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Crime and Punishment

Interview with the Soulful Couple Behind the Much Anticipated 2023 Phoenix Theater Festival – Live Arts in Nyack

August 18, 2023 by Nolan Thornton

Phoenix Theater Festival’s founding and creative directors, husband/wife team Craig Smith and Elise Stone

“I’m a crazy idealist, so I think that synchronicity happens in good theater where the performers and the audience are all living and breathing together,” said Elise Stone, Artistic Director of the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble.

One could argue that we’re all idealists when it comes to a good story. What adult can say they never smiled at a happily-ever-after bedtime story, or lost sleep over a creepy campfire story as a kid? Part of the job of Stone, and her spouse, Phoenix Executive Director Craig Smith, is to communicate with that kid inside all of us to create performances that truly resonate with audiences. And judging by the reviews and feedback from last year’s inaugural Phoenix Festival Smith and Stone do their jobs quite well.

The second annual Phoenix Festival in Nyack will take place over four weeks, starting September 28th, with the final performances set for October 21st. The shows include old favorites, as well as original productions developed by Phoenix Theatre Ensemble in NYC, as well as dance and music performances. “Put it on the calendar now, because you’ll blink and miss it,” said Smith. One of the performances of Pan, a dance piece presented by Emotions Physical Theatre is already sold out.

“Even when we’re doing something just plain fun, like a comedy, it’s never fluff. We bring all the heft of our love for language, literature, and human beings – and the desire to create connections – that’s why we’re storytellers,” said Stone. As Artistic Director, she has been working hard to develop many different works for many different audiences. “What can we do to adapt to the times and draw people in for something they can’t get at home?” asked Elise Stone.

One of the new and exciting plays to come out of Phoenix’s PlayCoop incubator series addresses this question head-on. The new work – Scandalton – is an interactive 90-minute piece structured like a Jane Austen novel and inspired by the hit show Bridgerton. The play’s program reads, “No romantic drama is complete without the judgment of genteel society, which is why at Scandalton, the audience will supply the rumors… You bring the tea. We spill it.”

Smith notes that the beauty of a show like Scandalton is that it appeals to younger people who want to participate in the fun, as well as the older crowd – of which he laughingly counts himself a member – who can just sit back and enjoy it.

The dance piece Pan, “set to hip-hop and more,” explores American boyhood and masculinity through the lens of the classic character Peter Pan. Emotions Physical Theatre grapples with the harsh reality that young Black men die before their time in disproportionate numbers  “for reasons we all know but refuse to fix,” according to the program. “Pan will deliver an experience that highlights the question ‘what are the reasons a Black boy might not want to grow up?’ through a carefully crafted interdisciplinary theatrical experience focused on movement and dance.”

Another exciting performance coming to Phoenix Festival is Drinks with Dead Poets, Phoenix Playwright in Residence Glyn Maxwell’s adaptation of his acclaimed novel, in which he also stars. The adaptation sets the play right in Nyack, NY, in the very space where the performance will be held: the upstairs bar at the iconic Hudson House restaurant on Main Street. Smith says this piece will have strong appeal for those who don’t enjoy a typical theater environment. “You come in and get a drink, and this incredible play will unfold right in front of you,” said Smith.

Other plays featured at the Phoenix Festival include their adaptation of the children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows created to be enjoyed by all ages, the critically acclaimed adaptation by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus of the Dostoyevsky classic, Crime and Punishment, the original comedy Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool, and much more. Another exciting addition to the Festival this year is their brand new augmented reality walking tour Digital Dreaming, which is free to the public, and takes you via smartphone on a guided tour of Nyack’s history.

“I have a dream of audience members walking through the village as you do at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland to see an amazing performance in one-of-a-kind, non-traditional venues all over the city,” said Smith. It’s a dream that’s quickly becoming a reality, as the Festival approaches its second year. Stone mentioned a comment made by co-founder and artistic director of the famed Repertorio Espanol, Rene Buch, who said, “Theater has become something that’s seen as cake for the elite, but it really has always been and should always be bread for everyone.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories, Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Craig Smith, Crime and Punishment, Digital Dreaming, Drinks with Dead Poets, Elise Stone, Live Arts in Nyack, Pan, Phoenix Festival Live Arts Nyack, Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool, Scandalton, Soulful, The Wind in the Willows

“Open Letter” from Craig & Elise for Phoenix

April 24, 2023 by The Inside Press

Phoenix Festival | Live Arts

in Nyack Returns for

2023 Fall Season!

September 22 to October 21

“World-class performances!”

– Hi! Drama

“Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is doing something wonderful in Nyack!”

– Broadway Radio

 

Hello neighbors, friends, families and Westchester arts enthusiasts.

It’s with great pleasure that we invite you to join the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble for our second annual Phoenix Festival – Live Arts in Nyack from September 22 to October 21.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of live theatre, dance and music for audiences of all interests and ages – a celebration of arts, history and local culture.

We’ll be presenting 30 performances featuring over 30 professional New York City artists on multiple stages in Nyack – our jazzy riverside village on the west bank of the Hudson, just a quick trip from the city or from Westchester across the bridge.

As one audience member described the 2022 Festival, “It’s an E-ZPass to outdoor theater heaven!”

Here are the 2023 highlights:

• Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment: A taut 90-minute, edge-of-your-seat stage version of this famous murder mystery

• The Wind in the Willows: A new interactive adaptation of the beloved novel for all ages, confirming the power of friendship and the courage to make a difference in the lives of others

• Pan American Male: A theatrical dance fable about a boy resisting the call to grow up too soon. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey’s Shawn Rawls

• Drinks With Dead Poets: UK award-winning poet, playwright, and actor Glyn Maxwell finds himself in a bar in Nyack, a village with the distinction of having the last open library in America. Maxwell, playing himself, encounters dead poets offering advice and ordering pints. Site-specific with a cash bar–an unforgettable evening

• Honduras: A deeply moving solo piece based on real life personal stories gathered from mothers and children at the US southern border in the summer of 2018

• Children’s Shakespeare Theatre: Young actors bravely present the best of the Bard in their special fall production

• Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool: Debbi Hobson’s play shines a light on the fraught and often farcical experience of mid-life dating

• Concert presented by ArtsRock, Rockland’s resource for professional arts and multi-cultural programs supporting underserved communities.

• The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s frothy, funny, forever comedy–a Festival favorite selected by NYC’s Theatrescene as “one of the top ten productions of 2022”

Venues include the tented outdoor meadow stage at Marydell Faith and Life Center, the garden at Hopper House, the Nyack Center, the ‘little theater’ at Nyack’s RCC Culinary Arts Center and a classic Nyack restaurant/bar which a century ago served as the village courthouse and jail.

The Hudson River Museum amphitheater in nearby Yonkers will host a presentation of Honduras. Plus, Nyack itself will be onstage in a free, smartphone-based augmented reality walking tour of the village.

Along the way, you may want to check out Nyack’s one-of-a-kind retail shops, top-flight restaurants, friendly pubs, live music venues and vibrant night spots – over 100 businesses packed into a walkable space of just over one square mile. If you’d like some fresh air as part of your Festival itinerary, Nyack offers outstanding outdoor activities–bicycling, hiking along the river front, boat excursions and more.

You can begin to plan your Festival experience with a special offer for Westchester audiences – discounted early bird four-ticket flexible admission passes on sale from April 25 – July 15. Call 833-681-4800.

A word about us. Founded in 2004, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is an award-winning New York City theatre company that makes its second home in Rockland County, where we have created and performed both classics and original works since 2018.

Our mission is to present the great stories of the classical canon, as well as new adaptations and innovative stagings that speak to, and serve, contemporary audiences. We’re proud to be part of the Hudson Valley arts community, and excited about our 2023 Festival in Nyack.

Come explore, experience and enjoy the magic of world class performances in the Hudson Valley. See you at the Festival!

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Children's Shakespeare Theatre, Classic and Original Works, Craig and Elise Stone, Crime and Punishment, Drinks with Dead Poets, Honduras, Live theater, Nyack, Pan American Male, Phoenix Festival Live Arts Nyack, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Wind in the Willows

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