The Essentials

The Essentials are:

2012-01-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

Perfect Harmony

2011-11-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Perfect Harmony is a theatrical mockumentary about a championship high school a cappella group. Examining their lives, hopes and, like, feelings, the audience learns not just about the members of the group but also about the true nature of Harmony.The play tracks the rise and fall and rise of perennial high school a cappella powerhouse, The Acafellas and their classmates and girl counterparts, The Ladies in Red, as both strive to win Acapalooza: The National High School A Cappella Championship Jam.

Happy Valentines Day

2007-02-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day
from
The Acafellas
Lassiter
Philip Fellowes V
JB
Jasper
Simon
(Listen to us below)

Text

Acafellas Get Ready

2007-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Text

Text

Shrew USO Images

2006-12-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

Hey Gang,
I threw together all the images I had and stuck them in flickr. If you want to post and tag yours, you can use "tamingshrewusotour" as the tag (I think that should be pretty unique).

testing

The Ladies in Red

2006-12-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

Peformance photos by Jim Baldassare.
School Portraits by Carol Rosegg.

David Barlow

2006-11-15T09:01:00.000-05:00

David Barlow has in the last year performed in a series of new premieres including Rinde Eckert's HORIZON (Dir. David Schweizer), Carl Hancock Rux's MYCENAEAN (part of BAM's upcoming Next Wave Festival), and Chuck Mee's A PERFECT WEDDING (Dir. Davis McCallum). Most recently, he appeared in Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER at the Adirondack Theater Festival (Dir. Sturgis Warner). NY credits include SAVED (Dir. Robert Woodruff), ANDORRA (Dir. Liviu Ciulei), SMASHING (Dir. Trip Cullman) and ROMOLA AND NIJINSKI (Dir. David Levine). He is a member of the Mad Dog company with whom he co-created TO WHO IT MAY CONCERN, LEMNATION, and STRANGE ATTRACTORS with director Phil Soltanoff. He has performed in regional theaters across the country and at the Belgrade International Theater Festival and the Avignon International Theater Festival. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and has his MFA from NYU.

test

2006-11-13T17:42:00.001-05:00

test.

Jeffrey Binder

2006-11-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

Broadway: Zazu in The Lion King (also National Tour), Side Man (also original London Cast, Apollo theatre). NYC: Princess Turandot (Blue Light Theatre), Zibaldoné (HERE/The Present Company Theatorium), Fresh Faces of Broadway (Town Hall). Television's "Law and Order," "Guiding Light," "All My Children," "Welcome to New York," the short film The King of the Magicians. Regional Credits: Tartuffe (NJ Shakespeare Festival), Amy's View (Lost Nation Theatre, Vermont). MFA, NYU, 1998.

Autumn Dornfeld

2006-11-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Autumn Dornfeld: Recently: Jill in Will Eno’s Intermission at The EST Marathon, Dorothy Berlin in a new musical entitled The Tin Pan Alley Rag at the Maltz-Jupiter Theater, and Rose of Sharon in The Grapes of Wrath at The Intiman Theater.Broadway: understudied and performed the role of Elaine in The Graduate, a role she reprised on the National Tour. Other NY credits include: Homebody/Kabul (New York Theater Workshop), The Parrot: A Musical (The Flea), Endpapers (Variety Arts), Aunt Pieces (Cherry Lane), Lullaby (H.E.R.E.), Old Money (Lincoln Center u/s), The Sibling Plays (Manhattan Theater Source), A Woman of No Importance (The Independent Theater) , The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Drums in the Night (NY Fringe/The Drama League). She was awarded a CitySearch award for her professional debut as Anne in A Little Night Music at PlayMakers Repertory.Other regional work includes: Ruby Sunrise, Fabulation?! (Sundance Theater Lab), The ThreePenny Opera, and The Nutcracker (PlayMakers Repertory), A Home Without (Henlopen Theater). Film/Television work includes Trading Women for PBS, All My Children, and The Undeserved (with Frank Wood and David Chandler).

Slideshow from the Fringe

2006-11-13T09:08:00.004-05:00

School Pictures

2006-11-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

History of Perfect Harmony

2006-11-13T09:08:00.001-05:00

Perfect Harmony was written by Andrew Grosso with a group of dedicated actors - originally called The Harmony Project , now known as The Essentials. Developed over a series of workshops culminating in a first performance at NYU Graduate Acting's Studio Tisch, Perfect Harmony made its official public debut in the FringeNYC 2006. After filling the 350 seat Harry de Jur Playhouse, Perfect Harmony extended and was produced in the 2006 FringeNYC Encores Series. In 2007 -2008, look for it on Broadway, on film, or on tour in a small to mid-major market near you.

The 2006 FringeNYC & Extension Cast featured:

The Acafellas
Lassiter A Jayson III	Vayu O'Donnell
Philip Fellowes V	Noah Weisberg
JB Smooter	Scott Janes
Jasper	Blake Whyte
Simon Depardieu	David Barlow

The Ladies in Red
Melody McDaniels	Autumn Dornfeld
*Michaela "Mickey D"* Dhiardeaubovic**	Jeanine Serralles
Valerie Smooter	Margie Stokley
Meghan Beans	Maria Elena Ramirez
Kerri Taylor (Student Manager)	Marina Squerciati

Members of the Community
Dr. Larry Mergh (School Psychologist)	Blake Whyte
Gerald Studman	Vayu O'Donnell
Jerry Wiener	Scott Janes
Kiki Tune	Jeanine Serralles
Goran Dhiardeaubovich	David Barlow
Tobi McClintoch, Vocal Therapist	Marina Squerciati
Production Team
Director	Andrew Grosso
Music Direction & Composing	Alec Duffy
Set/Prop Design	Eliza Brown
Costume Design	Becky Lasky
Lighting Design	Driscoll Otto
Production Stage Manager	Emily Ellen Roberts
Run Crew

The 2005 NYU Workshop Cast featured:
Jeffrey Binder
Santino Fontana
Alec Duffy
Blake Whyte
Margie Stokley
Marina Squerciati
Jeanine Serralles
David Barlow
Autumn Dornfeld
Maria Elena Ramirez
Scott Janes

The original Harmony Project 2004-2005 featured these Contributors:
Jeff Binder, Drew Cortese, Meg Defoe, Cameron Folmar, Jordan Gelber, Thomas Piper, Nicole Lowrance, Noah Weisberg, Margot White, Marshal York, Alec Duffy, David Barlow, Jeanine Serralles, Margie Stokley, Marina Squerciati

Alec Duffy

2006-11-13T03:09:00.000-05:00

Alec Duffy: Recognized by Time Out New York as one of NYC's "rising writers", Duffy has created a name for himself by his innovative mixture of music and theater. His show The Top Ten People of the Millennium Sing Their Favorite Schubert Lieder, hailed by the New York Times as "uncommonly entertaining," was recently published in the collection Plays and Playwrights 2006. He received a Sloan Commission from Ensemble Studio Theatre for the creation of his next piece. Duffy wrote music for Robert Quillen Camp's play Alexis Poledouris & Birds, as well as for his own plays Liberty and Cruise Ship at chashama, and Keen Dreams of a Public Restaurant in the Ohio Theater's 6th Floor Series. He moonlights as The Gentle Troubadour, writing/performing political songs, and has been featured on NPR. He studied at the Jacques Lecoq school. Duffy is a Drama League Directing Fellow.

Andrew Grosso

2006-11-13T03:05:00.000-05:00

Andrew Grosso: is the Artistic Director & Ringleader of The Essentials, where he wrote and directed Perfect Harmony. NYC credits include: Wrong Way Up! with the rock band, The Niagaras (The Belt Theatre), the NY Premier of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, (Ohio Theater/ Chashama) which he adapted for the stage, Roberto-Aguirre Sacasa's The Play about Rosemary's Baby (Soho Rep), David Weiner’s Purple Hearts (HB Playwright’s White House Plays), Love Song of the Apocalypse, La Arana (both at HERE), Jason Grote’s This Storm is What We Call Progress (Soho Rep Writer's Lab), and Waiting for Godot in 2001 FringeNYC. ASSISTANT DIRECTING: Judgment at Nuremberg on Broadway (SSDC and Shepherd Traube Fellowship), a season in residence at The Shakespeare Theater in DC, and The Almeida Theatre in London. TEACHING/GUEST DIRECTING: NYU Dramatic Writing Program, Fordham University, The School for Law & Justice, and The Shakespeare Theater. Alum of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, & Duke University, where he co-created and co-wrote the National Telly Award winning mock television soap opera, Ivy Tower. He’s a member of SSDC. www.AndrewGrosso.net

Santino Fontana

2006-11-13T02:55:00.000-05:00

SANTINO FONTANA:
Santino Fontana, just arrived from the Sundance Theater Labs where he was a member of the acting company. Before that he spent a season at the Guthrie acting in AS YOU LIKE IT, CHRISTMAS CAROL, and DEATH OF A SALESMAN, which toured to the Dublin Theater Festival. He was also in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, and just finished assistant directing HIS GIRL FRIDAY by John Guare starring Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance. Other roles include Berowne in LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST (Chautauqua Theater Co.), Gastone in LA TRAVIATA (Washington East Opera), Grover, et. al in ON THE VERGE (Chautauqua Theater Co.), Autolycus/Polixenes in THE WINTER'S TALE, Lee in AMERICAN CLOCK, Man #2 in SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, and he created the role of Massemo in Timothy Mason's SIX. In 2000 he was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts which led to a performance at the Kennedy Center. He has composed original scores for five plays and was a recent guest soloist at JOE'S PUB in NYC. He was recognized at the National Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival as Outstanding Male Vocalist. Training: BFA in Acting from the Guthrie Theater/University of Minnesota Actor Training Program, Royal National Theater Studio, Chautauqua Conservatory, Interlochen.

Perfect Harmony - Who's Who

2006-11-13T02:39:00.000-05:00

The History of Perfect Harmony:
This play was written by Andrew Grosso in collaboration with a fantastic group of actors who partook in a series of workshops loosely called The Harmony Project. In addition to these people, The Harmony Project also had these actors who were Essential to the creation of this story: Meg Defoe, Cameron Folmar, Jordan Gelber, Tom Gissendanner, Nicole Lowrance, Thomas Piper, Margot White, Santino Fontana, Jeffery Binder & Marshall York.

<$BlogItemTitle$>

Perfect Harmony Reviews

2006-11-13T02:09:00.000-05:00

Perfect Harmony is sharp as a blade. The performances are magnificently hilarious. The harmonies — typically absurd versions of pop songs — range from lovely to ridiculous to riotous. They help to make Perfect Harmony as close to perfect as any Fringe show can be.

August 24, 2006, Leonard Jacobs, Backstage

Pitch perfect! A hysterical look inside the high-pressure world of high school a cappella singing, Perfect Harmony reminds us of why we have the prolific Fringe Festival: to find the plays that deserve bigger stages and, if possible, a longer applause.

-August 23 2006, Rachel Wynn, Show Business Weekl

What do you get when you cross Altar Boyz with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee? I saw Perfect Harmony, and the cheerful answer was staring me in the face: a musical about two a cappella singing groups vying to win an annual high school championship.

When they harmonize -- the two groups together or separately -- it's well-nigh perfection, as the title promises. Since there's no band required and no call for elaborate sets, the enterprise is a potential bargain for future producers.

August 22, 2006 David Finkle, TheatreMania

Here's a case for all things cute, cheesy, and cheery. Perfect Harmony is a show of eccentric characters with more eccentric problems, united in the quest for one shining moment of perfection (the a capella high-school National title). Ridiculous as that sounds, it's more ridiculous in performance, which makes this the most delightfully low-budget (semi-)musical since 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

This is not a perfect play (much as that'd help my tagline) but it's close: a PG-rated, feel-good, semi-musical blast. A rundown of all the terrific jokes would take far too long. That would be an injustice to the show, a zippy in-and-out affair that doesn't squander a second. Director Andrew Grosso (who created the show with The Essentials) knows enough about a capella to keep it moving

- September 25^th, 2006, Aaron Riccio, New Theater Corps

Perfect Harmony is a charming mockumentary. Terrific. It was a joy to watch such sensational performers!

- September 4^th, 2006, David Hurst, Next Magazine

Ha molti personaggi il musical “Perfect Harmony” di Andrew Grosso (concezione e regia). Conflitto Musicale tra due gruppi di giovani che gareggiano per un premio. Due gruppi che cantano, improvvisano a cappella. Un gruppo di studenti che litigano e s’insultano. Sono indicati come gli “acafellas” e Simon (David Barlow). Sembra ingenuo e confuso. Diverte. Fra le donne la piu aggressiva e convincente e Meghan (Maria Elena Ramirez). Molta improvvisazione che lascia libero un futuro regista di creare e ricreare. Molti aplausi.

- September 26, 2006, Mario Fratti, Oggi

Spectacular a cappella work, Perfect Harmony, turns the spotlight directly on the a cappella experience itself, specifically the high school experience. Through a series of silly scenes, silly monologues and so-dead-serious-they’re-funny songs, we are welcomed to the “high stakes” world of private prep school a cappella.

The school’s psychologist Dr. Larry Mergh sets the mood early: “A cappella is a cult of pressure and perfection. A hungry beast, and now it’s claiming its victims.” The school’s two groups, the “Acafellas” and the “Ladies in Red” know it all too well as they grapple with these questions:

Lassiter A. Jayson III: “You have 200 people who you are singing to and, you have to ask yourself, what do you want them to take away from the experience?”

Melody: “If God didn’t want us to dance then why did God put [the a cappella] Nationals on MTV2, the very network that started The Grind?” “

Goran Dhiardeaubovic “You can have many instrument easy- for why you no use them, stupid?”

Meghan: “How are you ever gonna let the audience at Nationals watch you if you can’t have Christ watch you?”

Philip: “Be totally honest: who likes the songs better when we sing them normally, without the bullwhip and trash can and cantaloupe”

If questions like these don’t hook you into the show, try the allure of zany foreigners, the meaning of art, Jesus’ helpful suggestions on winning the big competition, when to take drugs or join a boyband, how to accommodate family feuds and lockjaw into competitive a cappella – questions I think we all need answered.

One more quote sums up why a cappella makes for such compelling subject matter:

Simon: “Music is how we express the love we have inside when just words or hugs or backrubs won’t cut the mustard”

Ain’t that the truth?

September 21, 2006, Jonathan Minkoff , CASA.org

Tickets - for FringeNYC Encore Series 2006 (Sold Out)

2006-11-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

All 2006 Performances of Perfect Harmony have sold out. If you'd like us to tell you about future performances, please email perfectharmony@theessentials.org.

EXTENDED! After filling the Harry de Jur theater, Perfect Harmony is moving uptown

to the Hypothetical Theater at The 14th Street Y!

Tickets are only available through the FringeNYC Encore Series Box Office:

Thurs Sept 21 @ 9:30 pm Get Tix!
Fri Sept 22 @ 9:15 pm Get Tix!
Sat Sept 23 @ 7:45 pm Get Tix!
Sat Sept 23 @ 11:00 pm Get Tix!
Sun Sept 24 @ 6:30 pm Get Tix!

All FringeNYC Encores Series shows start at the announced time. There is no late seating.

Just like the Fringe, the FringeNYC should sell out very very quickly! Please buy in in advance!
IN ADVANCE:

ONLINE: ($18 + $2 order fee)
To purchase tickets on-line, just find the performance for which you want tickets on Ticket Central's site and click on the performance you want to see.

BY PHONE: ($180 + $2 order charge)
Noon to 8pm every day
(212) 279-4200 (Credit/Debit Card Only)

Please note:
You cannot buy a ticket on-line or by phone for that day's performance. Day of performance tickets can be purchased at venue box office only (where the show is playing). Venue box office opens 15 minutes before the show begins and is cash only.

IN PERSON:
Ticket Central Box Office, 416 W. 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. THIS IS NOT THE SAME PLACE AS THE THEATER! The theater is located on 14th St & 1st Avenue.

DAY OF SHOW (If it's not sold out):

IN PERSON: ($18CASH only )
at VENUE BOX OFFICE 15 minutes prior to showtime

Be Essential!

2006-11-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

The Essentials are a non-profit organization that thrives on the help and assistance of volunteers and supporters. If you'd like to support The Essentials by making a tax -deductible donation or by volunteering your time or expertise, please let us know! Write to:

lendahand@theessentials.org!

The Following People Are Already Totally Essential:

Anne Mathews, Jackee Trebay, Victor Pappas, Jeff Larson, Mike Voytko & the NYU Graduate Acting Program for two years of assistance, Thayer Thompson & Mark Merriman at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, Alex Rader & Blurred Vision, Christopher Wall, Drew Cortese, Tommy Schrider, Jay Best & Rave Wireless, Daniella Urosevic, Mike Anderson, Elana Karopkin, Joe Pinto, & The Brooklyn School for Law & Justice, David Perry, Charles & Jane Gibbons, Charlie, Prash, Waldman, BK, Jesse, Laird, The Beachside Express & alumni, Rebecca Brock, Mary Brock, The Harbor Blues & alumnae, Karima Hassan, Diana Oliva-Cave, Teresa Valderama,, James Evans, Alison Freedland & Greens Farms Academy

Your name could be in this list too! If you’d like to help be Essential, please find us after a show and let us know or write to lendahand@theessentials.org.

Perfect Harmony - Postcard of the Day

2006-11-13T00:37:00.000-05:00

Way cooler than an Obie or a Tony, it's the coveted Broadway.com Best Postcard award.

Press Information

2006-11-12T23:29:00.000-05:00

Reviewers or Press: Please contact Jim Baldassare at 212-362-3346 or jbpressrep@aol.com for more information on Perfect Harmony or The Essentials.

JIM BALDASSARE
201 West 70th St., New York, NY 10023
Public Relations / Publicity
Tel: 212-362-3346 Fax: 212-787-1041
for immediate release, please e-mail: jbpressrep@aol.com

Blake Whyte

2006-11-12T23:06:00.001-05:00

Blake Whyte: Blake Whyte just finished working with director Scott Schwartz playing the role of Gordon in a new play by Etan Frankel called "The Fearless" at the Summer Play Festival. He is thrilled to be working with this great cast at the Fringe. NYC Theatre: "Terezin", Symphony Space. "Let's Face It", 45th Street Theatre. "Only Children", NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Regional: "Big River", Syracuse Stage. "Love's Labour's Lost", "The Revenger's Tragedy","Light Up The Sky", "A Flea In Her Ear", Chautauqua Theatre Company.Syracuse University: "Floyd Collins", "The Front Page". Blake is a recent Graduate of Syracuse University

Brian M. Jones

2006-11-12T23:03:00.000-05:00

BRIAN M. JONES:
has designed lighting for Paducah Mining Company, the New Conservatory Theater Center, Actors' Theater of San Francisco, and Guerilla Shakespeare, among other theaters and companies. Also active in dance, he has designed for choreographers including Amy Seiwert, Janice Garrett, KT Nelson, Benjimen Levy, Kate Weare and Christopher Stowell. He is currently an MFA student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Eliza Brown

2006-11-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Eliza Brown: With Andrew Grosso: Wrong Way UP! (Belt), As I Lay Dying (Ohio), Perfect Harmony (Studio Tisch). New York: Liberty & Cruise Ship: A Study in Revolution (Dangership!) (Chashama), Colorado (Summer Play Festival), Speaking in Tongues (PS 122), The Rats Are Getting Bigger (Fringe NYC 2003), Below the Belt (City Theatre Company), Festival of New Works (NYU/Tisch Dept of Dramatic Writing), Caucasian Chalk Circle (NYU/Tisch Graduate Acting). Regional: Red Light Winter (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), Diabolique (Philadelphia Fringe), Machinal (Bard College), Little Shop of Horrors (Northern Stage, VT), The Afghan Women (Passage Theater, NJ) MFA in design from NYU/Tisch. www.elizabrown.com