Happy Birthday Marty Allen!

by Marty Allen

Monkeyhouse's Birthday Boy of the Month is Marty Allen! A veritable jack-of-all-trades, Marty is a working artist, writer, musician, puppet maker, and liker of life hailing from Massachusetts. Marty's artistic endeavors have been numerous and uniquely creative, leaving a distinct footprint on the world of art. Thrice he has taken on the Songaday Project, composing a total of 90 songs in as many days. Balancing his musical
talent is Marty's obvious and distinct aesthetic. Dotting the walls of collectors and sock puppet enthusiasts across the world are Marty Allen's critically acclaimed puppet
portraits. The only sock puppet portrait salesman in the world, Marty has filled a very unique niche by marketing photographs of his own hand-made characters. Each comes with a detailed backstory, both of the character's life and the thought process that led to Marty's creation of each character.

Uncle Monsterface by Marty Allen

The love of character and story construction that first inspired Marty's sock
puppets has recently developed into his newest project: writing. His latest series of sock puppets is the cast of the upcoming novel, "Theodore and The SEVEN LAYERS OF SPACE Part 1: The Search For Mozzarella Botticelli." Marty's passions for story, puppetry, and music combine for his largest claim to fame: the multimedia rock band, Uncle Monsterface. Uncle Monsterface, named for the puppet member of the band, has toured nationally and released two full albums and EPs (available on iTunes!). Marty has been a tremendous supporter of Monkeyhouse, even featuring us in Songaday's blog, and
continues to inspire us with his perpetual creativity.

Happy birthday, Marty!

p.s.  Looking for amazing and creative holiday gifts?  Marty can be found at the Union Square Holiday Market in New York City selling his amazing sock puppet portraits right up until the big day!  Not in NYC?  Don't worry!  You can buy them online too, although you must order by December 15th in order to get them by Christmas!

Monkeyhouse would also like to wish the happiest of birthdays to these lovely December babies:
 
David Makransky, Thomas Durand, Sarah Grace, Todd Shanks, Jon Lavalley, Marty Allen, Sammy Davis Jr., Ralph Farris, Mara Blumenfeld, Barry Duncan, Rowan Salem, Jenna Dewan, Jennifer Beals, and Jose Greco.

If you don't know who all these fabulous people are make sure you take a minute to check out some of the links!  Whether they are famous choreographers or local supporters our birthday boys and girls do some really amazing things.

Want to be on the birthday list?  Click here and let us know when your birthday is!

Getting to Know Barry Duncan: Part 4

By Courtney Wagner

C: Other than palindromes, what are you interested in and involved in?
B: Keep in mind that palindrome writing is just the most obvious aspect of my interest in/preoccupation with reversibility.  It's my expectation that reversibility will change the world.  I know it can be done, and I hope I'll be the one who does it.

I try my hand at different kinds of writing:  songs, plays, children's books.  In fact, I'm thinking that all the publicity I'm receiving will make it possible for me to find an agent.  

I'm keeping my eyes open for literary properties that could be turned into musicals.  I like the idea of writing lyrics for specific characters in specific dramatic situations.

C: What impact do you see reversibility having on the world?  Are you talking about written word only or something else (technology? medicine?)
B: My belief / hope is that I'll eventually move beyond letters, beyond words, beyond the alphabet.  When that happens, perhaps I'll be able to solve a puzzle or decipher a code that will result in something beneficial.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being only a master palindromist, but my hunch is that it will lead to bigger and more important things.

C: What are some other aspects of your interest and preoccupation with reversibility?
B: I doubt that any normal person would believe how much of my day is spent looking for, thinking of, finding reversible patterns in everything.  I now use my cell phone to tell time.  But, when I used to wear a wristwatch, I would constantly be checking for palindromic times.  A great pleasure was looking at my watch at 9:59:59, looking away, then looking back at 10:00:01.  What a rare treat if I could do that twice in a day!  It's a wonder I wasn't regularly slamming into people on the sidewalk.

C: Very interesting. I hope you do find an agent!  What do you use as ideas/inspiration for children's books and song lyrics?  What type of musician would you like to collaborate with (specific person or general genre or even instrument)?  Or are you also your own musician (singer/songwriter Barry Duncan)?
*Side note*: Could you write a palindrome musical?!?  I'm kidding...sort of.  The idea sounds totally overwhelming but I just had the thought that if you let Monkeyhouse star in it it would be lots of fun!
B: It may be that I'm drawn to palindromes and song lyrics because both are circular and self-contained (and, to an extent, self-referential).  I'm rather confused by the concept of plot (or, for that matter, anything linear), so that's a real challenge for me.  One of my children's books does have a reversible component to it.

Writing lyrics, I'm more comfortable if I have characters in a defined dramatic situation.  I'd like to find a composer who understands how to write a song – in other words, one who has an idea of how lyrics sit on a melody.

I don't know if a palindromic musical would be possible (or advisable!), but it shouldn't be too difficult to build a musical that incorporates reversibility, has some reversible aspect.  How about an operatic setting of some palindromes?  It goes without saying that members of Monkeyhouse would be near the top of my list.  Uh, can any of you sing?

C: Are you working on any other projects right now?  It can be anything - work or not, fun things, upcoming things, etc
B: I look forward to a busy time this fall.  There's work to do on the dance.  Filming continues for the documentary.  The anthology The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 will include a palindrome of mine.   I'll be having a show at a gallery in Brooklyn.  Should be fun.
             
In addition, I'm writing palindromes so often and so quickly these days, it's only a slight exaggeration to say that every notable event in my life finds its way into a palindrome.  For example, here's the latest one:

             “Risk,” said BD.
              Ballet.  Revel.
              CW on C2C now.  Clever.
              Tell a BD, “BD?  I ask, sir...”

C: Tell me more about this anthology...Is this anthology being published this fall?  What else is included in it?Where will it be available?  Is this the first time a palindrome of yours has been published?  If not, where else can your work be found?
B: The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 is scheduled to be released on the 2nd of October.  The editor is Dave Eggers, the introduction this year is by Ray Bradbury (completed just weeks before his death).

The selections in this volume are chosen by high school students.  If I'm not mistaken, something had to be published in a periodical in 2011 in order to be considered for this 2012 edition.  That's why my Greenward Palindrome – which was in The Believer in September of last year – is eligible, and included.

The anthology is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and should be available in all bookstores.  Yes, it's the first time anything by me has appeared in a book.  I'm honored (and not a little shocked) to be chosen.

C: When and where is this gallery show in Brooklyn?  What will it include?
B: Details of the gallery show are still being worked out, but I can tell you that it will take place at The Bogart Salon at 56 Bogart Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  It looks like the show will be there for two or three weeks in November.  There will be some palindromes, along with interpretations of the palindromes by visual artists.  And I'll be in residence there, reversing.

Like most of the things happening in my life now, the gallery show is a direct result of the Believer article.  Thank you, Andi Mudd and everyone at The Believer!  (The notable exception, of course, is the documentary:  Michael Rossi was filming me long before the article appeared.)  Peter Hopkins read it and had the feeling that I could do something special at his Bogart Salon.  I'm very grateful that there are visionaries like Karen Krolak and Peter Hopkins.  I was just in Bushwick to participate in Citydrift. The energy in that neighborhood is amazing.

C: I like my palindrome! Thanks! =)  In reading this one and in listening to the one used for Back Going No Going Back, I am reminded of poetry.  The phrases and overall character of them remind me of some poets I've read in the past.  What do you think of this?  Could you consider yourself a poet?  Would you consider palindrome writing similar to or a form of writing poetry?
B: You're kind to say so.  I'm encouraged that people who know far more about poetry than I do have detected a poetic quality in my palindromes.  (Peter Hopkins says I'll be the first poet to have work exhibited in his gallery.)  Earlier in the interview, when I said that I'm doing something different from others, that's what I meant.  Though I don't want to sound pretentious or full of myself, I like to think that what I'm trying to create is reversible art.

Gosh, I'm talking a lot – and your stop is coming up.  You've asked really good questions.  Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to ramble on and on in a seemingly interminable manner about the subject I love so well.  If I might impose on you for a few minutes more, I have something else to say about poetry.

When I was young and foolish and had a hopelessly inflated sense of my literary ability, I considered myself a poet.  I remember struggling in vain in 1975 to complete a poem about “King Lear.”  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get it.

Recently, I decided to attempt a palindrome about the final scene of “King Lear.”  It took me three or four days from start to finish, and I'm not displeased with the outcome.  What I was unable to achieve (going one way) thirty-seven years ago, I have now accomplished, going in both directions.

Duo lost in a O

Mired

Damn us

Ah sad locates in us

As I cradle her

I do show a regal lion

Evil a mask

“Cordelia,” wailed rocks

Am alive

No

Ill age raw
Oh so dire

Held

Arc is a sun

I set

A cold ash

A sun madder

I moan it so loud

I am the master of the reversible world.  And everything is reversible.

GoodShop for Monkeyhouse!

by Marie Libbin

Do you do your holiday shopping online? If yes, then check out GoodShop! The great part about this website is that for just doing your normal holiday shopping, a portion of the money from purchases are given to non-profit organizations. They have thousands of popular stores and companies to choose from and even have coupons for many of these stores right on the website. All you have to do is choose the store you want to shop from on the GoodShop page and it will immediately connect you to that store's website. A percentage of your purchase will then be directly donated to Monkeyhouse. It's so simple, why wouldn't you do it?

Not good at remembering Gooshop? Don't worry! There is also a toolbar that will remind you when you go to a participating store's website that you can get coupons and make a donation for shopping there so you don't have to remember to go to Goodshop all the time.

Your shopping choices consist of everything from "banking and finance" to "toys and school". The different categories makes it easier to find that you're looking for right off the bat. The categories can also spark ideas if you haven't decided what you want to buy friends and family yet... This is so much better than Googling: "good holiday gifts!"

Get some great deals on your holidays purchases, while also benefiting Monkeyhouse! Have a GoodShop Holiday and make all your gifts give just a little bit more!

Against the Odds, Take Two!

photo by Jonathan Keith

We are thrilled, excited and generally delighted to announce that Against the Odds is BACK!  We want to thank you all for your patience and support as we rescheduled Against the Odds from the fall.  As the end of the year approaches we have kicked off a lot of our preparations for the festival which will be taking place:

March 21st-24th 

at 

Springstep

98 George P. Hassett Dr., Medford

We already have confirmation from Ryan Casey, Six One Seven Dance Collective, TAProject, Janelle Gilchrist, Audra Carabetta and Mariah Steele that they will be participating in the festival, and we're just getting started!  Within the company we are creating a whole slew of amazing new pieces from some of your favorite choreographers and some new ones too!

We have also kicked off our IndieGoGo campaign for the 2013 Against the Odds Festival.  Please take a minute to read a bit more about the festival and the artists, then tell your friends!  The biggest support you can give us is to be ambassadors for Monkeyhouse!  YOU know what we're about and what our organization aims to do - and THAT support and interest, more than anything else, is what has made us the group that we are today.  If you believe in what we're doing - please pass information about Against the Odds to anyone you know who might be interested in supporting the idea as well.  Talk us up at your holiday parties!  Tell the ladies you have lunch with about us!  Give us a shout out on Facebook!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Nutcracker Season from Monkeyhouse

by Sarah Friswell

It's that time of year again.  Christmas lights twinkle in the night, the smell of burning wood stoves and evergreen trees fill the air, and a feeling of joy ensues.  The holiday season brings many wonderful things, but Monkeyhouse is especially excited that Nutcracker season has arrived.  Here are just a few opportunities to see the Nutcracker in its classic form and some with a few twists!

Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker
The original story of the Nutcracker, choreographed by Boston Ballet's Mikko Nissinen, is back this season with all new costumes, sets, and revised choreography.  It's sure to be a wonderful evening so find a friend and go check out this classic.

Photo Credit Rosalie O’Connor

The Urban Nutcracker
Presented by the Tony Williams Dance Center is the Urban Nutcracker in its 12th season.  Tchaikovsky's original music is combined with a jazz interpretation from Duke Ellington and the story is given a modern spin that audiences love!

The Nutcracker performed by the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre
Find a seat at Regal Fenway Cinemas to view the ballet performed by the current members of The Russian Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, the company who first performed The Nutcracker in 1892.

Jose Mateo Ballet Theater

Join the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater in its 25th year presenting The Nutcracker. The show features over 200 children!

Getting to Know Barry Duncan: Part 3

By Courtney Wagner

C: What was your interest and/or involvement with dance and the arts world prior to Karen contacting you after reading about you in The Believer magazine?
B: In the summer of 1997, I attended a performance of “Swan Lake” in Saint Petersburg, Russia.  Before Karen got in touch with me, that was the extent of my involvement with dance.

C: Can you talk a little bit about what it's been like to work with Karen and Nikki and have your work adapted for or integrated into dance?
B: I wish I could say that I realized from the very beginning that the collaboration would be successful.  It's true that it's been wildly successful, and it's also true that I had no idea that it would work.  From the start, probably from the time she read the first sentence of the article in The Believer, it was Karen who had the vision for the piece.  As I recall, I accepted the commission for three reasons:
1. It was the first time anyone ever offered to pay me for writing palindromes.
2. I had confidence in Karen's confidence.
3. It seemed to me that it would be almost impossible to do, and I like a challenge.  (It turned out not to be impossible, but I'm not exactly disappointed.)

I've said time and again (to anyone who will listen) that this collaboration has been more important for me than for Karen and Nikki.   Here's what I mean:  Karen and Nikki have most likely at one time or another been involved in collaborations that weren't so great.  Not the end of the world, right?  They deal with it, they move on.  But, if this collaboration hadn't gone well, I probably would have said to myself, “What was I thinking when I agreed to write palindromes for a dance?!  Palindrome writing is a solitary profession, and I'm just going back to my couch and my legal pad and not working with anyone again.”  Instead, my experience with Monkeyhouse has opened me up, expanded my mind, and caused me to rethink reversible text and the ways it can be used.  Now I welcome the idea of collaboration.  Also, I met Cynthia Roberts for the first time in August.  She's the typographer who's collaborating on the dance.  Her work is really startling and adds another dimension to the piece.
            
Karen and Nikki have never greeted a suggestion of mine with “Just go away” or “Sorry, too late.”  One reason is that they both have very generous spirits.  But it also occurs to me that this flexibility – this willingness to consider other ideas, try different things, incorporate new moves – may be an occupational virtue of dancers and choreographers.  If so, then I hope I'll get many more opportunities to work with dance companies.  Maybe it will even become my specialty! Anyway, this seemingly unlikely combination – the relative rigidity of reversible text set against the fluidity of movement – has somehow produced something very special:  Back Going No Going Back.  Gosh, how did I not see that from the jump?

C: Your own path seems to have led you to somewhere very interesting with a dance collaboration and a documentary!  How do you think you will mesh traveling your own path with future collaborations (either the ones already mentioned or ones you hope to work on)?
B: I think it's because I've gone my own way that I'm in (some) demand right now.  Recently, a comedy group asked if I could write something reversible for them.  I look forward to exploring all sorts of collaborations.  Now I've reached a point where I can write on pretty much any topic, and I'm hoping this versatility will make me a valuable (or, at least, interesting) collaborator.

C: What has it been like to be the star of an upcoming documentary?  What are you most excited about for that project?  What is your least favorite part of the project?
B: I recently mentioned to my friend Paul that I'm the star of The Master Palindromist; he helpfully pointed out that I'm the subject, not the star.  It was very flattering when filmmaker Michael Rossi suggested making this documentary, as it was when Greg Kornbluh asked if he might write a profile of me (which eventually became the article in The Believer).  My hope is that the film will be a huge success, and that Michael will receive the attention he deserves.  My least favorite part of this project is having to fiddle with my clothing to put on the microphone.  But I do want the movie to have sound!