Through the Years with Darknight Productions

Friday night I'm co-hosting a tribute performance, Darknight Productions: Ten Years and Counting, at the Turtle Shell Theater in Manhattan.  In a previous post about my personal "roles of a lifetime" I used a picture from a miming job I did a few years ago with a couple of friends from Darknight.  The Naked Cowboy from Times Square was also working with us that evening.  Hey, a paid gig is a paid gig.  It was a blast.

I've had such a great time working with Darknight over the years.  They've given me a chance to broaden my range, perform some roles that I may not have otherwise had the chance to play, and flesh out my resume.  Most importantly, I've met some great people. 

They also helped me workshop plays I've written and bring them to life on stage, especially my anthology Dream Fragments.  (All seven short stories from that play were produced at one time or another by Darknight -- Lunacy Park, Love Is For Suckers, Poppa Grimm, Jackie the Giant Killer, Lost Dreams, Wise Man, and To Forgive Divine.)

Here's a look at some highlights of the work I've done with them in the past decade.

Controlling Interest - In Darknight's very first show, Forced Perspectives, a collection of one-act plays examining the darker side of life, I was cast as a man spending some time with a dominatrix who isn't what she appears to be.

Depraved Indifference - Darknight let me direct this intriguing character study, starring Tom Miller as a man accused of a seemingly heinous act and Jennifer Cohen as a public attorney who has qualms about defending him.

Damaged Goods - I loved the character Frankie Moon, a wise-cracking Bronx boy.  Beneath his tough, joking demeanor, I hope I managed to show glimpses of his sensitive side.

Great Depression - Don't mess with Nicky Shoes!  Here I played a wannabe gangster. 

Exit Stategy - One of my favorite roles, Mister K is a B-movie star past his peak who contemplates suicide.  It's a comedy!

Natural Causes - This was a serious drama about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  I play the role of a lawyer named Langston.

What I Always Wanted to Do - I had the chance to finally perform a monologue from Savage in Limbo by John Patrick Shanley.

What I Always Wanted to Do: The Shakespeare Edition - Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream -- in a straighjacket.  'Nuff said.


Congratulations, Darknight, on ten great years.  Looking forward to many more!