In the wake of last year’s hit THE NEW YORK MONOLOGUES Backyart Productions in association with Amnesty International is proud to present Mike Poblete’s play ANTENORA as part of the 3rd Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.

Two ordinary men are ripped out of their lives and thrown into an anonymous prison where torture is part of life. As darkly comedic as it is heartfelt you will find yourself empathizing, demonizing and strategizing along with them in this frighteningly modern story of survival at any cost through humor, companionship, and imagination.

Starring Max Woertendyke and Ben Williams
Directed by Jessica Creane
Written by Mike Poblete

June 2nd at 4:00PM / June 4th at 3:40PM / June 5th at 9:00PM
June 9th at 9:00PM / June 18th at 8:40PM / June 20th at 6:00PM

At the Robert Moss Theater at 440 Studios (440 Lafayette Street at Astor Place)

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by clicking here.

See the full ANTENORA website!

Check them out for yourself!

Click here to watch “Kiss of the Weregirlfriend” by Infinity Ball Productions

“Bedtime Stories” by Maria Simeone

“All About Audition” by Carlo Fiorletta

“Drugs are Awesome” by Mike Poblete

By Ruth McGowan

See you next year!!

Here’s how it works:

Friday, March 25th at 5:00PM all participants will be emailed the same theme. You will have 72 hours to write, shoot and edit your film utilizing the theme as best you can, and email us a copy by 5:00PM Monday, March 28th. We will then screen the films at CultureFix Friday, April 1 at 8:00PM.

Interested in participating? We are registering teams to be a part of the film fest now!

Here are the basics to help you get started:

Work solo or organize a team as small or large as you like.
Register your team with Backyart by March 25th by emailing backyart@gmail.com
All films must be between 30 seconds and 5 minutes.
Questions? Just ask in your e-mail and we’ll send you all the details!

Check out last year’s films:

7 Years by Ati Egas

Home by Carlos Duhaime

Calamity 666 by Carlo Fiorletta

Out There by Aharon Herbert

A Sketch of Insecurity by Lia Woertendyke

Let’s see what we make this year!

After 3 years, 24 amazing events and over 250 artists, Backyart is leaving 649 Metropolitan Avenue.  Come say goodbye to us, and learn what the future holds for Backyart and the Backyart team this Saturday, August 28th.  We couldn’t be happier with our closing line-up.  See below for details (plus special guests!)

Jed Clarke presents his one of a kind sketch hilarity…with puppets in Dutch Gold.

Excerpts from “Tremble” a new psychological thriller by playwright Judah Skoff.  Directed by Ruis Woertendyke.

- “TREMBLE is a story about the sometimes irrational demands of faith, and how it impacts those around the faithful.  What I have tried to do with TREMBLE is write a story that anyone can relate to…using grounded storylines as a jumping off point for broader and more abstract questions such as: what goes into faith? What are faith’s true demands? Who are its victims? TREMBLE ends on an ambiguous note, as I think a play about faith must, because there aren’t really any answers.”

The short horror film, Eye Contact.

- “Eye Contact was shot in New Jersey in late 2007 and completed in 2008. Its budget was $178 dollars and it was shot over the course of 3 days. The intended purpose of Eye Contact is to take an audience back to the unsettling days of 1970’s horror; a time before torture, slasher, and splatter films ruled the day. A time when suspense and terror made our blood run cold.”

The banjo driven folk rock quartet Tall Tall Trees invite you to dance.

- “New York City quartet Tall Tall Trees’ self-titled debut, released in 2009 is garnering high praise for it’s unusual blend of bluegrass, world music, and indie rock. Founded by songwriter/multi-        instrumentalist Mike Savino in 2006, along with guitarist Kyle Sanna, drummer Mathias Kunzli and bassist Benjamin Campbell, the band has developed a reputation for it’s high energy shows and dynamic musicianship.”

Visual artist Mason Saltarrelli will be displaying a solo show in the Backyart studio.

-”Gouache and oil are my mediums of choice as a self-taught painter from New Orleans,La. Found objects inspire me to treat painting as a jazz musician treats a melody. Much like a jazz artist plays a solo of his interpretation off a melody, I create my work by finding inspiration in found images and objects and creating a unique solo. Kachina dolls, St. Lucy, and war generals are common themes in my paintings.”

***Hope to see you there!***

*All Summer Series events held at 649 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 and entrance is $15 suggested donation unless otherwise noted*

Masha Udensiva-Brenner reads her short comedic memoir piece, about taking her uncle to a failed toy audition, Leetle Green Frog.

“Gradually”, a striking performance piece by Butch Merigoni. Featuring Ben La Rocco, Justin Briggs, and others.

-”People hold the potential for growth and great things regardless of obstacles. There is always a chance  for renewal and progress. This performance refers to the act of not only progress, but the realization of one’s own potential.”

Colorform rocks out with live art created over the course of their full set.

- “Colorform’s goal is to create a multi dimensional artistic experience that is as organic as it is intentional.  We strive to make each performance unique and accessible – with raw human themes presented through words, sound and color.”

Jenny Gomez performs a excerpt from her one-woman show, The Comedy of Gender.

- “The Comedy of Gender is a live performance piece that explores the curious conundrum of sex in the world of comedy. What makes funny? Are men really funnier than women? If not, why aren’t we laughing with them?
These questions and more will be answered in this thought provoking, hilarious presentation….”

Charred Oak Films presents the hilarious short film, “The Scientists.”

Directed by Scott Chinn.

Written by Richard Lovejoy.

Costume Design by Katie Irish.

Starring Kent Meister and Richard Lovejoy.

Artist Caridad Sola will be creating a large scale installation piece in Backyart’s gallery space.

- “Awaken your senses. Dark soil wrapped in white sheets, bricks suspended in air by delicate sheer ribbon, a red-feathered pillow fight in a white room, and gallons of water contained in the holes of giant inner tubes. I expose the buried memories that everyday objects hold. I invite you to feel the materials: stick your hands into water, walk barefoot on pillows, feel the slight roll of freshly-cut sugar cane underneath your feet; smell the feathers, the soil, the cane; and hear the sound of a beating heart or water lapping. In the transformation of these spaces, I create experiences. I have a passion for the grandiose, the dramatic, and the theatrical. I expose viewers to rituals, collective memories, and metaphors. But like memories, these experiences will not last. Installations are ephemeral; after they are de-installed all that remains are memories, documentation, and artifacts. From bricks to pillows, I want to create an unforgettable experience.”

We’ll have cake, drinks and truly birthday worthy line-up of amazing artists!

our awesome first b-day cake made by the amazing Bronwyn Fleming-Jones

*All Summer Series events held at 649 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 and entrance is $15 suggested donation unless otherwise noted*

Saturday, June 26, 2010                                                          7-10pm

A Toast with Champale,

a new play by Veronica Newton.

A bad-boy has found the woman he wants to marry.  He’s sure she is “the one”, but now he has to get her to say yes.

Directed by: Ali Ayala

Starring: Sarah Wood and Drew Seltzer

The Brandy String Trio

The Brandy String Trio, a “Classical” string trio founded in NYC, will be performing original works, composed by Whitney George and Jay Vilnai.

slapHappy, a series of short webisodes created by Jaunty Joker Productions

“an unhappy marriage…an unusual solution”

Episodes 1-6

Captain Sharky’s Historical Gender Equality Reactualization Society presents “Nerdlesque.”

Nerds were once outsiders, but have recently enjoyed of an explosion of popularity.  The new found popularity of nerdom is largely a result of society becoming more accepting as people from all walks of life start to realize that they are, in fact, nerds about something.  Using the medium of burlesque, we explore what is funny, sexy, and compelling about nerds.

It was also Lia’s last event as Backyart’s Visual Arts Curator – so in honor of her time with us we put together a Backyart retrospective made of pieces in Backyart’s private collection that have been shown over the past two years.

*All Summer Series events held at 649 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 and entrance is $15 unless otherwise noted*

Saturday, May 29, 2010                                                                        7-10pm

LOVE:UNDERGROUND, a new play by J. Anthony Roman.

Dir. by Lia Woertendyke. Starring Nic Grelli and Jenny Gomez

Love:Underground is a scene about a couple breaking off their affair after years and realizing their best days of their releationship were in their teens, and within the nyc subway system.

Adam Cohen takes us on an emotional journey as he rocks out.

Service, a short film by Liz Magic Laser and Dafina Maimon

A script was developed by extracting and reformulating lines from popular disaster films such as Armageddon, Outbreak, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core and Deep Impact. This script was performed by actors, Neal Bledsoe and Annika Boras, as if they were a married couple hosting a dinner party. Within their neurotic dialogue, the impending threat to man’s survival continually shifts from an asteroid, to a disease, to a dramatic climate change. As they argue about the task at hand, saving the world, they begin feeding their dinner guests in a progressively frenzied manner. The language of American heroicism is re-articulated to explore its creepy absurdity and bathos.

Inbred Hybrid Collective

Established in 2005. Our mandate is to stimulate a consciousness of the external factors affecting our human existence. The type of interventions associated with Inbred Hybrid Collective, achieved as artistic concept, constitute a provocation for the public to reflect upon the influence that this immersion has had upon them. We are not committed to any one medium in the exploration of a concept.