No Traveler
(a)muse collective
NY,U.S.A.
Written by: Penny Pollak
Directed by: Samantha Jones
“In a narcissistic attempt to win her family’s attention, Abigail decides to perform the greatest stunt of all- attempted suicide. When her childish venture turns into unexpected reality, Abigail finds herself trapped in purgatory – a warped version of her apartment with two exits. Heaven or Hell. As a result of her foolish mistake, there is atonement and penance to be paid… and time is running out.”
60min
UNDER St. Marks
Thu 2/25,10:30, Sat 2/27,10:00, Sun 2/28,7:00, Wed 3/03,10:30, Sat 3/06,5:30
$12.00, $9.00
In a long awaited collaboration, Penny Pollak and Samantha Jones have joined forces to create the twisted telling of No Traveler. This time as director, award winning solo performer Samantha Jones ( Dora Mae Productions, Butterfly Suicide, Solo Nova, Wonder Women Festival) takes her ingrained ability to transform dark and lonely into this universal and deeply hilarious. When Pollak began to gather her “Grimm Fairytale-like” creations into a solo show, she brought Jones in to create a perfectly edgy creative duo. With the added artistic mastery of luckydave, the lighting becomes a third character in this provocative piece. The audience is lifted out of it’s seats with musical genius, Mike Milazzo, and resonate vocals of Lee Goffin-Bonenfant.
Penny Pollak is an actor, writer and producer based in NYC. She recently starred in ‘Broken Dog Legs’ a one-woman play by Emily Conbere. She both starred in and wrote one third of the three-woman show Amusing Lies and Lullabies at the Kraine Theater. For alost three years now she has hosted and produced Penny’s Open Mic, a weekly show located at Under St. Mark’s Theater. A founding member of (a)muse collective and residents of Horse Trade Theater Company she has produced a multitude of shows in NYC since she moved here a little over three years ago, she is a staple feature performer at the monthly variety show God Tastes Like chicken. She has performed in several theater productions in the London Fringe Theater including The Yabbok, Mozart and Don Juan and Mysticism Through Dance. She graduated with a degree in Theater and a minor in Sociology. After graduation she studied at the London theater intensive program at Rose Bruford College, UK. She has won awards for her writing as well as been featured in a number of readings in NYC.
Samantha Jones (Director/Co-Creator) is an award winning actress, comedian avant-garde solo performer and director. Her 4th solo show, Butterfly Suicide, was one of 12 shows selected for the Solo Nova Arts Festival at P.S. 122. Her previous solo shows include: I’m in Charge of the Coats (Here Arts Center), I Wanna Be Like Her (Theatre Row), and Lady W (Manhattan Theatre Source). Past credits include: Comix Comedy Club with Jim Gaffigan, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Stand Up New York, and Caroline’s. She was the host of Matchmaker for HGTV and featurd on MTV’s Run’s House as herself. She both directed and acted in several comedic shorts for Jack Black’s Acceptable TV and recently directed Horror Play by Jeannine Jones for Sticky at the Bowery Poetry Club. Jones co-starred in Debbie Jones’ feature film, The Last Christmas Party. She originated the role of Blue Cahill in the New York showcase production of the award-winning play The Breezeway. She won critical praise for her title role in the short film Firefly as well as best actress from the New Filmmakers Festival. She is a produced sketch comedy writer at Living Room Live, 10:17, The Gershwin Hotel, Rose’s Turn, Caroline’s, and Indigo. She’s co-founder and writes and performs with Rebecca Lally in the award winning comedy rock duo The Sister’s Rock! Her sketch comedy show Personality Inventory was reviewed as “cutting edge” by The New York Blade. She has worked as an independent producer on Artists for the Cure at Carnegie Hall, and Wigstock. She was director of improv comedy troupes – Wild Improv!, The Mug Shots, The Outrageous Instincts, The Baker’s Dozen, and Please Stand By. Currently she is a founding cast member of the improv comedy group Headshop Guerillas in NYC. She served on the board of the NY Coalition of Professional Women in Arts and Media representing Screen Actors Guild. Jones is a founding member of Dora Mae Productions (www.doramae.com).
I LOVED this show. My husband hated it. But we can ignore his opinion on this one because ( and no offense to the guys… OK, yeah, you probably can take offense) I think this is really a “woman’s” play.
My husband found Ms. Pollack’s performance overwrought, and the hand gestures mannered and unappealing. While I thought her performance brilliant, in the case of the latter, I must agree with him. Why, oh why, do actresses with long, albeit beautiful, hair, feel it necessary to keep shoving their tresses around? It’s distracting.
The concept, although certainly not new, was presented in an imaginative way. My husband found it trite.
HE thought the slide-show element was unnecessary. Normally, I would agree that that sort of conceit would not work in a drama, but I felt it was used to advantage here. I applaud Ms. Pollack’s ability to make “suicide cartoons” amusing, tragic and visually interesting at the same time.
This is is a painful play- deeply touching, gut-wrenching and, very funny all at once. I have known women like the ones portrayed by Ms. Pollak, and have walked beside them on the same journey. Fortunately, all but one managed to emerge at the other end of the tunnel.
Ms. Pollack’s characters had hard lives and devastating things happen to them. But she never lost sight of the fact that their worst enemy was, ultimately, their own self-pity. (My husband thought most of the characters whiney and unsympathetic and frequently was uncertain as to which character was supposed to be speaking. )
This is a complicated and layered piece and will not appeal to everyone. But I am mightily glad I had the chance to see it.
One word of advice: Penny – please work on those accents, or lose them entirely. At least, keep them consistent in any given scene. It made following the character changes confusing.
PS: I will never look at a galvanized tub the same way again!
Debora