The guests congregate in the belly of the "Frying Pan" a ship that spent 3 years underwater

Forgotten objects from the deep inspire widespread creation.
By Joshua Harris

“Do you want to come to a special reading? Some NYC based writers and artists are reading their work.” is what I was asked last wednesday morning. My initial response was to pass it up…I mean, how many times are there readings in the city with brilliant authors or artists? A lot, that’s how many.

“…Well, the reading is on an old light boat that was raised from the sea after being sunk for 3 years.” …that followup got my attention. I decided to go.

The reading is a launch party celebrating the creative collaboration between artists, writers, and musicians all focusing on creating something inspired by long forgotten objects that have been raised from the waters surrounding NYC.  The organizers call it “Underwater New York“. Everything from ice cream trucks to old shopping carts serve as inspiration to create vivid works of fiction.  The people at Underwater New York encourage  interested creatives to make some form of art inspired from their list of “crazy” objects found under the boroughs’ murky waters.  The result are a range of works, from songs and short stories to photography.

When I arrived, I boarded the old vessel, The Frying Pan ; the smell of diesel and rusted metal combined with the melodic sway gave an old world industrial feel to everything.  Inside, on three levels, people congregated in quiet excitement sipping drinks mixed by a centrally located bar, probably converted from an old mess kitchen.  The ship is a historic relic, everything seems preserved and worn down at the same time.  In the belly of the ship, this is most evident; old levers, pipes, and broken fixtures serve to remind the attendees of the ships forgotten purpose.

Inside this area of the boat, the night started with a bit of sketch comedy, was highlighted by some live sets by accoustic musicians, and ended with a short story of two tragic lovers.  The expression of the love for creativity inspired by misplaced objects was strong and was the lasting impression I took away from the event.  You can check out more on Underwater New York, submit your stories and other artwork, and even check out pictures of the event here.

Slapstick With a Little Pink Lipstick

Amanda Duarte wants to be a household name of a different kind.
By Joshua C. Harris

I enter the Peoples Improv Theatre at W. 29th St. and 7th ave. It’s tucked upstairs, nestled as most things are in the city so I almost miss it. I don’t know what to expect from the show. All I remember is Amanda’s picture on the promotional flyer that she gave me: her legs open with the title “Lucky Pink Wonderland” in bold lettering conveniently covering anything indecent. “Hi! Come on back! We’re setting up…” Amanda yells to me from the theater as I stand in the lobby. She seems a bit flustered but excited nonetheless. I obey. I creep back, suddenly surrounded by the black walls of the theater. It’s small, with flairs of red and pink, sort of like Amanda.

She’s about to go on; the music blasts a bubblegum pop tune as the lights dim. Amanda enters wearing a white dress, pink scarf, pink handbag, and pink sunglasses. She has so much overdone sass, I have to laugh. Her intro is hilarious. The opening dance satirizes the latest music video, incorporates faux cocaine snorting, and Britney upskirt shots . If I had had an expectation it would have been shattered in this moment.

Amanda’s Video Interview

Amanda Duarte has probably always been an actor and writer, because as she puts it “…she was never good at anything else…” I find that hard to believe and laugh as we sit down at the G:NY studio and have a chat. The topic: how Amanda got where she is, and where she’s going. Amanda duped her way through college, conning professors into giving her credit for acting and writing gigs. After graduating, she lived in San Francisco for many years, honing her skills by getting acting jobs at various venues. Eventually, she made the leap to the Big Apple: the ultimate test of an actor’s true value. Amanda quickly realized the game was much bigger in the city that never sleeps; however, she’s proving she’s up for the task.

Amanda penned her one woman show “Lucky Pink Wonderland” over time by collecting different pieces of her writing and weaving them together into a full commentary on modern ideals of celebrity, self-worth, and the pit falls of stardom. In the play, Amanda is an ex-child star “What’s-Her-Name” or “Pinky Peppercorn” as the public remembers her. She’s struggling to transition from child actor to actress, relapsing into impressions of her former character for old “fans” but more often waiting tables. Yet, “Pinky Peppercorn” isn’t the only character Amanda plays, she shifts seamlessly into a negligent mother, a drunken ex-actor, and a hyper-unaware teenager among others. Each character is introduced after a musical interlude in which Amanda does another dance number against a video projection backdrop featuring the latest in pop-culture’s excess.

The show is a success. The audience laughs uncontrollably while feeling guilty for doing so after one of Amanda’s soliloquies as the forgotten ex-child star. It’s a thrilling mish-mash of reactions. Amanda’s excited after performing two sold out runs. She remembers a time only close friends and relatives would come see her perform, “…probably the most exciting thing were the nights of my show when I would look out in the crowd and I didn’t really know the people who where there…”

I ask Amanda what happens in the moments before she goes on and performs as these characters and she stares at me blankly. I re-iterate, “what are you thinking in that moment? You seem very pensive”. Amanda responds with a giggle “I don’t know…I’m probably thinking about what I’m going to eat later!” I laugh with her and then try to pry out some more information with my next question, “where do you want to be in the future?” She answers, “I want to be on your TV; I want to be in your movies; I want to be in your cereal bowl,” she laughs, “I want to be all up in you,” she laughs some more, “…that’s what I want, why else would I be here?!” I join in her laughter as I realize that’s all anyone can do when they’re in a room with Amanda Duarte.

Amanda’s Photo Shoot

The World Coming In

Dante Russo finds inspiration all around for his writing/acting/singing.
By Joshua C. Harris

As the needle on the throwback record player rides the vinyl groove, Dante quietly sings along. He adjusts his pressed collared shirt downward over his slim frame and thumbs through his eclectic record collection at the same time, label by label, finding various oddities to laugh about. “Oh..this one..” he chuckles “…Persuasive Percussion!”, Dante switches the sweet sound of the Joni Mitchell album to what sounds like 1970’s elevator music. Oddly enough, the smooth bossa nova like sounds of “Persuasive Percussion” are relaxing and set the mood for our talk with Dante Russo.

Dante is an actor and playwright living in Washington Heights . His resume is impressive, having acted in Disney’s national High School Musical tour, countless regional theater productions, and having written many of his own full length theater productions. While his resume is enviable, it’s Dante’s methodology that’s truly striking. “…When I write, I have to travel, I find so much more inspiration when I travel”. Dante finds his writing inspiration through focused interpretation of the world around him. It’s a seemingly simple concept but rarely followed through in lieu of the cyclical habits that modern life demands of us. Pay the bills, go to work, take out the garbage, respond to our e-mails, those tasks that limit our field of view are the things that , Dante indirectly expresses, inhibit our ability to become inspired. While Dante alludes to the sense of being affected by the world around him in order to find something to capture for his writing, he juxtaposes this with the solitary closed off method of preparing for his acting, “…When I prepare to perform, I have to sort of shut all that out, because it becomes overwhelming”.

Dante Video Interview

As he explains these theories, my eyes wander to Dante’s living room walls, particularly on the art and pictures he’s collected on his journeys and those that connect him to his family. “Yeah, that one is my sister Theresa and I when we where kids. She passed away when I was young…” Dante explains as I admire the two children in the picture combined together in a waltz-like dancing stance. Dante tells us of his new play “Extraordinary“; a production inspired by his late sister and empowered by his family’s foundation for her. The Theresa Alessandra Russo Foundation , as it was named, since 1992 acts in the interest of nurturing the development of children with special needs via funding creative activities such as music, dance, and art. Dante speaks passionate about the foundation, highlighting the fact that in association with the foundation, he and his family are also announcing the Theresa Academy of Performing Arts, an academy dedicated to actually instructing special needs children in the creative arts.

We break from our conversation and Dante puts on another record. Among the melodic riffs, we find out Dante has more projects — a lot more projects. He tells us he’s working on a full web-series, children’s book, an epic play set during the second world war, and auditioning for more plays. He exhausts himself describing everything, and smiles. You can tell he’s embarrassed and proud at the same time with doing so much. Yet, it’s his nature to be so involved with the creative process. From the inspiration his family instilled within him, to the constant reminder his sister’s memory provides him, Dante is thankful for his passion, “..I’ve always just woken up, being allowed to be creative…”.

Dante Photo Shoot