Jessica Lit, who’s played Ruby through all three productions of BEDSPREAD (!!) and who’s coming back for this weekend’s encore (!!!), talks about the evolution of her character:

“When Daria asked me how I felt about coming back to reprise Ruby for a 4th time, I told her that I wasn’t scared or worried because Ruby lives inside me. It sounds kind of creepy, but I’ve been playing Ruby pretty regularly for the past 4 years and each and every time I’ve come back to her, I’ve been in a very different place in my life. It is almost like Ruby has helped me grow up. Thinking back to the first time we did this show, it was really the first time anyone had ever given me the chance to play such a bombshell role and on top of that I was only 19 years old and so naive. As a result - Ruby was really wild and over the top because it was the first time I got to live out my wildest fantasies through the stage. Since this was also Daria’s first full production, I feel her writing lent itself to that.”

Get your tickets here or RSVP directly to the Facebook event!

Check back in later today for more of Jess’ thoughts on the next few times she tackled Ruby!

Turns out Sarah Keyes wasn’t the first TFT actor to genderbend a role in BEDSPREAD—Shelby Wong played an androgynous Vince in the original TFT production! She weighs in on how they played with gender:

“Having the opportunity to play Vince in BEDSPREAD was one of the most challenging roles I have encountered as of yet. Vince exemplifies qualities and themes everyone wished they couldn’t relate to: emotionally damaged, psychologically troubled, sexually frustrated, and deeply in love with someone who won’t give him the time of day.

“Being the first to gender-bend this role certainly came with its hurdles, but it mainly opened up the world of possibilities for his character development. By the end of our rehearsal process, Daria Tavana, [director] Michael Silverstone, and I developed an extraordinarily androgynous human being that Brandon Curry could run with after I had taken my own stab at it. Missing out on Brandon’s interpretation of Vince, and the rest of the performances made by this talented cast, would be your loss.”

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Actress Sarah Keyes talks about playing the role of Carson Tanner in BEDSPREAD—a role that was originally written for a male actor.

“When the actor was unable to reprise his role in the show’s revival, playwright Daria Tavana had to think of a creative replacement. Daria and Jessica Lit, who had been with the production since its conception five years ago, decided to take a risk and see what would happen if Carson was played by a female actress. Carson would still be passionately in love with Ruby, the only difference would be now the affair was between a lesbian and a married woman.

“True False is no stranger to women playing traditionally male-specific roles onstage — but I insisted that changing Carson’s gender to female would still serve the play thematically. Besides changing the pronouns from ‘he’ to ‘she,’ I have approached this role as I would any other character. Carson’s motivations are still the same as the original production, but her/his tactics have to shift slightly.”

Don’t miss out on BEDSPREAD’s limited encore run!

buzzfeed:

Apparently, someone named their baby “Hashtag,” Hashtag Jameson. Seriously.

Seriously? We jokingly use “hashtag” in any TFT correspondence (in-person and otherwise), but this is ridiculous.

It’s tough for children of the ’90s to become adults.

(via lulz-time)

How many drinks does it take to get to the center of Shakespeare’s meaning?

True False Theatre and our cast of merry misfits, booze-hounds and all-purpose eccentrics (including guest actors from one of New York’s newest Shakespeare companies, Occupy Verona) invite you to answer this age-old question! For, if history has taught us anything, it is this: the arts and alcohol have an identical effect on people. It stands to reason that before toga-wearing drunk guys became exclusive to frat parties, people would flock to the theatre- the forum for collaboration of the three vital spirits: The Intellect, The Passions, and The Alcoholic Beverage. What better way to honor this illustrious history than experiencing Intoxicating Reads, TFT’s new performance series.

Starring:
Fenny Novyane as Narrator
Bradley Sumner as Falstaff
Jessica Lit* as Mrs. Quickly
Isabella Frisoli* as Mrs. Page
Suzanna Bornn* as Mrs. Ford
Dorothy Loechel as Robin/Ann
Evan Elias as Page
Joseph Monge as Ford
Joe Raik as Pistol/Dr. Caius
Cody Magouirk as Nym/Rugby
Shannon Harris as Host
Christopher Travolos as Fenton/Simple
Ethan Cohn as Sir Hugh
Jerry Raik as Shallow
Nick Lucci as Slender
*Member of True False Theatre

$10 donation at the door earns you 2-for-1 drinks at the bar, participation in our interactive game for liquor lovers, and TWO chances to win FREE tickets to our upcoming Halloween fundraiser!

TFT is excited to announce a portion of the proceeds raised at the door will be donated to The Ali Forney Center, a non-profit organization committed to protecting LGBTQ youth from the harm of homelessness and supporting them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood. Visitwww.AliForneyCenter.org to get involved.

RSVP here!