So here's the deal...

Clay von Carlowitz and I (Asta Paredes) are two classically trained NYC based actors who met and fell in love with not only each other but working together as actors while making a horror-scifi-comedy feature film back in the summer of 2012 ("Return to Nuke 'em High Vol.1 & 2"). Since then, we have steadily built a network of filmmaking friends in the horror and independent film community, and on the strength of our work, we have been offered a variety of projects which either fell apart or we simply turned down due to creative differences/time constraints. Though we have been fortunate enough to work on a variety of projects including short films, web series, and pre-produciton on upcoming features, something is missing. Over time, both of us began to feel an overwhelming need to go back to our roots in acting. After much soul searching and some hard living, we came to the realization that in order to be offered more compelling work, we needed a showcase of sorts for the people who could help bring our career to the next level (agents, fellow actors, and filmmakers). 

We decided that showcase would be "Danny & the Deep Blue Sea" by John Patrick Shanley. We chose this story in particular because we, as two fiercely independent New Yorkers who once thought we were alone, somehow found in each other a soulmate. In the emotionally raw scenario cultivated by Shanley, this is also the story of Danny & Roberta.

For two nights this summer, we would like to bring this story to life. We will do this as a means of catharsis for us as a couple, as an exercise to re-engage our acting muscles, and as a platform to showcase our talent. Our hope is to signify to the artistic community of New York that we seek - and are capable of - the most challenging, provocative work out there.

Having attained permission from the playwright, we are currently hard at work on rehearsals and we are shopping for theater spaces. With your help, we can make this show happen and take the next big step in our lives and our career! 

THE SHOW...

(logo design by Lauren Hom)

The Cast

Clay von Carlowitz as DANNY

The second oldest of nine children, Clay von Carlowitz was born in Euclid, OH, on January 4th, 1987. Raised in a conservative Midwestern environment east of Cleveland, the daydreaming von Carlowitz decided early on to trade conformity for mimicry, the consequence of which was the development of his skills as an actor, writer and director. Following his studies at Kenyon College and the University of Exeter, the classically-trained actor wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film, supernatural thriller "The House in the Woods." He then spent a year doing odd jobs, background work and acting classes in LA before ultimately settling in New York City, where he initially pursued theatre. After a series of false starts, von Carlowitz eventually fell in with the indie film scene through his acclaimed comedic performance as the sexually-frustrated social outcast Eugene in Troma Entertainment's subversive scifi-comedy "Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1 & 2." He is ecstatic to be returning to the stage in what will be his first dramatic leading role since starring in David Mamet's "Oleanna" his senior year at Kenyon.

Asta Paredes as ROBERTA

Asta Paredes was born in Beaumont, Texas.  Due to her father's work she was also raised in Holland and Spain before settling back in Texas; the frequently-displaced Paredes had to learn early on how to adapt quickly. Toughened by the Southwest and cultured by Europe, she channeled her aggression into the theatre and found grace through ballet, piano & even some martial arts-- ultimately she landed a scholarship at the University of Minnesota's prestigious BFA Actor Training Program at the Guthrie Theater. Four years later she was doing plays in New York City, but after some study with improv comedy at UCB, she found herself starring in the fun Funny or Die video, 'Battleship Pitch Meeting' made by her friend, Dave Herman. Emboldened by the positive reception to her on-camera presence and skills as a comedic actress, the ever-impulsive Paredes auditioned for Troma's subversive scifi-horror-comedy event film 'Return to Nuke 'Em High: Volume 1 & 2.' After a month-long call back process, the tough-as-nails actress won the lead role of Chrissy. Universally acclaimed for her performance as the disenchanted, sexually-confused high school senior, Paredes has become a cult icon overnight. Already attached to several independent feature films, Asta Paredes continues to carve a path through the industry and is excited to be going back to her roots in theatre with this show. (Coincidentally "Danny & the Deep Blue Sea" was her first scene study in college so it has a sentimental meaning to her to go back.)

Our Director:

Meg Grujon was born in Portland, Oregon and raised by two South African parents who knew next to nothing about theatre, yet found herself drawn to the arts anyway. By seven years old, she was convinced she would become a pop singer after singing “My Heart Will Go On” at her third grade talent show and spent the next ten years studying with several voice teachers who introduced her to musical theatre. Finding that her love for performing came from storytelling, she would pursue a (slightly) more realistic career as an actor and obtain her B.A. in Theatre Performance at Marymount Manhattan College. It was in college she found an additional love for directing, and has continued to direct in the city since graduating in May 2012. After working on several one-act plays, she directed her first full-length play, FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS with TRG Productions last Spring. In pursuit of finding an artistic home to further develop her craft in acting and directing, she joined the Seeing Place Theater company in the Fall and assistant-directed their last production of TWO ROOMS by Lee Blessing which opened in March with excellent reviews. She will be working as a dramaturg on their next show, THE LARAMIE PROJECT, opening this June. Later in the summer, she will be directing a new post-apocalyptic zombie play titled RAISE ME UP written by Charlie Biscotto for a three-week run in September. She is so thrilled to be involved in this production of DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA and to be working with such dedicated and passionate actors.

The Story

"The setting is a rundown bar in the Bronx, where two of society's rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beer. He is a brooding, self-loathing young man who resorts more to violence than reason; she is a divorced, guilt-ridden young woman whose troubled teenage son is now being cared for by her parents. Danny, whose fellow truck drivers call him "the animal," seems incapable of tender emotion, while Roberta, who is still haunted by the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father, is distrustful of men in general. And yet, as their initial reserve begins to melt, and they decide to spend the night together, the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge—the first for both of them. In the end there are no facile, easy answers, but thanks to the playwright's skill and compassion, both characters are able to probe within themselves to find an exorcism and forgiveness that, while painfully achieved, offers the hope of a future touched, at last, with more than the bitterness and loneliness that had been their lot before their fateful meeting"

--Dramatists Play Services Inc.

The Playwright

JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

John Patrick Shanley was born on October 3rd, 1950, in the Bronx, New York City. His mother was a telephone operator and his father was a meat-packer. Growing up in what was considered a "rough neighborhood," Shanley had trouble adhering to the restrictions of Catholic curriculum, and was kicked out of both kindergarten and high school. After an unsuccessful freshman year at NYU, he was placed on academic probation and subsequently enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving a stateside post during the Vietnam War. Upon completion of military service, the newly-disciplined, somewhat self-destructive Shanley channeled his ideas into a novel and burned it before returning to NYU. A few years later, he was valedictorian. Shanley went on to become a playwright, gaining major notice from the 1984 Off-Broadway production of 'Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,' which starred a young John Turturro as Danny. Though critical and commercial success of the similarly-themed 'Moonstruck' led to a more lucrative career as a screenwriter, Shanley continued penning plays, winning the Pulitzer Prize (among many other accolades) for 'Doubt' in 2005, and much more acclaim and notoriety from his 2008 film adaptation with Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Known as the 'Bard of the Bronx,' Shanley resides in New York City and continues to write for film and theatre.

'Danny & the Deep Blue Sea' dedication:

"This play is dedicated to everyone in the Bronx who punched me or kissed me, and to everyone whom I punched or kissed."

What's different in THIS production?

The APACHE DANCE!

John Patrick Shanley defines an ‘Apache Dance’ as:

Here’s the money breakdown…    

$240 Rights to perform up to 3 nights

$800/ 2 nights space rental (dress rehearsal included)

$200/ costume & props (donation optional-- list below)

$500 Consult Helpers (Director, Dance Instructors, Dialect Coaches)

$350 Prints/advertising/mailings (programs/postcards/headshots)

$200 incentives (to make even and send you the goods!)

$100 research (travel, dance class, books, movies, etc)

$200 rehearsal costs (space, food, scripts, etc)

$400/ talent (working hard to make some art!)

 

TOTAL rounds out to $3,000 for an ideal show.

 

Cool Perks!

From this t-shirt design ( at $50 and up) to a night out on the town with us & so much more…check out our incentives on the right---->

 

What happens if we don’t reach our goal?

If we don't reach our goal we will take what we have and have to either start another campaign down the line and/or postpone the show. Otherwise see if we can at the very least afford ONE Night and make it count