Richard C. Aven - Director
  • Home
  • About
  • Damn Fool
  • Go Get the Axe
    • Photos of GGTA production
    • the Design Process
  • Shotz
  • Smoke
    • mixed phoenix theatre group
  • Films
    • how gentle people get
    • Something to Confess - film
    • Mud Pies - Unfinished Film Project
    • the silents
  • Contact
Picture

Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group
Artistic Director  -  Danielle Soames
Associate Artistic Director  -  Richard C. Aven

Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group explored our evolving American identity, in all its diversity, through works that investigated our multi-cultural history, challenged stereotypes or embraced our Native American heritage.

The idea for Mixed Phoenix grew out of a multi-media project in April of 2008,   Carlisle –A Different Three Sisters by Myrton Running Wolf.  The play adapted Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, setting it at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in the pre-World War One 1910 decade.  The staged reading performed in various locales, including La Mama, NYU, AICH and Barrow Group.
 
Riding on the success of Carlisle, Mixed Phoenix, solicited new work and initiated the First Annual Fall Reading Series in October of 2008.  Subsequently, we were invited to present a workshop at The Public Theater and in the spring of 2009, Mixed Phoenix performed an original performance art piece Mission that explored our evolving mission statement.  Collaborating on personal stories submitted by members of the project’s company, the work explored ethnic stereotypes exposing cultural misconceptions.  The work was also performed at AICH.
 
Through our Annual Fall Reading Series and our Spring Staged Reading Series, we went on to produce 26 events involving over 100 actors, 13 directors and 26 playwrights representing a large multicultural pool of talent, not the least of which was Native American.

Out of our Fall Readings we move plays into a more developed approach in the Spring Staged Readings.  Based on this process, we selected Muzungu, by David Myers to co-produce with Co-Op Theatre East at the 4th Street Theatre in the Fall of 2011.  In April 2013, we premiered Smoke, by Vickie Ramirez at the Pershing Square Signature Center with Richard C. Aven directing.  Smoke was originally read in our Staged Reading Series of 2010.


2008

 Carlisle, a different Three Sisters, by Myrton Running-Wolf

Directed by Richard C. Aven


A Staged Reading

Thursday, 17 April 2008 The Barrow Group Theater
Friday, 18 April 2008 American Indian Community House
Sunday, 20 April 2008 New York University
Saturday, 26 April 2008 La MaMa, ETC
  

1st Annual Fall Reading Series

7 October 2008 Bar on A

Rock or Hard Place, by Cindy Pierre
Directed by Robert A.K. Gonyo

Hanging Cloud, by Christine Emmert
Directed by Dana Panepinto

Broken English, by Nina E. Ki
Directed by Richard C. Aven 
 

14 October 2008 American Indian Community House

 Our Land, by J.L. Christa
Directed by Tony White


21 October 2008 Playwrights Horizons

Home Land, by Christopher Cartmill
Directed by Richard C. Aven
 

28 October 2008 American Indian Community House

 The Second to Last of the Wobbly Tipplers, by Elenna Stauffer
Directed by Sam Williams


2009

Workshop production

Mission, curated by Richard C. Aven
Directed by Robert A.K. Gonyo

In this piece, employing a multi-cultural cast, we explored and developed our mission statement
at the invitation of The Public Theater.


12 & 13 May 2009 Public Theater
15 & 19 May 2009 American Indian Community House 

 

2nd Annual Fall Reading Series
 

2 October 2009 Dance Theater Workshop

 Free Verse, by Paul Kahn
Directed by Richard C. Aven


 9 October 2009 Dance Theater Workshop

 I Stand Corrected, by Akin Salawu
Directed by Kaipo Schwab


16 October 2009 Dance Theater Workshop

 Molly’s Boots, by Edith Tarbescu
Directed by Danielle Soames


 23 October 2009 Dance Theater Workshop

 Transition, by Peter Snoad
Directed by Marcina Zaccaria

Superhero, by Mark Harvey Levine
Directed by Richard C. Aven

The Law of Unintended Consequences, by Andrew Black
Directed by Robert A.K. Gonyo

Wide Blossoms, by Elise Marenson
Directed by Harold Dean James


2010

1st Annual Spring Staged Reading Series


22 March 2010 at The Producers Club

 S/He, by Nick Mwaluko
Directed by Tony White


 30 April 2010 at American Indian Community House

 Smoke, by Vickie Ramirez
Directed by Danielle Soames


17 May 2010 at SOHO Playhouse - The Club Space

Wide Blossoms, by Elise Marenson
Directed by Richard C. Aven 



3rd Annual Fall Reading Series

 8 October 2010 at the Dance Theater Workshop

My Name is Gary Cooper, by Victor Rodger
Directed by Tony White



 15 October 2010 at the Dance Theater Workshop
 Muzungu, by David Myers
Directed by Robert A.K. Gonyo



 22 October 2010 at the Dance Theater Workshop

 El Río, by Andrew Saito
Directed by Richard C. Aven


 29 October 2010 at the Dance Theater Workshop

 Carbon Black, by Terry Gomez
Directed by Murielle Borst-Tarrant


2011

2nd Annual Spring Staged Reading Series

25 March 2011 at the American Indian Community House

A Patsy, by Brandon James Walker
Directed by Richard C. Aven



29 April 2011 at the Theatre 80 St. Marks

Muzungu, by David Myers
Directed by Robert A.K. Gonyo
 

 21 May 2011 at the American Indian Community House

The Reason for Crows, by Diane Glancy
Directed by Danielle Soames



4th Annual Fall Reading Series

3 October 2011 at the Ripley Grier Studios

 I Could Never Live Here, by C.S. Hanson
Directed by Richard C. Aven



10 October 2011 at the Ripley Grier Studios

 The Ball Player, by Aaron Wigdor Levy
Directed by Almeria Campbell



17 October 2011 at the Ripley Grier Studios

 Ballad of Sad Young Men, by Jerome A. Parker
Directed by Nicole A. Watson



24 October 2011 at the Ripley Grier Studios


Babel, by Sevan Kaloustian Greene
Directed by Jessica Chayes



2012

3rd Annual Spring Staged Reading Series

22 May 2012 at The Cell (338 East 23rd Street)

 The Ball Player, by Aaron Wigdor Levy
Directed by Almeria Campbell



 12 June 2012 at The Cell

 Suites for Sad Men, by Jerome A. Parker
Directed by Richard C. Aven

5th
Annual Fall Reading Series 

2 October 2012 at Shetler Studios

The Corral, by Rhiana Yazzie
Directed by Richard C. Aven

UTAH, by Sean Welch
Directed by Colleen Britt 
 

11 October 2012 at the Shetler Studios 

 What Would Crazy Horse Do?, by Larissa Fasthorse
Directed by Ben Arrendondo


11 November 2012 at Ripley Grier Studios

Raising David Walker, by Peter Snoad
Directed by Richard C. Aven


Proudly powered by Weebly