April Update

March has passed and the weather is picking up. It’s easy to forget the piles of snow that sat collecting dirt on the streets of NYC during this month as the temperature rises – and the easier it is to forget, I say, the better.
 
This month has been fast paced and productive for me. As mentioned in my last update, my newest piece MAGIC? in collaboration with Christopher Erlendson got accepted for performance to Dixon Place for a mid-April performance. Over this month, Christopher and I have busied ourselves with revising the script – a gargantuan task given that the whole play rhymes. We’ve also partnered up with the talented Kelly Catlin, a world class flutist and composer who will be scoring the show! Additionally, we have completed casting the show, sending out our press release, and creating a promotional video. It has been a lot of work, but that’s what it takes to bring work from a page to a stage.

Below is the video we made, featuring some of the artistic goals in creating the work. (Thank you to Mohammed Rabbani for creating this film!)

​Details of the show are below:
 
MAGIC?
Magical crimes, told in all-rhymes, chaos arrives, will magic survive?

See it April 19. Tickets are $15 presale ($12 for students) at http://dixonplace.org/performances/magic/
 


Synopsis: Strange reports of magicians losing their powers make their way to the royal magistrate. When two tricksters arrive with their fake magic show, the royal magistrate believes they have found the root of the problem. Facing arrest, the two escape to a mystical forest where they discover the true cause of why magic is disappearing. Having to choose between risking the wrath of the royal court or taking their discovery to their graves, the tricksters must decide whether saving a kingdom is more important than saving themselves.

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March was also exciting in that I was interviewed by a student in Brooklyn College for my writing and involvement with Write the Night (a creative writing workshop series). The article focuses on my dedication to the creative arts and my change in career from medicine to the arts. One special person mentioned in the article is Dean Maria Conelli who has provided continuous support to my pursuit of this craft and has helped me shape my experience in medicine as contributory to my vision as an artist – a hearty thank you! (A photo of the two us, from my days as an undergraduate is to the right.) You can read the full article here.


Another one of my shows JUNG & CRAZY in collaboration with Robert Keller, was aimed for production this June at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, with details to be finalized early March. After much deliberation, Robert and I have agreed to cancel the show’s debut. This was a tough decision, but after weighing all the costs and benefits, we realized it would be a great strain to put on the show and we’d rather wait for a better opportunity with fewer obscurities in production. Such a decision, I think, is demonstrative of growth in both Robert and I as creators in that we are weighing each opportunity, investigating its costs and benefits and being selective about presentation. By making the most out of our presentation, we will result in higher quality experience for ourselves and our audiences.
 
Thanks for following! I hope to see you at the April performance of MAGIC? If you cannot make it, do not despair. This is but one stop along the train of performances and this work amongst my others are sure to perform again soon!

Cheers!
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-Yaakov Bressler

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