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The Mad Ones American Nostalgia Analysis

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The Mad Ones & American Nostalgia
If you head towards downtown New York City--towards the old, brick buildings where artists of all kind seem to flock--you may stumble upon on of the many experimental theatre groups that call this area their home. While their numbers grow everyday, few stand out from the crowd. The one that stood out to me was The Mad Ones. This company is “dedicated to creating visceral, ensemble-driven, highly detailed theatrical experiences that examine and illuminate American nostalgia” (“The Mad Ones,” 2018). Not only does it sound like theatre that I want to see, but it has a deeper message and motivation in not only one if its shows, but all of them. In this paper, I will be examining the history of The Mad Ones, including …show more content…

It seems like the farthest thing from a new, experimental New York City theatre company, but the best things come from unexpected places. Three of the four members--Stephanie Wright Thompson, Marc Bovino, and Joe Curnutte--were in the acting program, and Lila Neugebauer was a directing assistant for the same company. These actors still act, and the directing assistant is now directing productions all by herself; she’s done three out of the four productions that The Mad Ones has created (Vincentelli, …show more content…

Their latest show, Miles for Mary, was not created just by the company itself. The play “was commissioned and developed through the support of The Bushwick Starr with additional developmental support from Ars Nova,” and was also “supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature” (“Plays--The Mad Ones”). They were even given “subsidized studio space provided by the A.R.T./New York Creative Space Grant, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,” and received additional support from “the Studio42 Legacy Grant and The Nancy Quinn Fund, a program of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York” (“Plays--The Mad

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