So FringeNYC came and went. I had a wonderful time with the Cast & Crew of Stockholm Savings, and now that it's all over and I'm over the obligatory cold that comes right after the closing of a show, I thought I'd share some of the good news from the show.
*STOCKHOLM SAVINGS was Venue #2's Fringe Favorite, although we weren't able to perform that show due to a performance space scheduling conflict... :-/
*We also won the FringeNYC 2015 Award for Overall Excellence in the Ensemble category which was icing on the cake of some of the stellar reviews that we received as a cast.
*And Michael Block from THEATREINTHENOW.COM also praised the ensemble and had this to say about me:
As head robber Adam, Ryan Nicolls gave a full forced performance. He brought force but deep within was heart and humility. There was control in his performance despite the character quickly unraveling. For once, you sympathized with the bad guy.
WHEN A BANK ROBBERY IN INDIANA UNEXPECTEDLY GOES AWRY,
Adam and Andre must hold four bank employees hostage while they negotiate their escape with local law enforcement. In an age when the line between the news and entertainment is increasingly blurred, no one is safe from America’s media circus.
Polemic Theatre Co. is proud to present the premiere of Stockholm Savings as part of the 19th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. Written by Michael DeMeo and directed by Richard Mover, Stockholm Savings is a modern-day reimagining of the true crimes that inspired Frank Pierson’s Dog Day Afternoon.
Tickets are available through EventBrite. Head over to the Performance schedule where you can find the links to ticketing for individual dates, because we like to keep it easy for you!
I'm really excited about the show, It's a really great modernization of a really great (obviously) script, and deals with a lot of social issues that we're still dealing with today and I'm really thrilled and honored to share it with you, so definitely come check it out.
A few weeks ago my episode for ANTHOLOGY went live. Sorry to note promote sooner, but planning a wedding is hard!
ANTHOLOGY is the child of Rachel Liu, who produced SLEEPWALKERS. She put together a podcast to bring classic texts to your eardrums. You can find episodes either on iTunes or at the ANTHOLOGY website.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND is an interesting tale in Doyle's collection of adventures in that it's pretty unique in being an outright horror tale. Check it out! You can hear me re-team with SLEEPWALKERS costar JEFF RONAN (Sherlock) and Jason Merrin (Director), along with AMY JO JACKSON (Helen), all of us doing our poshest RP. I narrate the tale as Dr. John Watson.
I had the opportunity recently to work again with the incredibly talented Maridee Slater on her Columbia Thesis production The Tooth of Crime. I played the bass for her in the band. Now, if you're like everyone else in my life lately, the question, "Ryan, you play guitar?" probably just popped into your mind, or, if you have the habit of speaking out loud in front of the computer, audibly escaped from you. Totally forgiven, because I've been asked this question by close friends who've been over to my apartment and seen the myriad of instruments that are in the living room, and even by closer friends that have actually seen me play a guitar... in public.
Anyway, this is a proof, or it didn't happen sort of thing, and as luck would have it, the photographer never took pictures of the band... despite the fact that we were onstage... for early 110 minutes. What can you do?
Libby Matthews as Beck Lou and Javan Lee Nelson as Hoss in The Tooth of Crime
While I don't have pictures to satisfy your need of visual evidence, I do have a picture of Libby Matthews who played Becky Lou and a bootleg of Becky Lou's Song from Tech Week. Maridee named the band Monochrome Filter... because she loves Instagram?
Monochrome Filter is:
Ryan Hopper - Guitar
Ryan Nicolls - Bass
Tre D'Ambrocia - Drums
Xandra Clark - Violin
Marianne Ciasulli - Keyboard
Ethan Forrest Wagner - Musical Overlord
Becky Lou's Song: lyrics by Sam Shepard; music by Jillie May Eddie
SLEEPWALKERS has been announced as an OFFICIAL SELECTION at this year's NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR TALENTED YOUTH.
Congratulations to Writer/Director Jason Merrin and Producer Rachel Liu, who will be in attendance in Seattle.
From NFFTY's website: The Talented Youth produces the world’s most influential film festival for emerging directors and serves as a venue and convergence for the most talented up and coming youth filmmakers to showcase their films as well as introduce them to industry professionals and other professional development opportunities.
The festival will run from April 23rd to April 26th in Seattle, WA. More information can be found at www.nffty.org