GREAT NEWS! PLAY READING UPDATE

OH MY GOD!

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THIS MARVELOUS SMALL PLAY!

 

                    "MAMA AT MIDNIGHT"

 

IS NOW BEING DIRECTED B Y NONE OTHER THAN

                             ERNEST THOMPSON ( "ON GOLDENPOND")

 

THE PART OF  THE NARRATOR IS PLAYED BY NONE OTHER THAN

 

                             JUDD NELSON

 

MY MOM IS PLAYED BY A BRIILLIANT ACTRESS WAAAAAAY TOO YOUNG:

                             SALLY KIRKLAND

 

BE THERE!

 

8 PM

THE ZEPHYR THEATRE

7546 MELROSE AVE.

BETWEEN IVAR AND GARDINER

 

                             MONDAY EVE, MARCH 17^th

(afterwards we'll celebrate those the world CANNOT live without:

the Irish)

New Karen Black play reading

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!

 

 

THERE IS A READING OF MY NEW PLAY,

           "MAMA AT MIDNIGHT"     

AT THE STUNNING ZEPHYR THEATER

         

ON MONDAY EVENING, THE 17^TH OF MARCH

                                       AT 8:00 PM

 

 

 

This play was written as it happened, in an emotional and difficult time for my mother and myself.

Eventually, I simply started writing down everything she said and everything I said, because life is so odd that it is possible to just nor remember or to miss the unusual specificness of it as it transpires.

 

And that is why I am so proud of this play and want so for you to come and see it: it is a reality play, it happened.

 

                    STARRING KAREN BLACK AND LELIA GOLDONI

                              IN A READING DIRECTED BY

LEE SANKOWICH

 

ZEPHYR THEATER

                        8:00PM, MONDAY THE 17^TH OF MARCH

 

This is a free performance.  Not a fund raiser.  Just show up.

 

 

Zephyr Theatre
Hollywood Area
7456 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA  90046

Between Vista and Gardner
(323) 852 9111

 

 

OFF TO PORTUGAL!

I am leaving this week with my husband, Stephen Eckelberry to Porto, Protugal. The film he directed, "The Mirror," is having it's European premiere at the Fantasporto Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival.

Joining us is Kelly LeBrock and Erin Cahill who star in the film along with Thaao Penghlis. Thaao couldn't come because of his "Days of Our Lives" commitments, we will miss him!

"The Mirror" was produced by Kimberley Kates, with Dave Zappone and Michael Manasseri of Big Screen Entertainment Group, the wonderful company that Stephen is a part of.

This is a still from the film, featuring Erin Cahill.


http://fantasporto.com/index.php/homepage

HOLLYWOOD COLLECTOR'S SHOW UPDATE!

I will also be appearing on Saturday, February 16th, from 10 AM until 6

APPEARANCE IN BURBANK!

On Friday, February 15th, I will be appearing at the The Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center to meet fans and sign autographs from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Look forward to seeing you all there!

The Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center
2500 North Hollywood Way
Burbank, California 91505
Right across the street from the Burbank Airport
1-818-843-6000
Fax: 1-818-842-9720
Reservations: 1-800-736-9712
Group Code 'HXHHXHA'
for more info, go to:
http://www.hollywoodcollectorshow.com/Burbank.htm

KAREN BLACK SHORT SCREENING IN PARK CITY

My short film, "HELP", co-directed with Jeffrey Weaver, will be shown at Sundance this year on Friday, January 25^th, between 2-3pm

At KRISTAUF'S MARTINI BAR!!!

-Shot in one long 20 minute take with no edits whatever(no retakes either), part acting and part reality, I must actually beg on the streets for money to be able to get on a downtown subway to meet my biological mother or it will be too late and she will leave the other space where she awaits me. In real time as well: when I ask people on the street for the time, it is the actual established count down to make it to see Mom!

For all of you who are going to be in Park City That week, I would love to see you there.

KRISTAUF'S MARTINI BAR

825 South Main Street

Park City UT 84060

Friday, January 25^th, between 2-3pm

I recently premiered my new one woman show in Washington DC, which is relatively simple and comfortable, yet looney--just talking about my odd life and some of the people I've known.

And it was pretty scary, but in the end I was amazed at the response: I received 3 standing ovations and almost couldn't stand there and accept that much acknowledgment!

Here's what some members of the audience said. The show is called:

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sing the Song.

"From A gifted actress and songstress, Ms. Black showcases these talents in a show rife with humor, confessions, impersonations and beautifully enacted musical numbers…encompassing styles from opera to country to…well…David Bowie!

Peppered with humorous anecdotes about Hollywood's most influential artists (Jack Nicholson, Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, etc), Ms. Black's stories never feel like gratuitous name-dropping, but rather paint illuminating sketches of her enduring film career.

Ms. Black's devastating rendition of Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns," allows the audience to simultaneously reflect on the ironies and disappointments of Ms. Black's chanteuse." - Rick Hammerly – filmmaker

"In her solo-show How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sing the Song, 70s screen superstar Karen Black hopscotches through her unique and ultimately enduring career. Hitting highs and a few lows, Black, still sexy and kookily captivating at a certain age, keeps it breezy and fun as she recounts her Park Ridge, Illinois girlhood as an ambitious toothpick in a world of 1950's bullet bras. It's there that her novelist mother after learning that her daughter wanted to sing show tunes sent her, oddly enough, to an opera coach.

Having clearing captured the audience in her charmingly quirky spell, Black moves on to her tenement days as a young actress in New York City where a combination of chutzpah, hard work, and talent garnered her heady success; and then it's on to her fortuitous rise to stardom in hippie-era Hollywood. Black gives the skinny on the making of some of her best-known films: Five Easy Pieces (blissful), The Day of the Locust (never again) and Come Back to the Five & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (emotionally tough).

But Black saves the pathos for the songs she memorably makes her own throughout the show- be it Goodnight Irene, Me and Bobby McGee, Sondheim's Send in the Clowns or Bowie's Time, the intelligent actress with a surprisingly strong voice is beyond committed to each number.

Whether rehashing her past or interpreting musical faves, Black is a first-rate, astonishingly accessible storyteller whose show makes for a marvelous, inspiring evening. - Patrick Folliard of The Washington Blade

"A true living Hollywood legend, Karen Black's tales of Broadway and Hollywood are both hysterical and absolutely fascinating. Having worked with some of the most influential filmmakers of all time--Hopper,

Altman, Hitchcock--on some of the most important and infamous movies of all time- Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Nashville, Airport '75, and yes...Trilogy of Terror - Karen Black is someone to be celebrated. And in her one-woman show, she reveals her soul through personal stories, original songs and unique covers by the Beatles, David Bowie, and Sondheim. I left the show admiring her and wondering how she does it all. She is an inspiration to artists and anyone who understands the value of hard work and giving 110% of yourself in all your endeavors." - Michael Baron - Associate Director Signature Theatre.

"I still have very influential people in the theatre community of DC, and coming up to me and saying "Thank you for one of the most perfect theatrical experiences I have had in years!". Karen is pure joy to work with and her show exceeded any grand expectation I could ever have hoped for! This is a perfect show. Small, self contained...definitely a one woman show equivalent to any of the other retrospective shows out there." -Jeffrey Johnson Artistic Director ganymede arts

Here is a nice interview I did after the show of "Brand Upon the Brain" in Portland for the Oregonian. - Karen

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview: Karen Black, the ultimate indie actor

Posted by Mike Russell October 14, 2007 15:19PM

Categories: Top Stories

Legendary actress Karen Black ("Nashville," "Five Easy Pieces") popped into Portland Saturday to do live narration on the Cinema 21 screenings of Guy Maddin's silent film, "Brand Upon the Brain!" She was absolutely hilarious as the emcee of Maddin's psychosexual memory play - which includes a domineering mother who monitors her children from a lighthouse; a reanimated corpse for a father; and a sister who falls in love with a famous girl detective as the kids tried to solve a mystery involving orphans with holes in their skulls. (Did I mention that Maddin is an experimental filmmaker?)

Black was especially giddy when interpreting the voice of Maddin's onscreen mother as a nagging cacophony of guilt trips and hysterical moans. She's one of a series of live narrators on the film's traveling road show; others have included Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and Crispin Glover.

Black, 62, has earned a reputation as the hardest-working woman in show business; she made seven movies in 2003 and five this year; she's jetting from Portland to Washington, D.C. for a one-woman show. Her refusal to slow down has garnered her some disparate cult fan bases: She's approached by Altman fans and horror aficionados, the latter thanks to her turns in fare like "Trilogy of Terror" and "House of 1000 Corpses."

To read more of this interview, click here:
Karen Black interview in the Oregonian

Stephen Eckelberry, my husband, has a new film - "The Mirror," which is in competition at the Hollywood Film Festival. It screens next week, Friday October 19th at the Arclight in Hollywood. 7 PM.

It's a dark -comedy/murder-mystery about a young woman (Erin Cahill) who discovers that the mirror in the bathroom of her parent's home (played by Kelly LeBrock and Thaao Penghlis) is actually double-sided, and that there is a secret room behind the mirror. She starts spying on her parents and their friends, meanwhile uncovering the mystery as to why the mirror was built in the first place.

It's an extraordinary film, I don't think you ever seen anything quite like it!

Tickets are going fast, so call the Arclight at (323) 464-4226 or buy tickets online:

THE MIRROR tickets online

Karen

I'm off to Seattle in a couple of days to narrate director Guy Maddin's Cannes Film Festival Award winning SILENT FILM,

Brand upon the Brain!

This is such an interesting event from the imagination of a man who's won the U.s. National Film Critics award TWICE for best U.S. experimental film of the year: the event is the showing of his silent film supported by myself, a live orchestra and sound effects created right there on stage!

I'm following in the footsteps of others who've narrated for Mr. Maddin, such as Isabella Rossellini, Geraldine Chaplin, and Alanis Morissette.

http://www.branduponthebrain.com/

Then I fly to Washington D.C for An Evening with Karen Black wherein I speak about my life and sing a few songs for the Ganymede Theatre Festival taking place there! That's October 19th.

http://www.ganymedearts.org/

- COMING UP -

Dorsay Alavi, the David Lynch prodigy, has turned her comedy television pilot into a movie and her troupe of actors- including moi- will be improvising Better People, A Curb Your Enthusiasm style comedy about a group of people who've won the right to 'become better people' by enlisting in all kinds of therapy, the grand mixture of which is supposed to somehow, help!

Cam Archer's new film Pull, with Rickie Lee Jones!

Jonathan Caouette's next film (untitled), that brilliant young director who was nominated for a Spirit Award, Best Director, in 2005!

This coming April and May I'll be doing legendary playwright Ernest Thompson's play, Ax of Love, in Boston. Mr. Thompson wrote, On Golden Pond, and we are looking forward to a possible early fall Off-Broadway opening.

COMING OUT-

Come one come all and see director David Siqueiros' new film One Long Night showing at the L. A. Latino Film Festival, co-starring with John Seda, Alison Eastwood and Ed Begley, Jr.

At the Arclight Cinema 13 at 7:30 pm on Oct 13th.

Calle the Arclight box office for tickets.

Also a lovely documentary with Alan Cummings and Debra Winger for the gifted and very young director Jennifer Elster (Particles of Truth).

Henry J's latest film Irene in Time with the splendiferous Tanna Frederick coming out early next year, and

- finally a great small film by Russell Brown, The Blue-Tooth Virgin, coming out, again, early next year. Russell is a real find; his last film, Race to the Bottom, received an amazing rave review from Kevin Thomas!~

That's not all there is, but that's all for now.

Love and good wishes,

Karen

..After Brand Upon the Brain! I am flying directly from West Coast to East -Portland Oregon to Washington DC, where I am performing live the World Premiere of my new one woman show "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sing the Song".

That's on Friday, October 19th. It's for a great cause, raising money for Ganymed Arts, a GLBT Arts festival. I look forward to seeing you there!

http://www.ganymedearts.org/

Next week I am performing two shows of Guy Maddin's BRAND UPON THE BRAIN.

Guy made an amazing silent film that is then projected on the screen with music from a live orchestra, sound effects by a sound effects crew and a narrator, in this case, me!

I will be in Seattle on Wednesday the 10th, and in Portland, Oregon on (correction!) Saturday the 13th.

For more information, go to

http://www.branduponthebrain.com/

or visit the myspace page,

http://www.myspace.com/branduponthebrain

Hope to see you there!

Karen

I'm remembering Dudley Moore, certainly one of the best film comedians of all time, when he said, "I took the money. I'm not crazy." which turned around the ending of that film: "Arthur". We remember that moment and remember Dudley in that moment. Now he's gone. That moment remains.

But there's more to be said here: what Dudley brought to the playing of that line was years of comic timing practice doing "Beyond the Fringe" in his New York days, his own skill as an actor earned through more years of practice, also a born-in talent for comedy. So much was drawn from

to create the utterance of that line!

Remember when Vivien Leigh said, in "Gone With the Wind", "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!"? We can't forget her there, kneeling in the dirt, clutching some shabby vegetation in her fist. Later, in the hands of the psychiatrists at that tine, her tuberculosis was treated as a mental illness and she received shock treatment for no reason and her life started to fall apart at that point I'm assuming. But in her past, it was her incredibly hard work – she used to ask Selznick if she could stay and shoot more scenes and this was after a twelve hour work day - her gift for affecting the viewer, her skillful grasp of character, and her ability to bring up from within herself the need, the longing, the sense of stark decision that gave the saying of that line what it took to have it resound throughout cinematic history.

When an actor is acting – it's life or death- get it right! Perform each moment as if that is the only moment in the history of your short life.

Well, it is.

There are hours that it takes to paint a painting and then there it is – the hours that it takes to write something and there it is. But for the actor? No. He's right: his legend, his legacy is only gained if and when he can bring himself completely to the tiniest flicker of time -. Strangely, that's all he has, all an actor will ever have to carve his name into the annals of history.

I hope you've seen "Hollywood Dreams" that I'm in -

Henry Jaglom's glamorous and witty film starring the winsome Tanna Frederick, with masterful actor Justin Kirk and music by Harriet Schock!

It's been number one for TWELVE WEEKS at one of Laemmle's most prestigious theaters, (though the Laemmle are ALL WONDERFUL and prestigious), the Sunset 5!

After this long run, this film is continuing at the Music Hall on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

I love the part I play in this movie, though it's a character that no one else in the movie likes because she's such a bitch but - she's still there flirting her way through another matter of weeks at the Music Hall - and if you haven't see the film, it's a must.

It's also playing across the country, for schedules and more info look here: http://www.hollywooddreamsthemovie.com/

Oh! I almost forgot. You know I've made more than a 100 movies. My dear husband did the miraculous by distilling all that work into eight gorgeous minutes of film. You have to see it to believe it. It's getting great notice on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4z0AoQTRjtA

Love to all,

Karen

Hi guys,

Well, I'm finally singing my own songs again! Come see!

And the beloved Harriet Schock will knock your hearts back up your throats again, believe me!

love,

Karen

GRASSROOTS ACOUSTICA at
Synergy Cafe & Lounge
4437 Sepulveda Blvd

Appearing: Harriet Schock, Karen Black, J. Scott Bergman, Dudley Saunders, instrumentalist Bryan Tysinger, Tom & Byron, and Kevin Montgomery.

NO COVER CHARGE but 100% of all donations to benefit The Blank Theatre Company

Appearing: Harriet Schock, Karen Black, J. Scott Bergman, Dudley Saunders, instrumentalist Bryan Tysinger, Tom & Byron, and Kevin Montgomery.

KAREN BLACK UPDATE

Missouri Waltz

My play finished up its six week stay at the Blank Theatre last Sunday. The house was overflowing: people had to sit on the stairs that led down to the stage and extra chairs had to be brought in.

People like this play. Here are two new comments by audience members from this last weekend: "Think of all the definitions of BRILLIANT and you may barely begin to approach the experience of the play I saw tonight!" - Randy Tobin, record producer, musician

"The most magnificent and moving play I have seen in a long time...we are lifted up out of our world. The eloquence is astonishing." Alice Pero, arguably, one of Southern California's top poets Administrator/ organizer of the famous Moonday Poetry Readings for award winning poets across the nation

There are a lot more great notes and articles about the play on my blog:

Karen's Missouri Waltz quotes

Suffering Man's Charity

Premiered at this year's South by Southwest festival, the Alan Cumming film continues on the festival circuit. Starring Alan Cumming, David Boreanaz, Anne Heche, Carrie Fisher and myself. "One bright moment is Karen Black, as the falling-down drunk tramp Sebastian (Boreanaz) meets on his last night of boozing...who even compared to Cumming is the only actor ready to abandon all self-respect in service of a script that needs its characters to come unhinged." - John DeFore - Hollywood Reporter

Hollywood Dreams

Henry Jaglom's movie continues its run at your local Lemmle theater. "Karen Black, who gave one of her all-time best performances in Jaglom's "Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?" is acid and merciless as a tart-tongued drama coach." - Michael Wilmington ChicagoTribune

That's it for now!

Love, Karen

http://karenblack.com/

http://www.myspace.com/therealkarenblack

youtube montage

A great article about me in the June issue of Venice Magazine. Here are some scans:

The article talks about my life and my new play, Missouri Waltz. Click on the page to read the text:

And come see the play! only a few days left.

for tickets, call 323 661 9827 or go to theblank.com

Some Quotes from people who have seen MISSOURI WALTZ

"Karen Black's Missouri Waltz is a sweet, fanciful treat with a strong heart, memorable characters, and the kind of poetic dialog not heard often enough on today's stages." -- Bob Benedetti, multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer/producer.

"I loved Missouri Waltz. A charming and delightfully composed play, in text and songs. And masterfully executed." -- George Sluizer Film director "The Vanishing"

"Karen Black was just magnificent. How thrilling it was to hear those words and see Karen’s beauty and eloquence." -- Lainie Kazan, singer, actress, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

"Missouri Waltz is that most unusual combination: fresh, disarmingly smart, and deeply moving." -- Martin Perlich, program director and host KCSN/novelist.

"A sojourn through the comical tribulations of one family in a small Midwestern town. "Missouri Waltz" is enlivened by the quirky interactions of middle-aged sisters Chrissie (Black) and Bea (Dana Peterson) and their prodigal, twentysomething niece Zoe (Whitney Laux)...The five melodic and insightful [Grammy nominated Harriet] Schock songs are incorporated as commentary on the action...captivating interweaving of Chrissie's and Bea's personas as they speak directly to the audience, relating the family's 150-year Irish immigrant history, recalling their own lives, rife with quirky shenanigans, unfulfilled dreams and failed marriages. Particularly entertaining is the often simultaneous discourse on a specific event, with each sister offering a slight variation on the actual facts. Together, they offer a richly detailed, comedic panorama of an American family." -- Julio Martinez, Theater reviewer, Variety

"Inspired by songs from the incredibly gifted songwriter, Harriet Schock, actor/writer/singer, Karen Black serves up a real tour de force in her poignantly written but humorous answer to the question, 'Why are we here?'." -- Iris Gordy Former V.P. Motown Records

"Karen Black is amazing...a WONDER. I loved and am so impressed by the play, the performances, the production, the tone…nothing but BRAVOS… and oh that dress!!!!" -- Susan Traylor, actress, film director "Welcome to L.A."

"Liked it? I loved it. I loved it. Brilliant. And something I will always have to remember." -- Ondi Timoner, director, Sundance Grand Jury prize winner "Dig"

"Very warm and loving. I especially love the choric speaking." -- Robert Benedetti, Emmy award winning Producer "A Lesson Before Dying".

"My friend and I (as did the entire audience) sat completely absorbed in the play and the extraordinary performances by the actors, having had no sense of the passage of time when it ended. The story and Harriet Schock's songs seemed to weave seamlessly into and out of each other, supporting and giving dimension to what the characters were feeling, making the total experience uniquely and thoroughly enjoyable." -- Nelson Varon, Songwriter/Composer

"The evening is really refreshing. Believe me when I say there is a healing effect as well. From the songs and the way Karen Black speaks, you can tell it’s from the heart. That indeed is very powerful." -- Tanya Rivers, Board Member, Los Angeles Women in Music

"I loved the play. I loved every minute of it. I was laughing and it was poignant and the words are incredible. Incredible, I mean it. It’s a great, fun, rollicking incredible funny play. And I loved the bad lender! Eric Pierpoint. Oh my God he was hysterical. Everybody sang well and I loved it and so did my friends. It was incredible. It was a great evening." -- Mimi Starret, Realtor

Karen Black has written a great play that take you on a truly amazing, emotional rollercoaster ride. The actors are superb. Dana Peterson creates a great comedic duo with Karen Black and Whitney Laux is amazing, she is a star in the making. Grammy nominated songwriter Harriet Schock has five songs in the show and they fit seamlessly into Karen Blacks script. Beautifully crafted, these songs strike the perfect emotional chord for the story. Whitney Laux's performance of the song 'Dancing with my Father' was a standout moment for me. This is a play I felt was worth every cent of admission and far more. Simply, a brilliant night of theatre." -- Hugh Lehane Buena Park, CA

"What made it stand out was that while, on one level it was an amusing light-hearted comedy, at the same time it addressed very serious subjects in a very serious fashion. It did so without sinking into anything morbid or depressing or pedantic. And then it flipped right back into revealing the strength of a light-hearted playfulness." -- Frank Blumer, Businessman

"Cross the poetic sensibilities of Tennessee Williams with the warmth and intimacy of the best 1970's singer-songwriter albums and a dollop of whimsy and you have " Missouri Waltz " the new " play with songs " by actress Karen Black and an experience not to be missed ! She delivers a moving performance that is beautifully nuanced and is wonderfully complemented by the comedic timing of Dana Peterson as her more pragmatic sister, Bea. Whitney Laux brings a luminosity to her role in a show that is graced with a beautiful score by the gifted singer-songwriter Harriet Schock. Listening to the three actresses deliver the closing song " Home " with its heartfelt and plaintive lyric and melody, it is impossible not to be moved. This is an authentic show with its heart planted firmly in the right place ; devoid of cynicism and guaranteed to send you out into the night smiling."-- Mark Cote, Recording Artist/Songwriter/Visual Artist

The play runs through the end of June. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you must come and see it. Call 323 661 9827 for tickets, or go to http://theblank.com/

Some pictures from the play
MISSOURI WALTZ

This is a picture of our lovely set, with myself in the foreground singing and Dana Peterson in the background, who plays my sister. The set was designed by Ginne Ann Held. Angela Combs is the brilliant director of the piece. Her ideas for staging and the way she works with actors is divine.This is a picture of the whole cast. From Left to right, Weston Blakesley, Dana Peterson, Whitney Laux, myself and Eric Pierpoint.Dana and I play two ghosts. In this shot we are trying to make our niece feel better, who can't see us, but can feel our presence.

The play runs through the end of June. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you must come and see it. Call 323 661 9827 for tickets, or go to http://theblank.com/

See you there!

The play is running through the end of June. If you are in Los Angeles, it's a must see!