Just returned from HEAVY CRAFT/SOFT LANDING's final performance. It is an extraordinary relief to me that this play will never be seen again.

Please join us for "HEAVY CRAFT/SOFT LANDING" -- final 3 performances!

Tonight's show (Thursday, May 7th) will feature a talk-back with the cast and creators directly following the performance

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?Heavy craft, soft landing?
Art House Productions? new play tackles life, love
by Diana Schwaeble
Reporter Correspondent



LIFE CYCLE ? Art House Productions presents their fourth multi-media production ?Heavy Craft, Soft Landing,? which was conceived and directed by Christine Goodman. The play will be performed the first two weekends in May in Jersey City. For more information, visit: arthouseproductions.org.

Christine Goodman, founder of Art House Productions, has made quite a name for herself in the eight years she has called Jersey City home.

Goodman isn?t just a terrific advocate of the arts scene in the bustling downtown area; she is a consummate performer and writer as well. What began as an idea to unite artists in a comfortable forum has grown into the widely anticipated monthly open mic night that features top-notch writers, musicians and performance artists. So it should come as no surprise to those who know her work to learn that she has focused her considerable talents to directing.

The multi-media, production of ?Heavy Craft, Soft Landing? isn?t the first play Goodman directed, she also directed the short ?Come To Me? in this past fall?s Hudson County One Act Festival, but it is her first full-length play. This is fourth full-length multi-media production for Art House Productions. The original work, ?Heavy Craft, Soft Landing,? runs May 1 to May 3, May 7 to May 9 with all performances at 8 p.m.


Inner connectivity

The story, which unfolds in 10 chapters, covers the life cycle of the human condition from birth to death ? and those gritty defining moments in-between.

It is a beautifully rendered tale of love lost and found that begins, of course, with a birth.

While more conceptual than narrative frame, one can easily follow the journey of the young woman. After she is born, the audience is drawn into her world, which is delicately shaped and fostered with love from her mother.

The female who has no name- as she stands for the universal connectivity we all share ? grows up, but not without her share of knocks and hard lessons of adolescence.

There are three elements of the production that bring the story together. First, is the movement of the actors, which reflects the body with its needs, desires, pains and simple pleasures.

Then there is the video, which provides a landscape into the mind of the main character. Through the video, one bears witness to what seems like an ordinary day, except through the mind of the main character, who frames her existence through her experiences. It is through the framework of a seemingly ordinary day that one can see the brilliance of the writing as the sometimes traumatic, sometimes joyful elements unfold around the main character. These moments, like much of life, happen to her unexpectedly and turn an ordinary day into one might not wish for.

Pulling it all together is the original score, which was written and is performed by the musicians who surround the stage. The music provides a frame into the soul of the main character. Through the music one can feel her emotions as they happen.



Ensemble production

Goodman said the entire production team of 30 has worked hard to integrate all three elements of the play in the two-month rehearsal period.

The work isn?t easily classified ? the original play has elements that are deeply serious and moments that are truly absurd.

It is a visually stunning piece, with much of the action revealed through quiet moments on the screen. Although none of the characters are identified by name- it is still easy to identify with the journey. The two supporting females characters, who provide context for the story with voice-over work, are terrific and able to connect the audience with the inner workings of the lead character. Yet all of the actors and musicians deserve credit for the synchronized work that is truly flawless in parts and combines to weave yet another layer to the original work



Performances in Jersey City

The original play was written by Goodman, Jack Halpin, Wade Savitt, Heather Warfel, will be performed the first two weekends in May at Art House Productions space at Hamilton Park, 1 McWilliams Place, 6th Floor, Jersey City.

The actors in the production include: Glen Coleman, Colin Cornstock, Janice Ducate, Wendy Eaton, Sarah Ernst, Michael Flinck, Jack Halpin, Cris Nyne, David Ribyat, Roland Ramos, Megan Wagner, and Heather Warfel.

Production design is by Jack Halpin, stage manager is Katherine Damigos, Musical director is David Ribyat, production assistant is Judy Nunez, production crew is Victor Armooh.

Goodman hopes audiences appreciate the stories that are revealed through the work.

?No matter how many different paths our lives go on ? we all experience love, we all experience pain, we all feel lost,? said Goodman. ?We all face the journey of who we are in the world and what is important. We are all beautiful and we are all flawed.?


?Heavy Craft, Soft Landing? will be performed the first two weekends in May with all performances at 8 p.m. For more information, call (201) 915-9911 or visit: www.arthouseproductions.org.

Only three more performances of Heavy Craft/Soft Landing!

Thursday, May 7
Friday, May 8 and
Saturday, May 9

From The Jersey City Independent

The subject of Art House Production?s latest multimedia play is universal: the human life cycle, from our birth to our death with all the other births and deaths in between. Heavy Craft/Soft Landing touches on our most important relationships and milestones, mixing spoken word, music, video projection, poetry, mime, movement, and storytelling to complete the cycle of life in just about an hour.

Art House must be commended for not only creating a smart original piece of theater but for their clear understanding of collaboration. An ensemble of performers and musicians work together seamlessly throughout the play, in many cases playing more than one character and telling more than one story. The use of simple props and sparse scenic elements to create a myriad of locations and tones in many cases were quite imaginative and successful.

The ?scarf dance of conformity? ? performed by our adolescent self desperately trying to fit in ? is one of the play?s most striking moments. Without a single spoken word it communicates the human condition with such humor and tenderness that this reviewer was left wishing the entire piece proceeded without words.

The musicians of Heavy Craft/Soft Landing deserve praise for not only providing an original soundtrack for this theatrical experience but for going above and beyond traditional musical expression and creating Foley sound effects to aid in the storytelling. Blowing bubbles in water through a straw, playing a toy trumpet, and even a sneeze become parts of the imaginative soundscape of this piece. Having seven talented musicians performing on multiple instruments in such an intimate space produced a rather powerful experience.

The play also relies quite heavily on technical elements. The video shot for Heavy Craft/Soft Landing was quite beautiful, but its success contrasts with the piece?s lighting and set design, which can be described as makeshift at best. For a company so teeming with imagination, the set design could be much more innovative.

As an experience Heavy Craft/Soft Landing is definitely worth it, not only to support a successful piece of original theater but also to support a company which has its community in its heart. As an added bonus you can get some of the best homemade brownies in the lobby before or after the show.

Three performances of Heavy Craft/Soft Landing remain: Thursday, May 7; Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and seniors).

art house productions presents
HEAVY CRAFT/SOFT LANDING
a multimedia play based on the human life cycle

we are born, we die, and the time in between is a long fall through space; sometimes a plummet, sometimes a charted course -- always an adventure

performance dates
(all shows at 8pm)
friday, may 1st
saturday, may 2nd
sunday, may 3rd
thursday, may 7th *
friday, may 8th
saturday, may 9th

* special post-show talk back

tickets $20/$15 students and seniors

to purchase tickets
visit www.arthouseproductions.org
or call 201-915-9911
group rates available

location
art house productions at hamilton square
1 mcwilliams place, 6th floor, jersey city, nj 07302
(se corner of hamilton park, near erie/8th st)

conceived and directed by christine goodman

written by christine goodman, jack halpin, wade savitt, and heather warfel

performed by glen coleman, colin comstock, janice ducate, wendy eaton, sarah ernst, michael flinck, jack halpin, cris nyne, david ribyat, roland ramos, megan wagner, heather warfel

production design jack halpin
stage manager katherine damigos
musical director david ribyat
production assistant judy nunez
production crew victor armooh
video by art house productions? video lab
logo image by thomas john carlson
design by design grace

made possible by exeter properties, developers of hamilton square. for more information, visit www.livingonthepark.com

about the play
developed by a team of 25 writers, musicians, actors, dancers, and film/video professionals, this is art house productions? most ambitious play to date. HEAVY CRAFT/SOFT LANDING follows a human life cycle from birth to death, incorporating dance, poetry, and a dream-like videoscape projected onto the stage. for the first time in art house productions? theatrical history, HEAVY CRAFT/SOFT LANDING will incorporate an original musical score performed live by an eight piece orchestra using instruments ranging from laptop computers to bubbles blown in cups of water.

www.arthouseproductions.org