SEASON OF THE UNSEEN

Red Monkey Theater Group, in residence at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, is proud to present our 2022-2023…

Season of the Unseen
A season dedicated to exploring people, ideas, strengths, and threats that go overlooked and unseen.

FREE WORKSHOP: YOGA FOR ACTORS
RMTG offers a yoga class specially designed for actors and performers, with an emphasis on breath techniques, relaxation, and meditation in order to develop more focus, presence, and breath support onstage. The yoga poses are tailored to stretch and ground the body, and teach over-used muscles to relax. This workshop is perfect for those with stage fright and audition anxiety! All participants should wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring a mat and water.
September 10, 2022 11am at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

FREE Reservations: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/yoga-for-actors/

MONSTER
A new play written and directed by Amy Frey
Based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Shelley’s novel presaged the obsessions of the Victorian age – humanist morality, science, death, horror. Amy Frey’s new play deconstructs the novel and places it in the context of Shelley’s artistic life and the creators she shared it with: Percy Shelley, Claire Clairborne John Polidori, and George Byron. In this site-specific production, audiences will follow both Shelley and her characters through historic Bartow-Pell mansion, tracing a tale of gothic horror and the creation by a revolutionary female teenager of the world’s first science fiction story.
September-October 2022 at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

Tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/monster/

FREE WORKSHOP: WRITING FOR THE STAGE
Playwrights meet for a discussion with aspiring writers, offering insight in advice on writing and adapting scripts from pre-existing historical or literary sources.
October 12 2022 at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

FREE reservations: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/writing-for-the-stage/

ON TOUR: THEN & NOW

in collaboration with M&M Performing Arts Company, Inc., Red Monkey is happy to announce an addition to our 2022-2023 Season of the Unseen.

THEN & NOW by Jessica Carmona, directed by Rachel Tamarin, which premiered last fall at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, will be on tour this fall with a series of FREE performances at local libraries.

The spirit of an immigrant American of the past visits a family currently living in a historic mansion. What unfolds is a message of unity and solidarity, drawing attention to the common themes of humanity that unite us all.

Dates confirmed so far include:

Sunday, October 16 at 2pm at Mt Pleasant Public Library, 350 Bedford Road, Pleasantville NY 10570

Wednesday, November 9 at 7:00pm The Camille Budarz Theater at the Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue Ossining, NY 10562

Sunday, November 13 at 2:00pm Harrison Public Library, Bruce Avenue Harrison, NY 10528

…additional dates to follow!

SHERLOCK HOLMES:
THE ADVENTURE OF THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
Adapted by Tal Aviezer from the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle
co-production with M&M Performing Arts
Directed by Melinda O’Brien
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson return to Lyndhurst to confront their strangest and most exciting adventure yet when they encounter the mysterious Red-Headed League. The audience will follow Holmes and Watson room-by-room through historic Lyndhurst castle on the trail of a classic mystery adapted from one of the original Conan Doyle adventures. The powers and techniques of deductive reasoning with which Arthur Conan Doyle imbued his fictional detective were trailblazing and outlandish at the time of publication, but have proven to be both influential and predictive of the development of modern criminology in the decades that followed.
Nov-Dec 2022 at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY

INSIGNIFICANT
by Sean Michael Welch
Directed by Rachel Tamarin
At Harvard University in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cecilia Payne, Annie Jump Cannon, and the group of women known as the “Harvard Computers” overcame prejudice, denigration, and opposition to change the course of modern astronomy and developed revolutionary systems to chart and measure stars that remain in use today. Their battles for recognition, respect, and equality are still being fought by women in the 21st century.
February 2023 at Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum

Tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/insignificant-by-sean-michael-welch-directed-by-rachel-tamarin/

FREE WORKSHOP: ACTING SHAKESPEARE
Red Monkey Theater Group Artistic Director Tal Aviezer will work with students on Shakespearean scenes and monologues, helping participants explore Elizabethan language, make dramatic choices, and bring characters to life.
Spring 2023

FREE Reservations: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/acting-shakespeare/

RICHARD III by William Shakespeare
Directed by Amy Frey
In Shakespeare’s classic play, a ruthlessly ambitious man embarks on a merciless campaign of conquest, disinformation, assassination, seduction, and domination fueled by fantasies of absolute power. Join us for an immersive experience throughout the beautiful rooms and grounds of Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum as a villain carves a bloody path to power – and his subjects slowly awaken to the threat he represents.
June 2023, Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum, Bronx, NY

Tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/richard-iii/

Available Now: OPENING NIGHT SERIES SUBSCRIPTION

Purchase an Opening Night Series subscription and join us for three opening night performances at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum:

Monster 

Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7:30pm

Insignificant 

Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 7pm

Richard III 

Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 4pm

See all three shows at the discounted price of just $90 ($75 for students and seniors). A very limited number of Opening Night Series subscriptions are available; don’t wait to grab yours!

Open Night Series subscription tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/red-monkey-theater-group-season-of-the-unseen-opening-night-subscription-series/

Know Before You Go

The safety of our audience and staff is our top priority. Our 2022-2023 season programming plans are subject to change based on Covid-19 conditions. At this time, audiences must be masked at all indoor Red Monkey Theater Group performances and events. We will continue to adjust and adapt to meet challenges as they arise.

Poirot: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Unfortunately, due to a positive Covid case in the cast of Poirot: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, we must cancel this afternoon’s matinee performance at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (Sunday, June 12, 2pm). Refunds will be available for all ticket-holders for this performance. We are very sorry to miss you!

Adapted and directed by Amy Frey from the novel by Agatha Christie
at Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum

Join legendary detective Hercule Poirot in a new stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery. Follow the action from room-to-room throughout historic Bartow-Pell mansion as you help Poirot and Hastings discover who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorp, and how the murderer penetrated and escape from her locked bedroom. Suspects abound—from the heiress’s fawning new husband to her stepson, her volatile housekeeper, and the young nurse with access to a hospital dispensary. But the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot is on the case – and so are you.

June 11th at 7pm
June 12th at 2pm
June 15th at 7pm
June 16th at 7pm
June 17th at 7pm
June 18th at 4pm
June 19th at 2pm

Tickets >>

CAST
Hastings – Sean Coffey
Evelyn Howard – Kelly Kirby
John Cavendish – Jackie McKenna
Dorcas – Rachel Tamarin
Mary Cavendish – Charly Bivona
Cynthia Cavendish – Zoey Rutherford
Hercule Poirot – Tal Aviezer
Emily Inglethorpe – Misti Tindiglia
Alfred Inglethorpe – Nick Leshi

Production Design: Carolyn J. Fuchs

Stage managers: Mikaela Blanchard, Casey Powers

Tickets >>

Voices & Echoes at Bartow-Pell: Thread

Join Bartow-Pell’s Museum Educators as they lead you on a themed, guided tour highlighting the Civil War era. Visit the period rooms and learn about what the Bartow family might have been doing during the war years between 1861 and 1865.

The tour is then followed by a new short play created by Red Monkey Theater Group:

Thread by Sharon Latimer-Mosley

directed by Amelia Huckel-Bauer

In the wake of the Civil War Draft Riots that shook New York City in 1863, Bartow-Pell manor is the site of a long-delayed reunion between two African-American New Yorkers: a self-made dress-maker and a Navy recruiter who face crucial choices about the future they pursue – and whether it will be shared.

April 2-24

Tickets >>

Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia

An original adaptation by Amy Frey from the classic story by Arthur Conan Doyle

November 12 – December 5

Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown NY

$45 general admission

Reserve Tickets >>

Red Monkey Theater Group and M&M Performing Arts bring another fast-paced Sherlock Holmes Adventure to Lyndhurst this fall. Join Sherlock Holmes (Tal Aviezer) and Dr. Watson (Michael Muldoon) at the inimitable Lyndhurst Mansion, where a mysterious masked visitor (Steve Plaushin) calls on them to assist in a matter of royal proportions. Together with the famous detectives, enter a world of blackmail, disguise, and intrigue, where the fate of two countries rests in the hands of a single woman. Holmes and Watson need every ounce of ingenuity they can muster to outwit the notorious Irene Adler (Amy Frey).

Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia is directed by Melinda O’Brien with stage management by Emmy Schwartz and Nan Weiss. Performances will take place entirely in the Blue Parlor of Lyndhurst Mansion. The play runs for about one hour without an intermission, but plan on 90 minutes including check-in at the Welcome Center.

As New York State continues to evaluate pandemic-related restrictions, Lyndhurst, M&M Performing Arts, and Red Monkey Theater Group require all visitors to provide proof of full Covid vaccination (14 days after the final shot) and continue to wear masks indoors at this time as a courtesy to fellow visitors, performers, and staff. We will continue to evaluate these policies and make changes in the future, as appropriate. No one under age 12 will be admitted.

All visitors must have a pre-purchased ticket to attend the show.

Please present printed tickets or have them available on your smartphone to show to Welcome Center staff when checking in for the show.

Performances begin promptly at the designated time, please arrive early to check-in.

All ticket purchases are non-refundable.

For everyone’s safety, Lyndhurst reserves the right to deny or revoke the admission of any visitor who refuses to comply with these guidelines. As in any public setting, we cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed to COVID-19. By visiting Lyndhurst, you voluntarily assume such risks.

Reserve Tickets >>

Voices and Echoes: Past and Present at Bartow-Pell

Playwrights Jessica Carmona, Amy Frey, and Sharon Mosley. (Mosley photo courtesy of Stephen Aluisa).

Red Monkey Theater Group and Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum present a series of original short plays by authors Jessica Carmona, Amy Frey, and Sharon Mosley. These new works will explore topics and themes that are as urgent today as they were during the 19th century, when the current Bartow-Pell Mansion was built and inhabited.

Debuting in November 2021, February 2022, and April 2022, the plays will examine immigration, women’s suffrage and rights, and the Civil War and civil rights. Each will be presented as part of a one-hour program that will also include a guided tour of historic Bartow-Pell Mansion and a post-performance discussion.

NOVEMBER 2021 – FEBRUARY 2022 – APRIL 2022

BARTOW-PELL MANSION-MUSEUM, 895 SHORE ROAD, PELHAM BAY PARK, BRONX NY 10464

November 2021 – “Then & Now” by Jessica Carmona

The spirit of an immigrant American of the past visits a family currently living in a historic mansion. What unfolds is a message of unity and solidarity, drawing attention to the common themes of humanity that unite us all. 

Tickets on Sale Here

February – “Masher” by Amy Frey

Mrs. John G. Bettancourt is everything a model, upper-class Victorian woman should be: wife, mother, and hostess. But when she finds herself in a confrontation with a “masher” (a man who assaults women on the street), she suddenly needs to come to grips with the realities of the world around her and is forced to ask for help from an unexpected quarter.

Tickets on Sale Here

About the Playwrights

Jessica Carmona is an award-winning actress, playwright and producer of Puerto Rican descent. She is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she received her B.F.A in Acting. Her indie film, “Millie and the Lords” won her the Best Film and Best Actress Award at The People’s Film Festival and the Viva Latino Film Festival as well as an Award for Film Excellence from the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival.  It was also featured at the Georgia Latino Film Festival, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Rochester Latino Film Festival and was most recently on HBO Latino and COMCAST. Most recently, she starred as Rosie in the new play Pecking Order by Robin Rice, and as Zoe in Black Mexican. She starred as Odessa/Haikumom in Water by the Spoonful and Antonio in Twelfth Night for Red Monkey Theatre Group,  Samana in Platanos and Collard Greens,  Maddie in  Nickeled and Dimed at Blackfriars Theater and she has also worked with Pregones/PRTT on a production of The Tempest. Her original play “Elvira-The Immigration Play” was nominated for Best Play at the 2019 Strawberry One Act Theatre Festival and featured at the 2015 NYC Fringe Festival. She is currently commissioned and developing a new play called “The Boogie Down Gospel” which tells the story of the Gospel of Matthew from a LatinX Lense. Voice over credits include: Timestorm by Cocotazo Media. “Flor” by Nelson Diaz- Marcano and Bodega de la Sol by Janelle Lawrence. She is represented by Bonafide and Emerging Artists.

Amy Frey is an occupational therapist and an alumna of Columbia University, Muhlenberg College, The Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) and the Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. She is an actor and playwright. Her plays include Monster, and On The Eve (winner of the Bare Knuckle Theater Festival) as well as co-writing meg jo beth amy & louisa, (nominated for “Theater Unleashed” award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.) Her adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia and Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles will both premiere as a co-production with Red Monkey Theater Group and M&M Theatrical Productions this year. 

Sharon Latimer-Mosley is a playwright and short nonfiction storyteller. Her stories have most recently appeared in two Story Center nonfiction showcases, “COVID Stories: Stories from the Global COVID-19 Pandemic” and “Earth Stories: Stories of Environment and Justice”.  Sharon is also the Project Coordinator for The Story Center’s documentary series “Reckoning with Racism in Nursing”. “Playwrights Lorraine Hansberry and August Wilson inspire me,” she writes. “They were brave in their storytelling. Their characters and situations are timeless. It is my hope to be equally as brave in my storytelling. And in the telling, provide some degree of healing.” Sharon is a graduate of Westchester Community College and Iona College. A member of the Sound Shore Writers Group, Sharon is also the host and producer for her own independent community talk show, “Curious” on LMC Media and Youtube. 

Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia

A new adaptation by Amy Frey from the classic story by Arthur Conan Doyle
June 4 – June 13
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson at the inimitable Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum, where a mysterious masked visitor calls on them to assist in a matter of royal proportions. Together with the famous detectives, enter a world of blackmail, disguise, and intrigue, where the fate of two countries rests in the hands of a single woman. Holmes and Watson need every ounce of ingenuity they can muster to outwit the notorious Irene Adler.

A co-production of Red Monkey Theater Group, M&M Performing Arts, and Theatre Five Productions

Performance dates & times:
Friday, June 4 6:30pm
Saturday, June 5 4pm
Saturday, June 5 6pm
Sunday, June 6 2pm
Sunday, June 6 4pm
Wednesday, June 9 6:30pm
Thursday, June 10 6:30pm
Friday, June 11 6:30pm
Saturday, June 12 4pm
Saturday, June 12 6pm
Sunday, June 13 2pm
Sunday, June 13 4pm

Directed by Melinda O’Brien
Featuring Tal Aviezer, Mikel Von Brodbeck, Amy Frey, and Quint Spitzer
Stage Managers: Emmy Schwartz & Nan Weiss

$35 Adults; $30 Students/Seniors

Important safety information:
All performances will be held entirely outdoors, on the large pebble court behind the mansion. Attendance will be limited to 35 audience members, and six feet of social distancing will be required for all attendees who are not members of the same household. Masks will also be required for all non-vaccinated attendees. Like all of you, we continue to monitor the situation closely. Please understand that we will cancel performances in the interests of public safety should conditions warrant. Should that happen, full refunds will be available to all who request them. Thank you very much – Holmes, Watson, and company can’t wait to see you!

Tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/sherlock-holmes-a-scandal-in-bohemia/

FREE Playwriting Workshop

IMPORTANT UPDATE: this workshop will now be held via Zoom. It’s still free & open to all, and the time is unchanged. Please email info@redmonkeytheater.org for the link.

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 2 PM EST – 3:30 PM EST

Join playwrights Amy Frey and Sean Michael Welch for a FREE workshop on the art of playwriting.

Together we’ll discuss the anatomy of a scene. We’ll read and discuss scenes written by our two authors. We’ll then discuss editorial choices made in crafting the scene, how it evolved, tactics & goals, and more.

Attendees are also invited to share their own scenes, and our playwrights will offer comments, critiques, and advice. We’ll also include time for a general q&a.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS

Sean Michael Welch is a playwright and novelist. His most recent works include Bee, Tranquility, and farmbook or The Universal Man of Freedom and the Fossett Family Dream in American Adiaphora.

Amy Frey is an occupational therapist and an alumna of Columbia University, Muhlenberg College, The Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) and the Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. She is an actor and playwright. Her plays include Monster and On The Eve, as well as co-writing meg jo beth amy & louisa.

IMPORTANT INFO
This workshop will be held via Zoom.The workshop is free, but attendees must email info@redmonkeytheater.org to reserve a spot in advance.

Dungeons & Monkeys 2020

Put on your Gauntlets of Ogre Power and get your Cloaks of Displacement out of the closet!

Our annual charity gaming/storytelling/theater event returns this fall – four times as big, all virtual, and featuring a roster of all-star Dungeon Master’s Guild creators and plenty of Halloween-themed adventures!

Play Dungeons & Dragons from October 22-25 with your favorite Red Monkey Theater Group and Cast Party performers. This year’s event will also include a a free workshop from Cast Party’s Matt Gordon to help you run awesome online D&D games on Roll20. New to D&D? Always wanted to play but never had the chance? Don’t worry, we’ll teach you!

You can join us for one session, or play all weekend.

Click here for more info and to register to play.

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Adapted by Tal Aviezer from the story by Arthur Conan Doyle

Directed by Tal Aviezer

Co-production with M&M Performing Arts Company

Rescheduled performances:

Friday, 8/14 6pm

Saturday, 8/15 4:30pm

Saturday, 8/15 6pm

Sunday, 8/16 2pm

Sunday, 8/16 4:30pm

Thu, 8/20 6pm

Saturday, 8/22 4:30pm

Sat, 8/22 6pm

Sun, 8/23 4:30pm 

Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum, Bronx, NY

IMPORTANT UPDATE: We hope you and all of your loved ones are safe and healthy. We are happy to say that our August 2020 performances of SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE COPPER BEECHES at Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum WILL take place this year!

Thank you for your patience with us as we all try to adapt to a challenging situation. For the safety of our audience, cast, and crew, we are making some changes to these shows:

1. All performances will be held entirely outdoors, on the large veranda behind the mansion.

2. Attendance will be limited to 20 audience members, and social distancing will be required for all attendees who are not members of the same household.

3. Masks will also be required.

4. To accommodate the shift to outdoor performances, all 7pm performances will now begin at 6pm. If you are a current ticket holder, and unable to accommodate this change, your ticket will be honored at the August performance of your choice. If you are unable to reschedule, you will receive a refund. Please contact Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum for assistance.

Our cast and crew will also be observing social distancing and sanitizing protocols throughout all rehearsals and performances.

Locally, the Covid-19 situation continues to improve and that is why, after consulting with medical professionals, we feel comfortable proceeding with the performances at this time, using these safety measures. However, like all of you, we continue to monitor the situation closely – should the situation deteriorate, please understand that we will cancel performances in the interests of public safety. Should that happen, full refunds will be available to all who request them.

Thank you very much – Holmes, Watson, and company can’t wait to see you!

Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on a trip to the sinister Copper Beeches (played by the inimitable Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum), where a desperate young governess finds herself at the center of a baffling mystery. Together with the famous detectives, we’re drawn deep into the secrets of the Rucastle family – their threatening hound, menacingly enthusiastic patriarch, strange requests and rules, the locked and forbidden room on the top floor, and the mysterious stranger who keeps appearing at the windows.

Tickets: https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/sherlock-holmes-the-adventure-of-the-copper-beeches/

And while we wait for live performances to resume, Red Monkey Theater Group Artistic Director Tal Aviezer (Sherlock Holmes) is reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, in costume, for free, from his living room, on Youtube.

Good People

Red Monkey Theater Group presents
GoJo Clan’s production of
GOOD PEOPLE
by David Lindsay-Abaire

directed by Ed Friedman
February 22 – March 8
Cahill Theater, College of Mount Saint Vincent

Red Monkey Theater Group partners with GoJo Clan to present a tough and tender play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire. Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks an old fling who’s made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. With his signature humorous glow, Lindsay-Abaire explores the struggles, shifting loyalties, and unshakeable hopes that come with having next to nothing in America.

Featuring Kobe Gorn, Robin Gorn, Susan Kay, Maggie Kramer, La Rivers, Duane Rutter.

Tickets: https://gojoclangoodpeople.bpt.me/