Wednesday, December 29, 2010

THE YEAR IN BRICK: 2010


Dear Supporters of The Brick:


We are writing to ask for your continuing financial support to help The Brick continue its programming in 2011 and beyond.

The Brick has been running strong now for 8 years, and we couldn't have gotten here without you.

Below are some of the highlights of 2010!

And here is where you can help us make 2011 possible!


http://www.bricktheater.com/donationpage


THE 8TH YEAR IN BRICK: 2010


THE BRICK IS CROWNED KING OF THE NERDS & OUTCASTS!


(1) Time Out New York featured The Brick as one of 17 "Essential New York Theater" venues and shows, along with The Public Theater, St. Ann's Warehouse and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Time Out's verdict: "Williamsburg's scrappy proliferator of smart-alecky themed festivals (Moral Values, Anti-Depressant et al.) is for the nerds, outcasts and mad experimenters of theater. That includes both creators and spectators."

Read here!


"A FOR-REAL, ONLY-IN-NEW YORK KIND OF THEATER"


(2) Metromix featured The Brick in a Thanksgiving tribute on "The top 10 reasons to be thankful for New York's wild and wonderful theater scene." Its description captures the spirit of The Brick well:


"Hats off, please for a moment of silence as we remember the late Ohio Theater. But their questing, DIY spirit lives on across the river in Williamsburg's only full-time theater space, The Brick. The constant churn of new work by local theater artists on the cheap ($15 to $20 tickets) is a plus, not a minus. Summertime means festivals like 'Fight Fest' (showcasing the art of stage combat) and 'Game Play' ('video game performance art,' which is as cool as that sounds). The Brick is a for-real, only-in-New York kind of theater. Thank goodness there are a few left."


Read here!


BRICK SHOWS TAKE TOP HONORS AT THE NYIT AWARDS!


(3) Brick shows from the 2009-2010 season again made a big splash at the annual New York Innovative Theatre Foundation awards. Brick shows took 11 nominations (Infectious Opportunity, Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot Wars, and The Vigil or the Guided Cradle) and 4 awards (Samuel and Alasdair - Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Sound Design; The Vigil or the Guided Cradle - Crystal Skillman, Outstanding Original Full-Length Script).


Read here!


THE TIMES RAVES ABOUT GAME PLAY


(4) The New York Times raved about our second year of Game Play, The Brick's new festival dedicated to the art of video-themed performance:


"... what if the characters and stories of classic video games were reimagined and reinterpreted as live theater in front of you? Even as someone who writes about video games for a living, I had not imagined such a thing possible until attending 'Theater of the Arcade,' the most provocative and intriguing of four different shows I recently saw as part of the Game Play festival at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn."


Read
here!

CLOWNS INVADE YET AGAIN


(5) This year brought back the biggest, craziest and best attended New York Clown Theatre Festival yet. The festival began with the traditional Union Square-to-Williamsburg parade and public pie fight, then proceeded to 21 Mainstage shows, 5 cabarets, 2 workshops, and a closing day clown funeral through the streets of Williamsburg.


See Rocketboom's video feature here!


THE BRICK EXISTS! GETS A WIKIPEDIA ENTRY!


(6) View here! At last! We're as real as the history of Pomerania!


FIGHT FEST WARPS CHRISTMAS!

ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE!


(7) Evil Santa Claus, Busty Medieval Vixens, Bloodthirsty Clowns, The Three Swashbuckling Kings and Warring Inbreds fought to redefine the holidays at The Brick's Fight Fest 2010! As promoted by The New York Times here and here!


Which just goes to show: A little, 50-seat Brooklyn theater with heart and great supporters can get a lot done.


Please help us keep doing it! Please consider a generous one-time donation, or a monthly subscription plan. It's extremely easy at our donation page -- or by mailing in a check using our donor form.


We share 50% of the box office from each show with the artists. The other 50% doesn't come close to covering our costs to keep The Brick going. We need your help to keep our pro-artist, pro-audience, pro-quality-theater model alive. Thanks again.


Best,

Michael, Robert, Hope, Jeff, Gyda, Ian, Berit and Roger

and the 240-plus Bricklayer volunteers.

www.bricktheater.com


P.S. On tap for 2011: The Iranian Theater Festival, The Comic Book Theater Festival in June, the third annual installment of Game Play in July, Late Night & Kids' shows and Mainstage World Premieres from tomorrow's "Mad Experimenters!"


A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from us directly or from the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.