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Best of New York
July 24, 2006
As Jeffrey James Keyes can tell you,
anything can happen in New York. One day you're a struggling
actor, the next you're on the cover of Back Stage East. That's
what happened to Keyes when he took part in our first-ever
"Best of N.Y." readers' poll. He was selected at random to win
a free headshot package from Babaldi Studio and got his
picture on our cover, which was taken at Dojo, the winner for
best cheap meal.
Many
publications run "best-of" features, but we wanted to find out
your favorites for essential career items such as
photographers, acting teachers, and rental spaces, as well as
living necessities like cheap meals, hair salons, and clothing
stores. We also threw in a few fun ones, such as best cheap
getaway and best improv group. The responses ranged from
serious to comic. One reader voted for the cheapest possible
choices, including "my cameraphone" for best headshot
photographer and "my bathroom sink" for best hair salon.
Another cleverly suggested "Leftover food from corporate
meetings where I temp" as best cheap meal.
We included comments from respondents and, when the
race was especially close, runners-up. Thanks to Jeffrey,
Babaldi Studios, and everyone who participated. Enjoy your
choices for "The Best of N.Y."
READER'S PICKS
HEADSHOT
PHOTOGRAPHER
Barry
Morgenstein
"Nice, clean studio. Good lighting
and background choices.... He is very relaxed...a nice calm
atmosphere to work in." So one voter described headshot
photographer Barry Morgenstein.
Morgenstein has been in the photo business for 22
years. He started his career shooting musicians for record
companies, having previously been a blues and rock 'n' roll
performer himself, but about nine years ago he branched out
into theatrical headshots. He's been in his present studio on
West 25th Street for about four and a half years, and he's
shot everyone from Michael Jackson to Arnold Schwarzenegger to
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. His photos have graced book
and CD covers and appeared in such magazines as Rolling
Stone, People, Entertainment Weekly, and
Soap Opera Digest.
Morgenstein attributes his reputation for creating
a relaxed atmosphere in part to the "laid-back" makeup people
he works with. And perhaps because of his own background, he
finds music to be an important part of a good photo session
and encourages performers to bring CDs they enjoy listening to
and that they find to be centering.
Although he was "a holdout for a long time,"
Morgenstein recently made the switch from traditional film to
digital photography. He's now a believer: "It's just great for
the client: You do the shoot. You show them the photos as
you're shooting, and if they do want to change something,
you'll change it right there." Another trend he sees?
Black-and-white is losing its popularity: "Agents and casting
directors are pretty much saying that they want to see color
now."
Barry Morgenstein
Photography, 130 W. 25th St., 4th floor, NYC 10001; (212)
647-1288. Email: photo@barrymorgenstein.com. Website: http://www.barrymorgenstein.com/.
Runners-up:
Peter Hurley Photography, 601 W. 26th St.,
Ste. 1425E, NYC 10001; (212) 627-2210. Email:
sessions@peterhurley.com. Website: http://www.peterhurley.com/.
Studio Babaldi, 333 W. 39th
St., Ste. 603, NYC 10018; (212) 253-8795. Email:
mm@babaldi.com. Website: http://www.babaldi.com/.
Marco Baldi Photography,
24-32 Union Square East, Ste. 200N, NYC 10003; (212) 253-0121.
Email: marcobaldi@marcobaldi.com. Website: http://www.marcobaldi.com/.
Robert Kim Photography, 101
W. 18th St., Ste. 5D, NYC 10011; (212) 645-5788 or
1-888-KIM-FOTO (toll-free). Email: kimfoto@earthlink.net.
Website: http://www.robertkim.com/.
-- Mark Dundas
Wood
HAIR SALON
Bumble and Bumble
If the name doesn't exactly inspire confidence,
Bumble and Bumble's long-standing reputation among celebrities
and fashionistas definitely should. Founded in 1977, it has
become a New York institution while keeping its pulse on the
latest in trendy hairdos and up-to-the-minute styling and
cutting techniques.
Although
cuts start at $85, artists on a budget can get one for free by
signing up to be a hair model. Bumble and Bumble conducts
advanced training classes for experienced stylists and needs
individuals willing to put their heads -- and hair -- on the
line.
"Once a week they have
calls, and if your hair is the correct length and texture that
they're looking for, someone taking the course will cut your
hair for free," says Jennifer Weedon, who's been taking
advantage of that perk for a couple of years.
While the salon is known for certain
signature styles -- and razors as well as scissors are often
used to give hair a sharp look -- Weedon says the stylists
consult with their models before cutting away: "They don't
just give you a cookie-cutter cut." But don't be in a hurry:
The entire training-and-evaluation process can take up to two
hours. And you have to be prepared to undergo a style change,
not just have your present 'do tidied up.
Bumble and Bumble, 146 E. 56th St., NYC 10022
and 415 W. 13th St., NYC 10014; (212) 521-6500 (both
locations). Website: http://www.bumbleandbumble.com/.
Runner-up:
Astor Place Hair Designers, 2 Astor Place,
NYC 10003; (212) 475-9854.
-- Diane Snyder
GYM/HEALTH
CLUB
New York Sports
Club
With 97 locations in the tristate
area (and three more to open this fall), it's no wonder New
York Sports Club topped our readers survey. In Manhattan,
there seems to be one on every block.
NYSC offers a variety of services to the
health-conscious actor, from the usual array of exercise
machines and free weights to racquetball, swimming, and sports
massage.
"I like the yoga
classes," said Francine Berman. She was new to yoga when she
took a class at a location on the Upper West Side. "They made
me comfortable," she said, adding that "the teacher
illustrated the different positions very well."
NYSC teaches more than 100 different
styles of class throughout its network, including Pilates,
kickboxing, spinning, and strength and flexibility training. A
full schedule of classes is offered daily at each club. Many
locations also offer XpressLine, in which you can complete a
full-body strength workout on eight machines in less than 22
minutes.
Frank Swingler said the
location he frequented in Midtown had "lots of machines,"
wasn't too crowded, and "people there are nice."
NYSC offers six membership options,
including "Night Owl," for folks who want to work out between
midnight and 5 a.m. at one of the company's three 24-hour
Manhattan locations.
New York
Sports Club, throughout the city. Website: http://www.nysc.com/.
Runners-up:
Crunch Fitness, 15 locations
in the New York area, http://www.crunch.com/.
Equinox Fitness Clubs, 21
locations in the tristate area, http://www.equinoxfitness.com/.
-- Tom
Penketh
ACTING TEACHER
William Esper
When he was a young actor in Ohio,
William Esper saw Eli Wallach and Maureen Stapleton in a
touring production of The Rose Tattoo. The play changed
his life.
"I was so struck by the
acting," he says. "After the play was over, I decided to go
around the corner to get a cup of coffee so I could think
about it some more. I walked into a little drugstore, and Eli
was sitting there having a bite to eat."
Once he'd "screwed up the courage," he talked to
the actor, because Esper had to know how he did what he did.
Wallach told him he had studied at Sanford Meisner's
Neighborhood Playhouse. That was all Esper needed to hear.
After college he moved to New York
and began studying with the teacher who was famous for his
exercises in repeated dialogue. Though he worked for a time as
an actor, Esper was soon following Meisner's lead. "I started
directing. I started coaching people," he says. "I lost my
love of performing."
His loss was
a boon for actors, as his roster of alumni can attest. Among
those Esper has taught are Kathy Bates, Aaron Eckhart, and
Richard Schiff.
Esper says he
became frustrated with performing because he "had no control
over anything." As a teacher, he tells actors to let go of
their need to control everything: "Any actor without
vulnerability is useless." He adds, however, that actors need
to be certain of where they are and what they're doing, at
least in one sense.
"They have to
be clear about what business they're in," he says. "Are they
in the serious actor business or are they in show business?…
In a world with no standards, unless they have a real standard
within them, it's very easy to get lost."
William Esper Studio, 261 W. 35th St., 7th
floor, NYC 10001; (212) 904-1350. Website: http://www.esperstudio.com/.
Runners-up:
Maggie Flanagan Studio, 153 W. 27th St.,
Ste. 803, NYC 10001; (917) 606-0982. Website: http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/.
Wynn Handman/The American
Place Theatre, 266 W. 37th St., 22nd floor, NYC 10018;
(212) 594-4482. Website: http://www.americanplacetheatre.org/.
Susan Batson, Black
Nexxus, 10 Crosby St., NYC 10012; (212) 226-4630. Website:
http://www.blacknexxusinc.com/.
-- Andrew
Salomon
PRIVATE COACH
Charles Tuthill
As an actor, Charles Tuthill had a
fondness for rehearsal and "putting it all together." But as
for actually being on stage? Not so much.
"I stopped enjoying being out there," says Tuthill,
who is now working as an acting coach. He has been coaching
for about four years after making his living as an actor for
the previous 15. He began teaching at the Atlantic Theater
Company's school before joining the faculty of the Actors
Center. Now he does one-on-one work with everyone from
students auditioning for MFA programs to actors working in
major films.
Though he demurs
when asked for some famous names he has coached, Tuthill
offers that he has worked with three actors "who are in the
top 10 movies of the moment. I have five students in the
Shakespeare Lab at the Public, and I have students going to
Yale and NYU." He also has testimonials on his website from
Academy Award nominee Laura Linney and Broadway actress Lauren
Ward.
A teacher in an acting
program will often have to strip away years of bad acting
habits like varnish off an old bureau. Tuthill, however,
simply works with what he has.
"I
wouldn't even know how," he says. "I'm just dealing with
what's in front of me. I inspire someone to be bolder. That's
what I'd like my job description to be. People get in their
own way. I want to boost their confidence and get them to the
level where they stop questioning themselves, where they feel
like they're not doing enough. I just want them to feel
free."
Charles Tuthill, The
Actors Center, 12 W. 27th St., Ste. 1700, NYC 10001. Email:
CharlesTuthill@yahoo.com. Website: http://www.charlestuthill.com/.
Runners-up:
Glenn Alterman, (212) 769-7928. Website: http://www.glennalterman.com/.
JoAnna Beckson, J. Beckson
Studios, 325 W. 38th St., Ste. 204, NYC 10018; (917)
749-6922. Email: JTBeck417@aol.com. Website: http://www.joannabeckson.com/.
Alan Gordon Studio, 847
Carroll St. #4, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (classes are held at
Ripley-Grier Studios or the Players Theatre in Manhattan);
(718) 622-4150 or (917) 566-2223. Email: ajg0103@yahoo.com.
Scott Hudson, c/o Maggie Flanagan
Studio, 153 W. 27th St., Ste. 803, NYC 10001; (917)
606-0982. Website: http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/.
-- Andrew
Salomon
13th Street Repertory Company
When new Off-Off-Broadway theatres
with short life expectancies are born almost daily, the
endurance of the 13th Street Repertory Company, founded by
Artistic Director Edith O'Hara in 1972, is remarkable. One of
its shows, Line, a modest one-act by Israel Horovitz
about five people waiting -- you guessed it -- in a line, has
been playing for an unprecedented 32 years and is the
longest-running Off-Off-Broadway show in history.
But the fact that 13th Street Rep has produced or served as a home for countless shows is not
the only reason the voters chose it. More than two generations
of New York actors, playwrights, directors, and designers have
cut their teeth at this homey venue, located in a Greenwich
Village brownstone dating to 1840. There's a sense of
tradition -- with actors handing down their skills from year
to year, show to show.
An
intimate black box with a raised stage, cushioned seats, and a
museum-worthy gallery of production shots lining the walls,
the space creates a feeling of communion between actor and
audience. And because nearly all the plays that run at 13th
Street Rep are new, actors have the chance to create a
character from scratch, perhaps putting their stamp on
something that won't -- like most of the city's companies --
be gone in a New York minute.
13th Street Repertory Company, 50 W. 13th St.,
NYC 10011; (212) 675-6677. Website: http://www.13thstreetrep.org/.
-- Leonard
Jacobs
OFF-OFF-BROADWAY COMPANY TO SEE
The Flea Theater
Certain downtown theatres have an
air of pretentiousness, but the two-venue Flea Theater -- its
spiffy Tribeca digs notwithstanding -- isn't one of them.
Since its founding in 1996 -- by director Jim Simpson,
designer Kyle Chepulis, and playwright Mac Wellman -- it has
stood at the vanguard of work that's sometimes experimental,
sometimes traditional, and always progressive and intriguing.
The Flea's pair of Obie Awards and its 2004 Drama Desk Award
were wholly earned.
For hunters
of experimentation, the work of the Flea's resident company,
the Bats, is typically the way to go. Over the years, its
output has ranged from the stylish, Kabuki-inspired Benten
Kozo, to pieces by Wellman, Len Jenkin, and composer Elizabeth
Swados. For hunters of the traditional -- or something
seemingly traditional that's been cast in a new light -- the
Flea's full productions fully engage: Anne Nelson's two-hander
The Guys, one of the first emotionally rich theatrical
responses to Sept. 11; A.R. Gurney's timely political play
Mrs. Farnsworth; Roger Rosenblatt's Ashley Montana
Goes Ashore in the Caicos... or What Am I Doing Here?
Within its walls, the Flea symbolizes community, from the
smaller companies that have enjoyed residencies to
multidisciplinary festivals (Dance@The Flea, for example) that
expose audiences to new horizons.
Perhaps the real reason voters chose the Flea is
because it can't be pegged or predicted. Theatre is at its
best when it surprises, questions, and investigates. The Flea
has done that for 10 years, with Off-Off-Broadway the
beneficiary.
The Flea Theater,
41 White St., NYC 10013; (212) 226-2407. Website: http://www.theflea.org/.
-- Leonard
Jacobs
RENTAL SPACE
Ripley-Grier Studios
Husband-and-wife team Butch Grier and Patricia
Ripley have been in the space rental business since 1984. They
operate three Manhattan locations under the name New York
Spaces -- one on 72nd Street and two on Eighth Avenue. Until
late June, only the 520 Eighth Ave. location was officially
known as Ripley-Grier Studios. Now all three locations go by
the family brand.
It's the 520
Eighth Ave. location that most Back Stage readers likely had
in mind when they chose it their favorite rental space for
rehearsals, classes, and auditions. The large complex
encompasses nearly the entire 16th floor, plus 5,000 square
feet on each of the 10th and 17th floors.
What accounts for Ripley-Grier's popularity? "I
think cleanliness and brightness is a key issue," says Grier,
noting that Ripley is a feng shui consultant who cares deeply
about ambiance. Wicker furniture and potted plants enhance the
studios' comfort quotient. Other selling points include
routers for Internet connection and acoustical curtains that
can also serve to mask the rooms' windows and mirrors.
Grier notes that employees complete
a customer-service program known as "Ripley-Grier College."
The friendliness of the staff at all the facilities was lauded
by one Back Stage reader: "You know, at some of these [other]
places, the guys or gals that sit behind the desk say, 'Yeah,
yeah. Whatever.' You say, 'Where's the studio?,' and they can
barely give you the time of day. But [at Ripley-Grier they]
say, 'Oh, geez, we put you in a room without a piano? Let me
switch that around for you.'"
The
next expansion? Grier says negotiations are underway to take
over the rest of the 16th floor at 520 Eighth Ave. in order to
add a food court and a store that will sell "everything from
T-shirts to Band-Aids."
Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 Eighth Ave., 16th
floor, NYC 10018; 939 Eighth Ave., Ste. 307, NYC 10019; and
131 W. 72nd St., NYC 10023; (212) 799-5433 (all locations).
Email: sales@newyorkspaces.com. Website: http://www.ripleygrier.com/.
Runners-up:
Shetler Studios, 244 W. 54th St., NYC 10019
and 939 Eighth Ave., NYC 10019; (212) 246-6655 (both
locations). Email: sales@shetlerstudios.com.
Website: http://www.shetlerstudios.com/.
Chelsea Studios,
Theatreworks/USA, 151 W. 26th St., NYC 10001; (212)
924-5877. Email: sroath@twusa.org. Website:
http://www.chelseastudios.org/.
-- Mark Dundas
Wood
IMPROV GROUP
Upright Citizens Brigade
In 1996, four improv/sketch
comedians from Chicago -- Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian
Roberts, and Matt Walsh -- arrived in town to found the
Upright Citizens Brigade. Within a decade, the troupe had
grown to become a downright venerable institution (they've
also added a theatre in Los Angeles). UCB's 26th Street
theatre in Manhattan typically stages four or five shows a
night, seven days a week.
It's
comedy styled for the locals, according to Artistic Director
Anthony King. "We've never really spent a lot of focus on
tourists," he says. "We feel we have the same sensibility as
New Yorkers: It's smart, alternative comedy." And at $5-$8 for
most shows, it's also an entertainment bargain.
The founders of UCB were grounded in
Del Close's ImprovOlympic comedy tradition. According to King,
this school emphasizes "the game of the scene." Performers
look for the most unusual aspect of a situation and then play
with and heighten it during the course of the
improvisation.
In New York, UCB
offers a wealth of classes in improv and sketch comedy, with
between 400 and 600 students enrolled at any given time. A
couple of months ago, a new training facility opened at 145 W.
30th St. It includes seven classrooms, a writers' room, and
business offices.
The "flagship"
performances at UCB, says King, are the Sunday evening
ASSSSCAT shows, featuring UCB's most famous and
accomplished players, including Poehler (now a Saturday Night
Live star) and Rob Corddry and Ed Helms of The Daily Show.
ASSSSCAT (the name is purportedly an absurd acronym
involving automatic sprinkler systems) especially impressed
one Back Stage reader: "It's such a down-to-earth but
high-energy environment.... It's not really about glitz or
glamour. Even the beer that they sell there is cheap. They're
not there to make money. It's more for the love of it."
Upright Citizens Brigade, 307 W.
26th St., NYC 10011; (212) 366-9176. Email: info@ucbt.net. Website: http://www.ucbtheatre.com/.
Runner-up:
The People's Improv Theater (The PIT), 154
W. 29th St., NYC 10001; (212) 563-7488. Email: info@thepit-nyc.com.
Website: http://www.thepit-nyc.com/.
-- Mark Dundas
Wood
CHEAP GETAWAY
Jones Beach and Fire Island
Do you want to break away from the
Big Apple on the cheap? Try Jones Beach or Fire Island, which
tied for the title of best cheap getaway.
Six and a half miles of beach stretches out before
you at Jones Beach State Park, which also boasts the Theodore
Roosevelt Nature Center and the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater,
an outdoor concert venue. To get there, the Long Island Rail
Road is selling a one-day roundtrip rail package, through
Sept. 4, to Freeport, N.Y., with MTA Long Island Bus
transportation to the East or West Bathhouses or the Central
Mall. The fare is $15 from Manhattan or Brooklyn and $11 from
Jamaica, Queens.
The National
Park Service maintains the Fire Island National Seashore,
located on a barrier island with several different communities
and historical and scenic attractions galore. It's relatively
inexpensive if you're visiting for the day, but staying
overnight is not, especially in the summer, and there are
limited camping facilities. To get there by train, one way is
to take the Long Island Rail Road's Babylon line, a one-hour
ride for $11 from Penn Station to Bay Shore, Long Island. From
there it's a 15-minute walk to the ferry. There are also water
taxis that stop at various communities on the island.
Jones Beach, Long Island, N.Y.
Website: www.mta.info/lirr/getaways/BeachPackages/JonesBeach.htm.
Fire Island, Long Island, N.Y.
Websites: http://www.fireisland.com/
and http://www.fireislandwatertaxi.com/.
Runners-up:
The Jersey Shore, including Atlantic City.
Website: http://www.virtualnjshore.com/.
Chinatown buses to Boston and
Washington. Websites: http://www.chinatown-bus.com/
and www.blacktable.com/gillin031105.htm.
-- B.L. Rice
COMMERCIAL CASTING DIRECTOR
Liz Lewis Casting Partners
At Liz Lewis Casting Partners,
the mission is to treat every person who walks through the
door with respect. While striving to match the needs and wants
of its clients -- an impressive roster from the film,
television, theatre, and on-camera and voiceover commercial
industries -- the office has certainly not overlooked the
actors who come in to audition.
"The casting directors at Liz Lewis are nice,
polite, funny, and treat you like a human being," said one
respondent. "[You] can't say that for some of the other
casting directors out there."
The
staff of more than 14 casting directors and assistants -- with
over 75 years of combined experience -- has developed a
personal approach to finding and nurturing talent. The office
doesn't turn away young or green performers and will take a
headshot and résumé from anyone who walks into the office.
"We feel really strongly about
treating everyone with professionalism," says Lynn Taylor, the
office's controller. "Everyone is treated with respect and
courtesy. And the people who work here have that in their
personality. It's our mission statement. We're really about
getting the best result for everybody."
Another reason for Liz Lewis' popularity is
obvious: The office keeps a file of more than two million
headshots. But all of its actors are taken seriously as
individuals, whether their talent runs toward slice-of-life
on-camera spots or cartoon voiceovers.
"We really appreciate the outcome of the vote,"
says Taylor. "We want to thank those people. I think it's
wonderful. I think the best asset we have is we certainly
enjoy our work!"
Liz Lewis
Casting Partners, 129 W. 20th St., NYC 10011.
-- Anna Bengel
FILM/TV CASTING DIRECTOR
Marci Phillips, ABC/Touchstone Primetime
Casting
Avy Kaufman
Casting
Grant Wilfley
Casting
The vote for best
film/TV casting director ended in a three-way tie, and after
reviewing the caliber of the competition, it isn't hard to see
why. Marci Phillips, Avy Kaufman, and Grant Wilfley are three
of the busiest casters working today.
Phillips, an executive casting director at ABC, and
her colleagues are in charge of casting pilots, miniseries,
television movies, and some programs for ABC Family,
Touchstone Television, and ESPN on the East Coast. But that
doesn't mean she handles only big shots.
According to ABC casting coordinator Geoffrey
Soffer in an interview with ActorsLife.com, Phillips and the
casting team are "very active in finding new talent by going
to showcases and New York theatre. Everyone in my office is
the best possible person an actor can have in the room during
an audition. I love that my office loves actors. We want
actors to succeed, and we want them to get the job."
Phillips' genuine interest in
helping actors find success was reinforced by her voters. "She
is truly actor-friendly," one respondent wrote. "As an actor
you always feel like she is on your side when you are in the
room auditioning for a big project."
Avy Kaufman also has an impressive roster of
credits. As casting director for more than 80 major motion
pictures over nearly two decades, Kaufman's resume includes
Syriana, Brokeback Mountain, Capote,
Garden State, Heist, Blow, State and
Main, The Sixth Sense, Dancer in the Dark,
and the list goes on and on.
Finally, there's Grant Wilfley Casting, celebrating
its 15th anniversary this year. Specializing in background
performers, the office has placed actors in jobs for directors
such as Cameron Crowe, Penny Marshall, and Joel Schumacher and
handles talent for both movies (Catch Me If You Can,
Almost Famous) and television (Law and Order:
Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos). The bottom
line for Wilfley is to give both seasoned talent and newcomers
a chance to gain professional experience.
"We've always appreciated actors as professionals,"
Wilfley said. "With the continued growth of the film and
television industry in New York, we hope to continue to grow
ourselves and in doing so help the New York acting
community."
Marci Phillips,
c/o ABC/Touchstone Primetime Casting, 157 Columbus Ave., 2nd
floor, NYC 10023.
Avy Kaufman
Casting, 180 Varick St., 16th floor, NYC 10014.
Grant Wilfley Casting, 123 W. 18th
St., 8th floor, NYC 10011.
-- Anna Bengel
THEATRE CASTING DIRECTOR
Telsey + Company
Though Bernard Telsey's office also casts for film,
TV, and commercials, Telsey + Company is mainly known for the
stage, principally musicals. Telsey is currently represented
by nine shows on Broadway, including The Color Purple,
The Drowsy Chaperone, Hairspray, Rent,
and Wicked. And there are another six on the way, such
as High Fidelity, How the Grinch Stole
Christmas, and Legally Blonde.
Perhaps Telsey's greatest triumph was casting the
three revolving companies of Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of
La Bohème. Not only did he need to find performers with
trained voices, but they had to break the stereotype of
middle-aged, overweight opera stars in order to fulfill
Luhrmann's vision of gorgeous, youthful Parisians. Another
challenge is the current staging of Sweeney Todd and
the upcoming revival of Company, both of which require
performers to double as the orchestra. Hairspray is
equally daunting: The leading lady must be a plus-size
powerhouse who can sing 1960s rock and boogaloo with the best
of them.
Telsey's staff handles
its difficult assignments with aplomb. "He really wants
everyone to succeed when they walk in the door," says Jeffrey
James Keyes about David Vaccari, one of Telsey's casting
directors. "He calls in actors he respects, and you feel like
he's rooting for you."
Telsey
+ Company, 311 W. 43rd St., 10th floor, NYC 10036.
- David
Sheward
DINER/COFFEE SHOP
Westway
The Westway is one of a dying breed:
the affordable Manhattan diner. Equally convenient to the
stages of Broadway and the smaller venues of Theatre Row, the
Westway is a popular refueling station for actors before and
after performances or rehearsals. The menu selection is
enormous, the portions generous, and it's open all night. You
can grab a stack of pancakes after nightclubbing, sip a cup of
coffee before an audition, or wolf down tasty pasta in time to
make an 8 o'clock curtain.
Actor
Irene Woods likes "the energy of the place. When I have gone
for a while without being in a play or having a part on TV and
I go in there, it reminds me that I'm an actress. It helps me
not forget that. The energy is just so fantastic with people
discussing plays that are coming up and people sitting and
reading Back Stage. That's really what I love about it."
Westway Diner, 914 Ninth Ave.,
NYC 10036; (212) 582-7661; fax: (212) 315-9104.
Runner-up:
Dunkin' Donuts, locations
throughout the city.
-- David
Sheward
ACTORS' HANGOUT
Actors' Equity Lounge
Starbucks
Despite their obvious differences, Starbucks and
the Actors' Equity lounge tied in the vote for best place for
actors to hang out and network. The Actors' Equity lounge, a
big clean room on the second floor of the Equity building, "is
a good place to sit in Midtown and get a load off your feet,"
said one voter, who points out that it's open only to Equity
members. "So the only people you're going to be talking to are
in the business. It's a great place to meet and talk with
other actors, find out what's happening, gossip."
In addition to listing Equity
auditions, the callboard in the lounge also advertises housing
and survival jobs. But perhaps most valuable are the
unexpected tips about who's doing what, who got hired (or
fired), and what's coming down the pike that comes from simply
shooting the breeze.
Starbucks,
of course, is a whole other story. With ubiquitous locations
offering dozens of coffees, teas, lattes, and more -- plus
high-speed wireless Internet access -- it has become the in
place for anyone who wants to spend hours sipping, reading,
working, or chatting without intrusion by store employees.
Even industry luminaries have been sighted tapping away at
their computers or holding small meetings, and more than one
respondent mentioned exchanging a few friendly words with
them.
Actors' Equity lounge,
165 W. 46th St., 2nd floor, NYC 10036; (212) 869-8530.
Website: http://www.actorsequity.org/.
Starbucks, throughout the city.
Runner-up:
The Drama Book Shop, 250 W.
40th St., NYC 10036; (212) 944-0595; fax: (212) 730-8739.
Email: info@dramabookshop.com.
Website: http://www.dramabookshop.com/.
-- Simi
Horwitz
CHEAP MEAL
Dojo
Jeffrey James Keyes, randomly
selected from all respondents to win a free headshot package
from Babaldi Studio, relaxes at Dojo.
None of the places that topped our voters' list of
the best spots for a cheap meal will be confused with Le
Cirque. Atmosphere may not be a priority, but they're good
alternatives for someone with a tight budget and an empty
stomach.
The original Dojo
restaurant, located at 24 St. Marks Place near Second Avenue,
is one of the cheapest places in town for decent vegetarian
dishes under $10. It also has a sister restaurant, Dojo West,
at 14 West Fourth St., near Broadway.
Street vendors, the first runner-up, have been
serving working stiffs on a budget for quite a while, notably
in midtown Manhattan. The fare ranges from hot dogs to
knishes, with prices generally starting at $1. Another old
standby is Gray's Papaya, located at Sixth Avenue and Eighth
Street and on Broadway at West 71st Street. While it may not
be the choice of kings (not to be confused with longtime rival
Papaya King), it never fails to provide a tasty hot dog with a
choice of fruity concoctions (including papaya). For a quick
bite under $5, it can't be beat.
Last but not least: Wendy's. With 10 locations in
Manhattan and more in the outer boroughs, Wendy's offers a
99-cent menu featuring several genuinely healthy items in
addition to the de rigueur burgers and fries. Bon appétit!
Dojo, 24 St. Marks Place, NYC
10003; (212) 674-9821; fax: (212) 598-3038.
Dojo West, 14 W. Fourth St., NYC 10012; (212)
505-8934.
Runners-up:
Street vendors, throughout the city.
Gray's Papaya, 402 Sixth
Ave., NYC 10011, (212) 260-3532; and 2090 Broadway, NYC 10023,
(212) 799-0243.
Wendy's,
throughout the city.
-- B.L. Rice
CABARET SPACE
Don't Tell Mama
Conveniently nestled along
Manhattan's Restaurant Row (46th Street between Eighth and
Ninth avenues), Don't Tell Mama has been one of the city's
most popular cabarets since its founding in 1982. The facility
includes two 65-seat cabaret theatres, along with a piano bar
lounge that is also used at times for shows. One of Back
Stage's voters especially enjoyed the piano bar, finding it
friendly in a Cheers sort of way: Everyone seemed to know one
another, she said, and those wanting to strut their vocal
stuff found open arms as well as an open mike.
Sidney Myer, Don't Tell Mama's
booking manager for the last 17 years, says that over time the
club has expanded its entertainment horizons: "Some people
believe -- and it's their right, I always hasten to add --
that cabaret is a lovely lady in sequins singing Cole Porter.
We have some of those, but our definition of cabaret at Don't
Tell Mama is really very broad.... It's really almost
everything under the sun."
There
was a time, he notes, when country-and-western would not have
been considered cabaret fare. Yet the revue Always...Patsy
Cline was one of the club's biggest successes. Elaborate
two-act productions such as Honky Tonk Highway
(reviewed in the theatre section of The New York Times
and later a staple of regional theatres) have also gotten
their start at Don't Tell Mama. Producers find working there
to be cost-effective.
Small
cabarets, Myer says, provide "a public service for the arts"
by allowing new performers to polish their skills in front of
small audiences. At Don't Tell Mama, he has personally
witnessed the emergence of writers and performers like Jason
Robert Brown, Marin Mazzie, Carolee Carmello, and the late
Jonathan Larson.
Don't Tell Mama,
343 W. 46th St., NYC 10036; (212) 757-0788. Email: webmaster@donttellmama.com.
Website: http://www.donttellmama.com/.
-- Mark Dundas Wood
NEIGHBORHOOD
Chelsea
A trendy neighborhood that stretches
from West 14th to West 25th streets and from Fifth Avenue to
the Hudson River, Chelsea was the favorite community to live
in among our voters. The neighborhood features a mix of
residential and commercial properties, and the housing is
eclectic: prewar buildings, brownstones, walkups, and newer
high-rise structures, with condos, co-ops, luxury rentals, and
even a few low-end rentals (thanks to rent stabilization).
Chelsea is a relatively safe area with easy access to bus and
subway lines. Its plentiful galleries, bookstores, boutiques,
nightspots, and an impressive array of French and Italian
restaurants attract young professionals as well as creative
types.
"Whenever I have a free
moment, I come to Chelsea," said one respondent who lives on
Long Island. "It feels like a little town with people sitting
outside their buildings, and everyone is friendly. But what I
like best is the diversity and the tolerance on all sides.
Low-income kids are playing with upper-class kids, and there
is genuine camaraderie. Also, I have no sense of fear, even if
I'm there late at night."
Another
actor noted succinctly, "Chelsea has great nightlife, the food
in the restaurants is incredible, and there are so many
wonderful art galleries -- more than 200!"
Runners-up:
The Upper West Side and Hell's
Kitchen.
-- Simi
Horwitz
CLOTHING STORE
H&M
With several centrally located
stores, H&M won hands-down in the clothing category.
Though relatively new to the United States, H&M -- short
for Hennes & Mauritz -- has been around since 1947 in
Sweden, where it was founded, and has a reputation for trendy
clothes at bargain prices. The brightly lit stores are filled
with mannequins and shoppers eager to grab the next hot new
outfit. Its New York City flagship store is on Fifth Avenue,
with branches stretching from Soho to Harlem and into the
outer boroughs.
"H&M is
stylish and inexpensive," said one respondent. "You can buy
lots of different pieces and mix and match. In addition, you
can get lots of accessories there. I like the fact that it's
busy, with a ton of people going through the place, especially
people in their 20s. It's youthful."
Another voter said, "It's the ideal place for the
New York actor. H&M has great audition clothes as well as
clothes for everyday life. It's not a sloppy look, and not
everyone else is wearing it. It's a great place to find unique
pieces for those shopping on a budget."
Added another actor, "The clothing is affordable,
there is a good selection, the best quality, and the most
recent fashions…. I feel great when I wear their clothes. The
store is just perfect for the
have-not-yet-arrived-at-successful working actor."
H&M, main store: 640 Fifth
Ave., NYC 10019; (212) 643-6955.
Runners-up:
Macy's, main store: 151 W. 34th St., NYC
10001; (212) 695-4400.
Loehmann's, main store: 101 Seventh Ave.,
NYC 10011; (212) 352-0856.
-- Simi Horwitz
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