About The Show :
"I Was Loved by a Rat" is a twisted fairy tale, a dark comedy, and a humorous tragedy revolving around an ill-fated love between a lonely young woman and a chivalrous rat who share a squalid apartment. While the world of the play is surreal and whimsical, at its heart the story explores the tensions between the love and fear, desire and revulsion that underlie many of our closest (human) relationships.
This play was written by Essie Martsinkovsky while she was pursuing her M.F.A. at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Asia, in Singapore. After a number of class workshops and a public reading with a Singaporean arts organization, she submitted the play to FringeNYC and was thrilled to learn she'd have a chance to create a fully staged version for an audience.
What We Need :
Putting on a show at FringeNYC does cost money. Here are just a few of the things that we need money to pay for:
- Rehearsal space and studio Fees
- Props, costumes and set pieces
- Insurance to cover us, and insurance to cover you when you come to see the show!
- A stage manager, a lighting programmer, and a venue manager
- Stipends for our actors
- Programs and postcards to promote the show
- Fireproofing our set
We need $3475 to safely cover all the costs of our production. We know this is a big number and no donation is too small, even a dollar helps! And, if you break it down, we only need at least 139 of you to donate $25 each and we'll reach our goal in no time!
What You'll Get :
Other than the wonderful warm fuzzies of doing something good for your fellow man, and a fully realized version of "I Was Loved By a Rat" - we have lots of great swag and prizes for all of our donors big and small! Please check out the prizes at the side of the page for more details!
The Team :
Audra Arnaudon (Producer/Authorized Company Representative) majored in Film and Television and minored in Producing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. A Brooklyn resident, she currently works in Production Management for National Geographic Television. In 2012, Audra produced "...And Then She DIES at the End!" for FringeNYC. It received a Performance award, and turned a very small profit (Yay!). Because of her successful past experience with FringeNYC, she knows she can help make IWLBAR the best it can be!
Essie Martsinkovsky (Writer/Producer) recently completed her M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Asia. While at Tisch, she acted in a variety of student films and plays, and directed a full production of her bilingual Russian/English short play "About Face." Prior to obtaining her M.F.A., she worked as an ESL teacher, a writing tutor, and mediator in small claims court, where she came across many people entangled in conflicts with their neighbors, roommates, and lovers.
Anna Strasser (Director) is thrilled to be working on this project with Essie and Audra! She currently works as the Executive Assistant at Signature Theatre Company. Prior to that she worked in the administrative offices of Lincoln Center Theater. She recently directed a one act play by Anthony Dvarskas that premiered at the Strawberry One Act Festival. She also directed Lucy Wang in "Chinese Girls Don't Swear" at the Workshop Theater in Manhattan and helped her develop it into a one-woman show which was produced by the Emerging Artists Theater. Additionally she is producing "Recipe For Success With Chef Michael Denardi" which can also be seen at this year's New York International Fringe Festival. She graduated from Oberlin College with honors in Theater.
FringeNYC & The Future :
FringeNYC has served as a springboard to Broadway and Off-Broadway for many years, introducing the world to shows like "Urinetown" and "Dog Sees God". The festival has launched the careers of many well-known writers, such as The Office's Mindy Kaling. Basically: if you kill it at FringeNYC it can open doors. Doors you will have helped us walk through! We hope you'll support our show and the tradition of FringeNYC!
Other Ways You Can Help :
If you're in Manhattan or close by - come see our show in August at FringeNYC! The proceeds we make for the show will help us to cover some of the costs we incurred while putting on the production. We're still waiting on our venue assignment and our performance schedule, but will be posting updates here as soon as we have them!
If you can't come see the show, and you can't contribute, but you would still like to help out - make some noise for us! Use the links above (below the video) to let your friends know about our fundraising efforts!
