2011 Princess Grace Apprentice at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 2010 Phil Killian Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Recently selected as a director for the 2010/11 SoHo Rep. Writer/Director Lab and the 2010-12 Women's Project Theater Lab.
REVIEW: Cast has a blast at the zesty new topical comedy "Crashing the Party." "Crashing the Party” at the Mixed Blood Theatre. The nation is undergoing tectonic demographic shifts at a time when technology is changing at warp speed and our status as the reigning economic superpower is threatened. So how does a playwright respond to the anxieties that many feel in the midst of these sometimes bewildering changes? Josh Tobiessen gives us a contemporary feel-good comedy that could have been written in the 1930s. His "Crashing the Party," which premiered Friday at Mixed Blood Theatre, is a throwback confection with a multicultural ensemble and up-to-the-minute references. Directed with zeal by Sarah Rasmussen and featuring a cast of well-paced pros, "Party" offers a comic tonic for our doldrums. The play has more twists than a pretzel. On his birthday, irascible businessman David Martin (Joe Minjares) has come home to a surprise party being planned by his son, David Jr. (Ricardo Vasquez), and his girlfriend, Britney (Rose Le Tran), whose name he does not quite remember. David's layabout first-born, Arthur (Jack Black-like Rolando Martinez), has ordered a stripper for the occasion, a guest that he anxiously awaits. But David's wife (and the boys' mother), Catherine (Sally Wingert), wants to take her husband out. And David has plans of his own: He has bought two one-way tickets to Morocco. The plane leaves in three hours. Meanwhile, people are constantly knocking, sometimes banging, at the door. After such a pressurized set-up, "Party" pops its secrets like champagne corks. The show has liberal blasts of humor and a few bullets (there is a shotgun in this "Party"). Rasmussen's production is well-timed and -executed. The orchestrated jokes, even when you see them coming, land perfectly. The fanciful plot twists further the humor. The "Party" narrative calls for hot bodies, clothed and not. The production uses them liberally. For example, actor Ansa Akyea, who played a wrestler Chad Deity not long ago, shows that he's still got his buff physique in this play. He should be paid extra for exchanging his wrestler's gear for pink tights. And Laura Esposito, who plays a pivotal junior accountant in Martin's office, bends over strategically in her sexy secretary outfit. At Rasmussen's guidance, the cast also uses other types of physicality to convey the characters' mental states in a show that takes place on Joe Stanley's elegant, two-chandelier set (perhaps the most handsome scenic design I've seen at Mixed Blood in the last decade). Minjares' David is wracked by demons, all of which make his expressive face sometimes resemble that of a slightly less wrinkled bulldog. He is pitch perfect as the troubled patriarch, and well-matched with the delightful Wingert, who can get laughs with just the tilt of her head or a pronunciation. Le Tran, known for her fearlessness, tamps it down a bit as the girlfriend who's trying to impress her would-be father-in-law even as the family gets under her skin. Akyea's Officer Franco, a character who raises no suspicions, is credible as well, and surprisingly funny. The two young men who play brothers -- Vasquez and Martinez -- do so with complementary wit. Even Mo Perry's FBI agent, a late entrant to this "Party," hits the mark in a show loaded with comic zest.No complaints about this 'Party'
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2012-02-16 - METRO MAGAZINE Quite a Party
Mixed Blood Theatre's "Crashing the Party" delivers a fair amount of laughs -- and a bite of cake to enjoy on your way out
Mixed Blood Theatre's "Crashing the Party" is built around a common storyline: mundane plans that don’t go according to plan. Image credit: Rich Ryan/Mixed Blood Theatre Going to a show that’s never been staged before leads to a certain amount of anxiety. But Mixed Blood Theatre’s Crashing the Party – which premiered on Friday and runs through March 4 – provides little reason for apprehension. Director Sarah Rasmussen’s production is in fact seamless, coming off as if it had been on the stage for years. The cast’s chemistry is also immediate and contagious. As an audience member, it was one of the more enjoyable and mirthful theater experiences I’ve had. And I wasn’t alone: the audience laughed, gasped, hooted and hollered at all the right places (and personally, because I am a slave to closed-captions, a little prematurely once or twice). Accolades were bountiful after the curtain call. The recipe for this success is a tried-and-true plot – mundane plans that don’t go according to plan, leading to inevitable hilarity – and a familiar theme, the aspirations and pitfalls of the American dream. Playwright Josh Tobiessen’s brings a fresh approach to each element, delivering a story that is anything but cliche. His story unfolds when David Martin (Joe Minjares) announces his retirement to his family at the surprise birthday dinner that his son’s over-eager girlfriend (Rose Le Tran) orchestrated. Martin arbitrarily decides that one of his two sons, 32-year-old Arthur (Rolando Martinez), who still lives at home and David Jr. (Ricardo Vázquez) who’s a novice to the working world, will succeed him as president of the family company. Control, he decides, will go to the winner of a no-rules wrestling match. The family is soon to learn of Martin’s embezzlement—the whistle blower being junior accountant Eleanor (Laura Esposito). Mo Perry (esteemed METRO columnist) plays the FBI agent in charge of arresting Martin, and is truly a ham. “Officer” Franco (Ansa Akyea) is a stripper in the guise of a policeman, who allows Martin’s wife Catherine (Sally Wingert) and everyone else by proxy to believe he is really a policeman. When Arthur voices his discomfort upon realizing the source that provided him with his cushy life is not pure, Martin defends his actions by saying, “You deserve what you accept,” and Arthur accepted it all, no questions asked. It’s a relevant question that goes beyond this particular story and straight to the question of how the American dream evolves from generation to generation. And if ever there was a time to explore such a theme, this is it. In the end, this 80-minute, intermission-less play achieve exactly what you should hope to achieve over the course of a night at a party – an introduction to an interesting person or two, a fair amount of laughs, and, yes, some cake to enjoy on your way out. Even if you pass on the cake, you’ll still leave with a great taste in your mouth. + Mixed Blood Theatre’s Crashing the Party continues through Sunday, March 4 at Mixed Blood Theatre. For more information visit mixedblood.com.
If the American Dream is dead, then the characters in Crashing the Party, the world-premiere comedy by Josh Tobiessen at Mixed Blood, are picking at the corpse. While family patriarch David is away all day at the business he built from scratch—tellingly, we never learn what exactly that business is—the rest of the family searches for ways to fill their days. Sure, son Arthur has just graduated from college, but he's never had a job in his life and has just refused an offer because "the lighting was weird." Elder son David Jr. spends his days on the internet or watching TV, with a vague plan for either 1) having a T-shirt design business or 2) getting on Jeopardy. Finally, wifeCatherine spends her time collecting discarded packing boxes to give to the homeless. The well-to-do Martin family needs a shock to the system—one they get over the course of a single evening, when a quiet family birthday celebration for Papa turns into a hostage situation, with the house surrounded by a trigger-happy SWAT team. Tobiessen has created a screwball comedy for the modern world, one in which the physical humor can come from a clueless FBI agent (delightfully played by Mo Perry) who repeatedly shocks Arthur (Rolando Martinez, who does a fine job with all of his physical humor) into a stupor. The foibles of the family—and believe me, they are many—are merged with a growing sense of unease that their lives are at a dead end. That's certainly true of the patriarch, brought clearly to life by Joe Minjares. He has decided enough is enough and he's going to flee not just the business but the life he has created, with his wife—using embezzled money, of course. Minjares plays the comedy well, even if he is often the straight man for the other seven characters. More importantly, he brings out the sadness and anger that lie just beneath the surface of the character. Minjares is well matched with Sally Wingert as Catherine. Wingert gives her usual terrific performance. Catherine spends most of the show as the foil to David's plans, tossing in delay after delay until there's nothing he can do but accept his punishment. Again, while Catherine's surface is shrill and apparently clueless, Wingert lets us see the lonely, lost woman inside who wants to have back the husband she married. It would be easy to reduce the rest of the cast to types. David is a lazy slacker. Britney, Arthur's girlfriend, has a hyper type-A personality and demands that everything be perfect. There's a straight-laced accountant, and even a friendly police officer who offers Catherine a bit of temptation. But Tobiessen's script, and the set of excellent performances, don't allow for just one dimension. The characters contain layers beneath their surfaces. Some of that works for comedy, but it also lets us see how each of the characters, in their own ways, are lost in the early 21st century. The actors make the best of the humor and occasional pathos, especially Ricardo Vazquez as David Jr., who comes off as little more than a buffoon in the early part (especially as he has ordered a stripper for his father's birthday and does an inappropriate sexy dance with each new character as they arrive), but he showcases a genuine anger. Vazquez lets us see how much it hurts David Jr. to be a 30-year-old living with his parents. The other supporting actors mine their characters for plenty of humor, especially Ansa Akyea as officer Frank Franco. Akyea, as always, fully commits to the character, even if it takes him into rather dark, or perhaps that would be hot pink, areas. Director Sarah Rasmussen does an excellent job of controlling the chaos, ramping up the energy quickly during the opening scenes and then building to the end. The whole production is fast-paced and tight. That's essential for a comedy of this type, but it also gives the occasional moments of drama—especially a well-played scene between the Davids—all the more weight. Even with all the comedy in Crashing the Party, a decidedly Mixed Blood message is at the heart of the play. In the end, we see a portrait of the American family in 2012: blending different races, welcoming outsiders as new friends, and finding hope amid a slightly burned five-course meal.Crashing the Party at Mixed Blood
Poking and prodding the tender American psyche
Online press release
OSF News Release OSF Media Contact: Amy Richard amyr@osfashland.org October 10, 2011 SARAH RASMUSSEN AWARDED PRINCESS GRACE THEATRE APPRENTICESHIP OSF’s co-producer of Black Swan Lab honored for her excellence and promise in theatre Ashland, Ore.—Sarah Rasmussen, who will co-produce the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab in 2012, was among this year’s winners of the 2011 Princess Grace Awards. On August 15 the Board of Trustees of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) and its Chairman, Hon. John F. Lehman announced the winners of the Awards for theater, dance and choreography, and film. The Awards continue the legacy of Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, who anonymously helped emerging artists pursue their artistic goals during her lifetime. “I am honored to receive the 2011 Princess Grace Pierre Cardin Award in partnership with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival” said Rasmussen. “My experience as a Phil Killian Fellow and the work I did with Bill, Lue and the incredible OSF company profoundly shaped my career. I'm honored to continue my relationship with OSF. The Black Swan Lab is truly innovative in both the projects it tackles, and the way that it approaches process. The Lab is a haven for artist driven process and living proof that new work can be developed under new models in this country. Personally, I love that the lab can support the development of large cast work for a diverse ensemble of performers.” Rasmussen will work alongside OSF’s Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Director of Literary Development and Dramaturgy Lue Morgan Douthit in the Black Swan Lab for the development of new work by major American playwrights as well as early career writers. OSF has commissioned a number of major American playwrights, including David Henry Hwang, Lynn Nottage, Tanya Saracho, Naomi Wallace and Rhiana Yazzie, whose work may be among the scripts developed in the Lab next season. Rasmussen will be in charge of shepherding whatever script work playwrights want to do before, during and after their time in the lab, as well as directing readings and script work by the ten Lab actors who are devoting one of their three OSF repertory assignments to new play development. Other assignments will include casting the readings, discussing dramaturgical points with playwrights, supporting the playwrights while they are in residence, and facilitating discussions in the room between actors and playwrights. She also has been given the assignment of scouting for new writers and new works. OSF Artistic Director Bill Rauch said, “Sarah is impressively well-qualified to take on this Lab apprenticeship. Not only does she bring experience at New York’s small experimental houses and several regional and university theaters, as OSF’s 2010 Phil Killian Fellow she directed OSF company actors in a series of one-acts and scenes of plays written by women. She also served as my assistant director for the 2010 production of The Merchant of Venice in our largest venue, the 1,200-seat outdoor Elizabethan Stage, and assisted director Liesl Tommy on the 2010 main stage production of Ruined. I am delighted Sarah will return to OSF and step into this leadership position.” Each year, the Foundation presents the Princess Grace Awards to artists who show excellence and promise in the areas of theater, dance, and film. Students are eligible for scholarships; emerging artists working in companies qualify for apprenticeships and fellowships. A playwriting fellowship is available for individual artists through a residency at New Dramatists in New York City, which includes the opportunity to have the winning play be licensed and published by Samuel French, Inc. In addition to these, the Foundation also gives honorable mention grants to applicants through honoraria. The 2011 Princess Grace Awards winners represent 20 colleges, universities, and not-for-profit theater and dance companies throughout the United States. The Awards winners exemplify both classical and experimental artistic disciplines and, while still considered emerging talent, already show exceptional promise in their areas of expertise. The Foundation's support assists their theater and dance studies, helps pay their artistic fees at non-profit theater and dance companies and helps support their thesis film projects. In addition to the Awards, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA extends general operating monies to companies hosting an Awards winner. For more information about the Princess Grace Foundation and this year’s winners, go to www.pgfusa.org
2009-09-17 - RED INK
Sarah Rasmussen’s fluid direction keeps that pace movingly smoothly, even while the sets are broken down and rearranged between plays, furthering the illusion of a Pow-Wow in progress.
…compact and propulsive staging that isn't afraid to wink at the audience every once in a while.
--- Dominic Papatola, St, Paul Pioneer press
1001" zips between the Western present and the Arabian past with clever wordplay and Sarah Rasmussen's deft staging…Rasmussen delivers a seamless staging of these episodic scenes.
--- Rohan Preston, Minnapolis St. Tribune
the charm of it all is that 1001 doesn't take itself so seriously that it forgets to have fun.
--- Tad Simons, Mpls St. Paul Magazine
Ambitous…The real beauty of the play was in the visual depiction of the time periods, constantly shifting from modern-day Brooklyn to the Gaza Strip to ancient Arabia. Rasmussen's production relies on simple adjustments that connect the stories without the clunkiness of scene changes: an ancient Persian tome becomes a laptop, a sheet of blue silk becomes the pulsing backdrop of a dance club. The subtle effects place the audience squarely in the middle of the fable, and when it jumps across space and time we do not get left behind—it makes for a wild ride through history.
--- Jon Behm, Twin Cities Daily Planet
...a sheer, whimsical delight. And, as directed by gifted third year directing MFA Sarah Rasmussen, it’s simply magical. The story focuses on grief and loss, love and forgiveness, letting go and giving way to playfulness and wild imaginings.
--- Pat Launer, KPBS