MISSION
EBE Ensemble is dedicated to developing and presenting new and unique works of theatre. We believe that making theater accessible enhances our community and that, through an ensemble-based approach, we can better present quality theatre that strives for an emotional truth.
HISTORY
EBE Ensemble began with a group of NYU undergraduate drama students, all studying with the Atlantic Theater Company, who set out like the Atlantic to produce our own work and make our own rules. We strive to develop great new plays and create theater for a twenty-something audience, while fostering an environment of support and encouragement for theatrical artists at the beginning of their careers. Simultaneously, we aim to stretch our acting ensemble by equipping them with real-world experience in all facets of the theater -- from scenic painting to event planning to education.
EBE launched in December 2006 with the first of an annual festival of one act plays, Elephants on Parade. The following April, we tackled John Albano's Solitude for a workshop that quickly grew into two fully staged performances.
August 2007 marked EBE's first official bout with the classics. John Prescod,
EBE's resident playwright, transformed three of Chekhov's most outlandish one act
comedies (Dangers of Tobacco, Reluctant Tragic Hero, and Marriage
Proposal) into distinctly contemporary farces in his world-premiere
adaptation, Russian Roulette.
Our 2008-2009 season featured Reck, Prescod's first full length show produced by EBE Ensemble, in October at the Kraine Theater on east 4th st. In February 2009, EBE returned to its roots with its production of Elephants on Parade 2009. From the nearly 300 plays submitted, five were chosen to be a part of the festival's two-week run at The Red Room, just upstairs from the Kraine: Alfred John Heekin's FourPlay; John Aldous' Presidential Roulette; Ira Gammerman's Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users (nominated for the 2009 NYITA Award for Best New Short Play); Nico Vreeland's The Interview (winner, 2009 NYITA Award for Best New Short Play); and Matthew Paul Olmos' The Bus that Got Cut Over its Eye. Directors included Tom Costello and founding Ensemble members Montgomery Sutton, Joshua Luria, Eric Alba, and John Prescod. Prescod's Pre-Disposal rounded out the season at the Access Theater on Broadway and White street in July. Ken Jaworowski of the New York Times said that Prescod's dialogue "sparkles" and that Paul Pryce was "impressive" as the play's lead, Rob X. Richard Patterson of MusicOMH said that Prescod "has a winning voice that encompasses with a level of virtuosity the musicality of the voices in question" and that "there's definite talent on display here on the part of EBE, who should most certainly continue in their attempts to create new, potentially dangerous-seeming work."
In 2010, we continued our Elephants on Parade series with six new plays: Buddha Nosh by Erin Austin, leaving last night by Libby Emmons, What if I Don't by Rebekah Lopata, Selling Beaver by Rhea MacCallum, Things to do in New Jersey by Nicole Pandolfo, and Nice Paper by Isaac Rathbone. The company included Ensemble members Eric Alba, Genevieve Hudson-Price, Janet Passanante, and Montgomery Sutton. Directors included Eric Alba, Kristine Ayers, AJ Heekin, Charley Layton, Lexie Pregosin, and Jonathan Reed Wexler.
In July, we began a new free, outdoor initiative called Shakespeare in the Pagoda. Romeo & Juliet and Julius Caesar were presented with a repertory company of actors at Prospect Park's historic Music Pagoda, in fast, modern, action-packed productions. The shows were a huge success, garnering press from the Brooklyn Paper and National Japanese Broadcaster NHK among many others, and we're excited to head back to the music pagoda next year! For more information on Shakespeare in the Pagoda, click here.
In just only four years, EBE Ensemble has cemented its position as an important
labratory for the development of new work and new audiences. Help us continue our important role in the New York theater community with a tax-deductible donation, and be sure to join us for our fifth season in 2010/2011 to be a part of ground-breaking theater