News from Theater for the New City (and Under the Radar)

No sooner did Funhouse Philosophers (Dick Zigun’s company) and Bread and Puppet Theater close their wonderful shows at Theater for the New City than we received all manner of additional bulletins from the company, both happy and sad — enough for me to want to gather it all and report it at once.

We’ll speak the sad news first. TNC has lost two key members of their family in the last couple of months:

Joseph-Vernon Banks, who wrote the music for all of TNC’s street theatre shows, died back on November 11 (I just heard the news a few days ago).

Actress, activist, playwright and long time TNC board member Vinie Burrows passed away on Christmas day, 11 months shy of her Centennial birthday. I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely woman several times and never had any idea she was THAT old! The New York Times wrote a nice obit for her here.

We send heartfelt sympathy to the entire TNC family, for both these huge losses.

What’s the good news? There’s a bunch! The first is that the honoree of their annual Love ‘n’ Courage benefit this year will be the one and only Penny Arcade! And what else? Bina Sharif is back with a new play! The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers are returning. Friend Pamela Enz’sFalling Sideways Off the Edge of the Earth is coming up. And in February the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, a company I love, is presenting the world’s first puppet theater adaptation of The Good Soldier Švejk — a particularly timely work at the moment. Get info about all of their upcoming shows and events here.

Some other good indie theatre news (quite apart from the TNC items): Under the Radar lives! The Public (and Mark Russell) found a way to keep it going in partnership with institutions like Abrons Arts Center, BAM, BRIC, the Chelsea Factory, the Connelly Theatre, The Flea, The Japan Society, La MaMa, Lincoln Center, Mabou Mines, NYU Skirball, Performance Space New York, Ping Chong, Soho Rep, St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Tank, Theatre for a New Audience, Wooly Mammoth, and others. It’s on through January 21! Get the full schedule here.

Downtown: down, but not out.