Author Archives: backalleynh

10th Anniversary of V-Day Portsmouth!

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Photo by M. Lavigne Photography

Photo by M. Lavigne Photography

Join us for One Night Only of the 10th Anniversary of V-Day Portsmouth at The Music Hall!

We can change the story of women by helping to raise funds and awareness to end violence and be a collective voice as part of One Billion Rising for Revolution!

Back Alley Productions and V-Day Portsmouth 2015 are proud to present their final benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) and A Safe Place. Featuring special guests Neoteric Dance Collaborative and The Afternotes

This Performance will take place on Saturday February 21st at 8 pm and Tickets are On Sale Now!

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, has been hailed by The New York Times as “funny” and “poignant” and by the Daily News as “intelligent” and “courageous”. This groundbreaking show gives voice to a chorus of lusty, outrageous, thoughtful and thoroughly human stories diving into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences.

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. By creating this global community, V-Day strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world.

V-Day 2015: The Vagina Monologues is sponsored by Lady Pickwick’s

Auditions: V-Day 2015 Portsmouth The Vagina Monologues

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Photo by Mat Kingsbury/2046

Please join us for Auditions for V-Day Portsmouth 2015!


Auditions are by appointment only.
Please email Joi Smith at backalleynh@gmail.com with “VDAY Auditions” in the subject line to schedule an appointment.

When:
Saturday 9/6 from 11 am – 6 pm
Sunday 9/7 from 12 pm – 3 pm

Where:
Seacoast Media Group 111 New Hampshire Ave. Portsmouth, NH

What to bring:
Please prepare one short monologue to audition with, and we will provide sides for you to read. If you would like to audition with one of the pieces from the show, you may do so. Please provide a headshot and resume (if you have one available), along with a list of conflicts you may have between November 2014 and February 2015.

All roles available.

Rehearsals will begin in November 2014.

V-Day Portsmouth 2015 The Vagina Monologues will take place on Saturday February 21st at The Music Hall

This is a benefit performance.
100% of the proceeds to benefit local organizations SASS and A Safe Place, as well as 10% of that going globally to V-Day.

About V-Day:
V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. V-Day is a catalyst for mobilizing women and men to heighten awareness about violence against women and girls. By creating this global community, V-Day strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world.

The Vagina Monologues has been hailed by The New York Times as “funny” and “poignant” and by the Daily News as “intelligent” and “courageous”. This groundbreaking show gives voice to a chorus of lusty, outrageous, thoughtful and thoroughly human stories diving into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences.

For more information about V-Day, please visit their website

Any questions you may have, please email backalleynh@gmail.com and visit our website backalleyproductions for updates

Director’s Note for Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh

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Photo by Jasmin Hunter

Photo by Jasmin Hunter


For a production company made up of two people who are obsessed with historical fiction, it is almost criminal how many years have passed between our last historical production to this one. In 2010, Danica Carlson and I set out to create the most sumptuous and realistic version of the mid- 17th Century that we were able to with our limited resources for our production of The Libertine. We wanted to create the perfect ambiance for our audiences to feel that they have been transported back in time to the intimate private chambers of the Second Earl of Rochester and the theater he so adored. It was so exciting to us, this re-creation of another time and place, a place that existed real human beings living their lives day to day without modern conventions and distractions and what that might look and feel like.

When I picked up Joel Gross’s beautifully crafted script of Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh, I was immediately transported into Marie’s lovely and tragic world and I experienced a visceral reaction, a need to tell this story of deceit, friendship and ultimately love. What struck me most about these incredible characters, was their vulnerability and passion for one another, living authentically for each fleeting moment. The script itself is written as a sort of dance, with each character drifting into one another’s lives, which just made it all the more enticing for me as a director and storyteller.

I have been truly blessed with three of the finest performers on the Seacoast to share this beautiful story with all of you. This show would be nothing without their incredible passion and devotion to these characters that they have fully embraced and made their own. This has been an intense process and a whirlwind of emotions for these performers, and I am eternally grateful that they have put their faith and trust into this journey with me. This production has truly been a collaboration, with our entire cast and crew wearing many hats and bringing a multitude of talents to the table – from costume, wig and prop making to set design, building, painting and graphic & sound design, everyone involved in this production has pitched in and multitasked to make Versailles a magnificent reality for you to enjoy…

Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh
May 9th through May 25th

Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm
Sunday 5/11 & 5/18 at 8 pm
Sunday 5/25 at 2 pm

Players’ Ring Theatre
105 Marcy Street Portsmouth, NH
Call for reservations 603-436-8123 or purchase tickets online

Meet the Cast: Danica Carlson as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

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Danica Carlson

Co-Founder of Back Alley Productions and internationally sold recording artist Danica Carlson has appeared in over 250 film, radio, stage and voice-over performances since the age of five. She has been nominated for five Spotlight on the Arts Awards, as well as two New Hampshire Theater Awards. Danica has also had the recent opportunity of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with comedy troop DARWiN’S WAiTiNG ROOM.

“As a producer, you try to find scripts that move you, inspire you, and push you to try something new. When Joi handed me this script, I instantly fell in love. As an artist myself, identifying with Elisa was far from difficult, but the challenge of her emotional journey was daunting. I honestly couldn’t have found her if it had not been for this incredible cast, director, and crew. Everything has come together better than I could have ever imagined, and I couldn’t be more proud of the journey we have all taken together. I look forward to the audience falling in love with this show and its characters as much as I have. I am endlessly grateful for this opportunity.”

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Meet the Cast: Jennifer Henry as Marie Antoinette

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Jennifer Henry

Jennifer Henry is so excited to work with the fearless women of Back Alley Productions. Hailing from rural Pennsylvania, Jennifer holds three degrees in music, theatre, and technical theatre and design. She has worked as an actor, director, choreographer, and educator in 46 of the 50 United States. After serving as Assistant Director of Education and a Resident Company member at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, TN, she moved back north with the love of her life to teach voice, movement, and acting. Jennifer is also a referee for NH’s largest paintball park, OSG Paintball. She is eager to learn if blondes do, in fact, have more fun. Catch her work next in the direction of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, opening October 31 at The Player’s Ring.

“Being offered the opportunity to be the voice of Marie Antoinette, possibly the most famous, most gossiped about, most misunderstood woman in history, is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Marie is an enigma. Naïve, she was married to Louis as the signature on a peace treaty, when she was 14. 14! At that age, to be catapulted into international super stardom, while barely being able to speak the language of the place where she is Queen, and to have the pressure of being the peace of a nation… yowza. Finding a balance between that naivety, and the noble grace and poise that she showed to the public (even into the last moments of her life), has been daunting for me. I’m exhausted just thinking about what this woman endured! Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh, is a wonderful way to glimpse into the life of this fascinating woman, and those around her. The time period allows for opulent, gorgeous costuming, and a setting so rich and luxurious it’s almost embarrassing. The relationships she has with both Elisa and Alexis gives us a dynamic and fresh look into what happened to this tragic figure.

While daunting, this production has been exhilarating and so fun to be a part of. I am so humbled to be a part of this intimate cast with Danica and Knate. I am very thankful to be in the capable embrace of director Joi Smith. Kaitlyn Huwe is not only so knowledgeable of this time period, but such a great springboard for so many ideas. Rehearsals have been such an open, positive, electric experience. What a great collaboration. Let’s play, y’all! Come see the show, opening May 9th.”

Marie Antoinette 1767