nation is about to elect a new president, one of the top candidates is killed in a plane crash. Plotting a future run in 2008, U.S. Senator Bill Arnot convinces his staff to pick a replacement who has no chance of winning. But he gets more than he bargained for when he selects Mays Gilliam. At first thankful to be in the spotlight, Mays plays the puppet, but eventually he uses his power to actually say something meaningful. Everyone is shocked to discover that Mays is giving the people exactly what they want.

August 2
BOB ROBERTS (Drama, 1992)
Director: Time Robbins
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Right-wing folksinger Bob Roberts is the anti-Bob Dylan, wowing his supporters with tunes such as “Times Are Changin’ Back” and “Wall Street Rap”. With his clean-cut good looks and squeaky-clean image, Roberts appears as American as apple pie. Yet, he harbors some nasty secrets such as illegal drug trafficking and bank scandals. Roberts’s political trickery fails him when an innocent man is accused of attempting to assassinate the candidate.

August 9
THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN (Comedy, 1992)
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
A small-time con artist goes big time when he hustles his way to the U.S. Congress. Once elected he reaps the usual benefits, and enjoys the perks of power. However, he decides to clean up the Capitol and ends up doing to Congress what Congress has been doing to its constituency all along.

August 16
AN UNREASONABLE MAN (Documentary, 2007)
Directors: Steve Skrovan and Henriette Mantel
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
A close look at how one of the 20th century’s most admired and indefatigable social activists, Ralph Nader, became a pariah among the same progressive circles he helped champion. The film takes the form of an impassioned public debate when it tackles the contentious 2000 and 2004 presidential runs that elicited accusations of splitting the Democratic vote and enabling the election of George W. Bush, making enemies of Nader’s most ardent supporters. Once again, Nader exposes the undemocratic structure imposed by an entrenched two-party system.
Hazardous to your health

August 23
SICK AROUND THE WORLD (Documentary, 2008)
Producer/Director: Jon Palfreman, Correspondent: T.R. Reid
Runtime: 60 minutes
Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a healthcare system? Five Capitalist democracies are profiled: England, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan. See how they do it!
Viewer comment from healthnet blog: “I watched Frontline’s Sick Around the World documentary last night and really recommend it to all as a sober examination of the healthcare issues that are such a high priority in America today. What I found most insightful about T.R. Reid’s reporting was the clear and practical way he looked at the pros and cons of the national health systems in the U.K., Japan, Germany and Switzerland. Even more impressive was learning how Taiwan went about reinventing their healthcare system by drawing on the best elements of programs around the world.”

THE MEDICATED CHILD (Documentary, 2008)
Producer: Marcela Gaviria
Runtime: 60 minutes
The availability of medication for children who are suffering from psychiatric problems is widespread, but how much research has really been done on the long-reaching effects of these drugs? This program in PBS’s FRONTLINE series speaks to a number of experts in the field, revealing some alarming facts and figures about the lack of research into the effects of commonplace drugs such as Ritalin. In particular, the show focuses on the growing numbers of kids who are believed to be suffering from bipolar disorder, questioning whether these diagnoses are correct and looking at the potential long term damage the medications they are taking could cause.

August 30
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (Documentary, 2006)
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
According to most of the world’s scientists, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tailspin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced. Since losing the 2000 presidential election, former Vice President Al Gore has been an outspoken figure against this potential environmental disaster. For Gore we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue – it is simply one of the biggest moral challenges facing every person in our times.