BOOK AND LYRICS BY DANIELLE TRZCINSKI
MUSIC BY PAUL D MILLS
NETM Productions is proud to release it’s cast recording of Non-Equity The Musical! from writers Danielle Trzcinski and Paul D Mills. The album will be available on itunes and Spotify December 11th 2015.
NON-EQUITY THE MUSICAL! is a funny and heartwarming new musical about the life of non-union actors in New York City.
In the face of rejections, degrading survival jobs, and 5 a.m. open calls, Wendy, Felicity, Beonika, Ezra, Luke, and Charlie learn that “living the dream” is not what they thought it would be. Amid infectious songs and witty lyrics, see passion turn into results as we witness main character Wendy refuse to give up on her dream and find her own way of achieving it!
NON-EQUITY THE MUSICAL! holds a passionate energy that every person possesses when it comes to going after their dreams teaching us it’s not necessarily getting-the-card, so much as the hard work, support, and experiences you have getting there.
This hilarious musical has a talented cast of eight; six hopeful actors and two quirky characters who play several different parts ranging from mundane monitor to crazy choreographer. It was part of the 16th annual New York International Fringe Festival and voted “Top Ten Shows That Stand Out At The Fringe Festival!”
Since it’s original production in 2012 many of it’s cast members have now received their equity card and have gone on to greater fame, from Broadway shows to National tours. Nichole Turner (Book of Morman, Ghost) Pierce Cassedy (Kinky Boots, Book of Morman), Danielle Trzcinski ( Spank! The Fifty Shades of Grey Parody, Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live!) Antonio Addeo (Academy) Lindsay Morgan (Siren), Dominic Sellers (The Mystery Of Irma Vep), Rickens Anantua, and Emily Swan.
REVIEWS
“Melodic compositions, truthful lyrics, and refined harmonies. They inflect the audience with their spirit” –
Theatre Reviews Limited, Joseph Verlezza
“Ten shows that stand out at the Fringe Festival”- Ken Davenport, Broadway Producer
“Non-Equity is a delight. Songs that are terrific, satiric, and melodic which come with a huge dose of
heartfelt sentiment.” – Talk Entertainment, Oscar E Moore
“Funny, delightful, witty, and inspirational. Non- Equity The Muscial! does for actors what The 25th
Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee did for spellers – laugh.”- The Artsy Fartsy Show
“Enjoyable 100 minutes, thanks to its breezy humor and gamely enthusiastic cast. Certainly it will
resonate with any actor just starting out and working hard to gain that elusive union card –
Backstage.com, Erik Haagensen
Oscar E. Moore “from the rear mezzanine” for Talk Entertainment.com ORIGINAL REVIEW
Actors who are not yet members of the “Union – AEA” are considered non-equity. And the actors will do just about anything to get into the union – play cows, go out of town, stay at seedy hotels and pretend to be what they are not all the while smiling.
They have to if they want that all important card. But before they get their big break and their Actors’ Equity Card they spend hours and hours walking dogs, looking for an agent waiting tables and waiting to be auditioned – sometimes waiting for naught.
One such actress is Danielle Trzcinski. She has gotten so fed up with this system that she has written an exciting and savvy new musical about the trails and tribulations of such actors – NON-EQUITY the musical along with Paul D. Mills (at the piano) and they will most probably never have to worry about such problems again.
NON-EQUITY is a delight. A hybrid of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY and a prequel to A CHORUS LINE done in the format of a revue akin to THE UPSTAIRS AT THE DOWNSTAIRS harking back to traditional musical comedy songs that are terrific, satiric and melodic which come with a huge dose of heartfelt sentiment.
Ms. Trzcinski plays Wendy Gibson (her alter-ego) and there is not a bitter bone in her body. Well maybe one or two tiny ones but most of her bones are funny. As she explains through her characters in song what it is like to live the life of a non-equity actor you will be enlightened and thoroughly entertained.
Helping her is her talented company of distinctive non-union characters: Felicity (Lindsay Morgan) Ezra (Keith Antone) Luke (Pierce Cassedy) Charlie (Joe Donnelly) and Beonika (Nichole Turner). All fine, either singly or together as they chart the harmonious territory with the able direction of Christian Amato and choreography by Sam Doblick.
Playing a series of “Monitors” wearing an assortment of wigs and having a lithe body reminiscent of an Ibis, Emily Swan is an absolute dead pan riot. As we see the actors preparing and auditioning experiencing great difficulties along the way carefree Stephen (Dominic Sellers) pops in here and there and immediately is auditioned because he has some connection with the Monitor herself or with someone she is connected with. It is a great running gag.
One stand out song from the excellent score is “Phenomenal” – and it is just that sung by Wendy. We learn that the reason they go through such muck – humiliation and discrimination – is because they love what they do and have to follow their dreams in order to be happy.
The cast seems to be reveling in performing this show which surely will have an extraordinary future. If only they could cut about 15 minutes. I know it’s difficult when all the material is so good, but as they saying goes “leave them wanting more.”
At The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal Street
www.NonEquityTheMusical.com
www.FringeNYC.org
Visit www.oscaremoore.com
08-13-12
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