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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Only 4 Shows left!

Catch the last week of Cowboy Mouth!

If you have been slacking, there are still 4 more chances to see "the play's finale that is the NYC-Artsy-Theatre-Scene defined. The three cast members powerfully unite during a five-minute sequence you can't take your eyes off of. As the Lobster Man becomes... less lobster, you realize that you'd never witness a scene like this on Broadway."
- Theatre is Easy

 
Trust us, you don't want to miss this one...


Final Performances
WED June 20 8pm
THURS June 21 8pm
FRI June 22 8pm
and
Final Show, special Late Night Performance on FRI June 22 10pm with closing party afterwards!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Performance Schedule



Still a bunch of chances to catch Cowboy Mouth!

Remaining performances 
Wed, June 13 8pm
Thurs, June 14 8pm
Fri, June 15 8pm
Fri, June 15 10pm (special Late Night show!)

Sun, June 17 5pm
Wed, June 20, 8pm
Thurs, June 21, 8pm
Fri, June 22, 8pm
Fri, June 22 10pm (Closing Night Late Night show!)

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Nostalgia is the Enemy of all great Art

Was just listening to a talk back Patti Smith participated in in 2009 at my alma mater (woot! Northwestern University!) on the release of the documentary about her, Dream of Life, 11 years in the making, by Steven Sebring.

In the talk, Chicago Sun-Times  music critic Jim DeRogatis makes a comment that speaks in a very direct way to the sort of impulse that led me to want to let Cowboy Mouth have a voice again. In the interview, there's a moment where he says:

 "Nostalgia is the Enemy of all great art... Great art is about living in the Present, 
and the way people react to art in the present."

 For me, as an artist, and now as the founder of a company, there is absolutely no reason to do something unless it speaks to our present, to our today. No matter when or where it was made.

This show, Cowboy Mouth, was first performed in NYC (by Patti and co-author Sam Shepard) 41 years ago almost to the day. I came across this show in high school. I still have my same beat-to-shit copy of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love and Other Plays that this short one-act is buried in the middle of. I was a voracious reader, so I definitely read the whole thing cover to cover, but I in no way understood it yet. It didn't speak to me as strongly as some of the other works in the book. Then, I rediscovered it in college, and this time, I was ready! Fucked-up relationship, weird lobster, arresting, in your face imagery, yeah! I was allllll over this. But this time I missed the hope in it, the yearning for something purer; I was barely scratching the surface.

After reading Ms. Smith's memoir, Just Kids, I was reminded of Cowboy Mouth yet again, and came back to that old, beat-up copy, to give it another read. This time was the golden time. This time, I knew, I was going to do this show. I knew because this time, when I read it, it spoke to me so strongly of my present. Of the present of my friends, colleagues, young New Yorkers, and artists. The dream hasn't changed; we all want to find the key that unlocks the flow of the river of Great Art. It's not some abstract, it's something we can maybe just feel the edges of, but it's there. And when it hits you, when it washes over you and baptizes you, it's more real than your tiny apartment, your next door neighbor's new baby, your boss at your survival job...

And it makes you want to keep going.


That moment, for me, was almost 2 years ago. And it is so humbling, and scary, and thrilling, to know that in one week, something that began as a dream will be a reality to share with our friends, our families, our community of artists. This was made in the 70's, but it is not about the 70's.  The 70's just happened to be the authors' present. This show - for me, for the other actors, for the creative team - was never, for one moment about Nostalgia. For us, this play speaks so strongly to a community of artists. Today.


And we are so excited to share this with you. And listen, look, and experience all of your responses.






Friday, May 25, 2012

The Villager's Pick for June!

hey cats and kittens -

TRAV SD from THE VILLAGER is psyched to see our show! He named us the production he is most looking forward to for the month of June:

"If I were to pick my favorite of this month’s announced productions I would have to say that I am the most excited about this one: a site specific revival of the 1971 Sam Shepard/ Patti Smith collaboration “Cowboy Mouth.” Not only is this psychedelic psychodrama one of my very favorite plays, it is being staged in a “grungy space” (their words) over bridge and tunnel drag bar Lucky Cheng’s. The company that’s putting it on, One Old Crow Productions is new to me, but with this way-out stunt, they’re off to a flying start. The show is running June 7-22. See oneoldcrowproductions.com for more info."

Check out the full list, which includes our friends over at Rady&Bloom in the Ice Factory Fest, HERE:
Searching for Raymond!

Get Excited

The sweetest guitar, no?



Thursday, May 24, 2012

Feature in The Local East Village

Take a peek at our write up in The Local East Village.

Patti Smith and Sam Shepard’s Romance Resurrected at Lucky Cheng’s


Also, check out our website:

One Old Crow Productions 

Buy Tickets here

Brown Paper Tickets

Poster is hot off the presses!


Poster is printed! Two weeks till showtime! GET EXCITED.

We know that TRAV SD from THE VILLAGER is! He named us the production he is most looking forward to for the month of June:

"If I were to pick my favorite of this month’s announced productions I would have to say that I am the most excited about this one: a site specific revival of the 1971 Sam Shepard/ Patti Smith collaboration “Cowboy Mouth.” Not only is this psychedelic psychodrama one of my very favorite plays, it is being staged in a “grungy space” (their words) over bridge and tunnel drag bar Lucky Cheng’s. The company that’s putting it on, One Old Crow Productions is new to me, but with this way-out stunt, they’re off to a flying start. The show is running June 7-22. See oneoldcrowproductions.com for more info."



Sunday, May 6, 2012

"You gotta be a rock-and-roll Jesus with a cowboy mouth..."

Welcome to the Cowboy Mouth blog!

A SITE SPECIFIC PLAY WITH MUSIC

 IN THE HEART OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE


Here you can follow all our progress as we jump into rehearsals for One Old Crow's production of Patti Smith and Sam Shepard's 1971 one act play with music Cowboy Mouth.
 
Slim, a musician, is kidnapped and held hostage by the young Cavale, who dreams of making him the next rock n’ roll savior. What follows is a hypnotic meditation on art, desire, music, the state of the world, the place of dreams, and “two big dreamers who came together but were destined to come to a sad end.” (Patti Smith, 1974).

We'll be posting pictures from rehearsal, music clips from the music we are composing, inspiration, and things we find interesting, so stay tuned. We promise, no spoilers.

And join us in a month in the upstairs space above Lucky Cheng's for a site-specific experience you won't soon forget. We invite you into Cavale's apt, where she has been holed up with Slim for one too many mornings. Ticket price includes a glass of wine.
June 7-22, 2012