Off Broadway
Mr. Landing Takes a Fall directed by Sherri Eden Barber at The Flea Theater (2014)
(2m, 2w)
Mr. Landing Takes a Fall directed by Sherri Eden Barber at The Flea Theater (2014)
(2m, 2w)
With Adam LeFevre, David Rigo, Kathryn Rossetter, and Sari Caine
REVIEWS
Mr. Landing Takes a Fall is smart, witty, and richly symbolic...a strong new voice in the [Absurdist] genre may be emerging.
Pete Hempstead, Theatermania
The atmosphere of a fever dream ... poking at the thin veneer between the domestic and the animalistic – Adam LeFevre is especially good as the alternately avuncular ... aggressive Mr Landing. The New Yorker
A hilarious and touching absurdist exploration of who we live with and how we live with them, acted with gusto by a great ensemble.
Theater is Easy
...Mr. Landing Takes a Fall” is a sharp play. Not only deeply sharp, but sharply deep at times. Its remarkable writing, strong ensemble cast, and skilled direction make for a winning production! The Columbia Spectator
It is a tricky business to pull off an absurdist comedy like Sari Caine's often outlandish yet surprisingly touching and excellently acted absurdist comedy.. Raising questions—the way Albee does in the minds of his audience—regarding the breaking of a long-established shared understanding between people whose lives are inexorably intertwined. In the end, the play succeeds in striking the necessary balance between the buffoonery and the underlying emotional core that is a hallmark of absurdist theater, and the talented cast, under Sherri Eden Barber's direction, does a splendid job bringing it to all to life. Howard Miller, Talkin’ Broadway Off Broadway
With the aid of whisky, the characters’ secrets, repressed feelings, and clothing are casted off.... I was surprised and impressed by the amount of physical acting and how the set design was integrated into the performance ... for those that are open to questioning themselves. Broadway Voice
Sari’s Caine’s absurd, melancholy and unexpectedly violent drawing room comedy...full-throttles its four players through an evening filled with revelations...
The Villager
Bottom Line: A hilarious and touching absurdist exploration of who we live with and how we live with them, acted with gusto by a great ensemble... When you enter the Flea Theatre for Slightly Altered States’ production of Mr. Landing Takes a Fall, you enter through the threshold of the set, essentially indoctrinating yourself into the wacky world of this play... Cleverly designed by Clifton Chadick (it's)... a fractured “Leave It to Beaver” episode with its bright colors, sharp angles, and appliances from the 1950s. Before the play even begins, you know that this isn’t going to be close to an ordinary exploration of the quietly desperate lives of suburbanites.
Dave Osmundsen, Theatre is Easy
Despite their battiness, the characters are vibrant, complex and always fun to watch. The show will keep you guessing till it's very end. Aviva Woolf, StageBuddy.com
The actors are completely in sync with the whimsical nature of the material and play it to great effect...The play and the characters unearth chillingly naked emotions. NYU News
A mind-bending comedy for adults. Very well written. The unique set evolves continually to creates a disorienting world for the audience. The rapidly changing characters and relationships make this play by Sari Caine a roller coaster ride of absurd fun capped off by the flying pig. The amazing thing to me is that she manages to pull off this very ambitious psychedelic adventure in playwriting. visual and verbal treats throughout!
Bottle Tree Productions One Act Play Competition 1st Place Winner // Judge's Comments
AWARDS:
A TimeOut NY Good Odds Pick for 3 weeks, 1st place Bottletree recipient, supported by a grant from the League of Independent Theater
Shortlisted: PlayPenn ‘13, The Ronald Duncan Award ‘14, The 24/7 Festival ’14.
Development: The Lark (Sherri Eden Barber), The Players NYC (Peter Zinn), IRT (Miriam Weiner)
If You Luv Me directed by Brad Raimondo at Symphony Space
Synopsis: Brandon loves Alison; Alison wants him to kill someone for her. High school’s a complicated place. (1W/1M, 10-minute play)
Synopsis: Brandon loves Alison; Alison wants him to kill someone for her. High school’s a complicated place. (1W/1M, 10-minute play)
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Off-off Broadway
The Chess Lesson directed by Elizabeth Nelson at IRT (2012)
The Chess Lesson directed by Elizabeth Nelson at IRT (2012)
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Synopsis: An "Ionesco God of Carnage," The Chess Lesson features three very different parents who have come to take a chess class with their children’s teacher. Four strangers all at a crossroads in their life together in a children's classroom have no choice but to examine who they are, and remember who they were and who they thought they'd be. (2W/2M)
Free chess lessons were offered onsite. The Chess Lesson was published on IndieTheaterNow.
REVIEWS
If you're a performer who's also writing a play, here's a valuable lesson: create a good part for yourself. That's what the delightfully daffy Sari Caine has done in The Chess Lesson, her 65-minute one-act now at IRT. This offbeat performer, who resembles a younger Carol Kane, easily makes audiences guffaw with the antics of her wacky, somewhat unhinged children's teacher, who is trying desperately to impart the basics of playing chess to three less-than-appealing adults. She proves to be both a gifted physical actress, pratfalling immediately upon her entrance to the meticulously designed classroom (created by Slightly Altered States and director Elizabeth Miller), and one who can find emotional truth in everything from the venting of her pent-up sexual frustration to the realization that her dreams have long been deferred. TheaterMania
The Chess Lesson is a delightful and wise comic one-act about indulging in childlike flights of fancy and why we need to do that in the face of sadness or loneliness or bitterness. I recommend it highly.
Martin Denton of nytheatre.com
[A] delightful trope for humankind’s inveterate attempt to understand 'how things came to be. David Roberts of Theatre Reviews Limited
It's less God of Carnage and... more Step Brothers... moments when the characters behave like adults are gold. They are simple, real-life, human moments that taught me more about who these people are than any of their screwball antics. Isabella: “You swept me off my feet.” // Paul: “I was drunk.” Love it. Theater Is Easy
[T]he performances that director Elizabeth Miller gets from her cast are filled with intimate emotional details... The Chess Lesson is one of those multifaceted finds that rewards those who bravely search out new plays at small theaters. Dan Callahan of L Magazine
Ok, so I got up at 3 this morning to write this, to say you have to see The Chess Lesson at the IRT theater, a tiny tiny place for which you have to wait out in the hall before it opens, and please go and wait and go in, and have a glass of wine ( no intermission, so have it NOW or then after, and tell your friends) That's about it: and the dance at the end will either bring tears to your eyes or you perhaps don't get it, and that's ok too. I love it when the highlight of the season, one of them at least, is in a theatre way downtown (154 Christopher, third floor, don't be discouraged, get there), well, get there. http://blog.maryanncaws.com/2013/01/the-chess-lesson.html
Free chess lessons were offered onsite. The Chess Lesson was published on IndieTheaterNow.
REVIEWS
If you're a performer who's also writing a play, here's a valuable lesson: create a good part for yourself. That's what the delightfully daffy Sari Caine has done in The Chess Lesson, her 65-minute one-act now at IRT. This offbeat performer, who resembles a younger Carol Kane, easily makes audiences guffaw with the antics of her wacky, somewhat unhinged children's teacher, who is trying desperately to impart the basics of playing chess to three less-than-appealing adults. She proves to be both a gifted physical actress, pratfalling immediately upon her entrance to the meticulously designed classroom (created by Slightly Altered States and director Elizabeth Miller), and one who can find emotional truth in everything from the venting of her pent-up sexual frustration to the realization that her dreams have long been deferred. TheaterMania
The Chess Lesson is a delightful and wise comic one-act about indulging in childlike flights of fancy and why we need to do that in the face of sadness or loneliness or bitterness. I recommend it highly.
Martin Denton of nytheatre.com
[A] delightful trope for humankind’s inveterate attempt to understand 'how things came to be. David Roberts of Theatre Reviews Limited
It's less God of Carnage and... more Step Brothers... moments when the characters behave like adults are gold. They are simple, real-life, human moments that taught me more about who these people are than any of their screwball antics. Isabella: “You swept me off my feet.” // Paul: “I was drunk.” Love it. Theater Is Easy
[T]he performances that director Elizabeth Miller gets from her cast are filled with intimate emotional details... The Chess Lesson is one of those multifaceted finds that rewards those who bravely search out new plays at small theaters. Dan Callahan of L Magazine
Ok, so I got up at 3 this morning to write this, to say you have to see The Chess Lesson at the IRT theater, a tiny tiny place for which you have to wait out in the hall before it opens, and please go and wait and go in, and have a glass of wine ( no intermission, so have it NOW or then after, and tell your friends) That's about it: and the dance at the end will either bring tears to your eyes or you perhaps don't get it, and that's ok too. I love it when the highlight of the season, one of them at least, is in a theatre way downtown (154 Christopher, third floor, don't be discouraged, get there), well, get there. http://blog.maryanncaws.com/2013/01/the-chess-lesson.html
Sanctuary directed by DELAVEGA a benefit at The Arc & then Spin/NYC (2018)
A Benefit Performance for Immigrant Families Together with Random Access Music Orchestra & DMNDR (livestreamed)
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Sanctuary was written as a response to the separation of children from their parents who were detained immigrants. It's adapted from letters, news articles, and interviews. It's accompanied by projections and live music. The cast was comprised of immigrants and DACA-recipients & directed by by Cuban-American film director, DELAVEGA. Sanctuary can be performed with a cast of 6-16 people.
The Thing About Dan directed by Sari Caine at IRT (2012)
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Synopsis: Paul and Zip are running as fast as they can away from reality. They arrive at a quiet cabin in the woods for a weekend of hunting where they wait for Dan, the friend who keeps their lives running smoothly, to join them. The thing is he’s sleeping with their wives. (2M)
REVIEW
"What do you do when you life suddenly “falls apart”? You rely on your friends to help you find meaning. But what if one of them helps you find out how little meaning your life might actually have? ... Apparently Dan has been sleeping with both of their wives for the better part of a year and apparently these wives are leaving (or may have already left) their husbands for Dan on this very day of the big pig roast. The logical thing to do now is to wait in the empty house, both armed and ready to take out Dan once he arrives … if he arrives? .... Before the play began a live musician played the blues. He sticks around in the corners of this drama – an observer who makes the story True." Stephen Tortora-Lee –thehappiestmedium.com
Residencies: IRT, Manhattan Theater Source Neighborhood Playhouse (2012), Manhattan Repertory Theater Winter Festival
REVIEW
"What do you do when you life suddenly “falls apart”? You rely on your friends to help you find meaning. But what if one of them helps you find out how little meaning your life might actually have? ... Apparently Dan has been sleeping with both of their wives for the better part of a year and apparently these wives are leaving (or may have already left) their husbands for Dan on this very day of the big pig roast. The logical thing to do now is to wait in the empty house, both armed and ready to take out Dan once he arrives … if he arrives? .... Before the play began a live musician played the blues. He sticks around in the corners of this drama – an observer who makes the story True." Stephen Tortora-Lee –thehappiestmedium.com
Residencies: IRT, Manhattan Theater Source Neighborhood Playhouse (2012), Manhattan Repertory Theater Winter Festival
The Cafe Plays: Brunch!, The Three Man Play, The Proposal
Brunch! @ St. Clement's Theatre with The Strawberry Festival (directed by Sari Caine)
Brunch! @ Manhattan Repertory Winter Festival (directed by David Rigo)
Brunch! @ O'Flaherty's Alehouse/Site Specific with Hell's Kitchen Art Festival (directed by David Rigo & Sari Caine)
Brunch! @ Roy Arias Studio with John Chatterton's Where Eagles Dare Festival (directed by David Rigo)
The Proposal @ Dixon Place (directed by Louis Kornfeld)
Workshop: The Cafe Plays (directed by Jesse Jou)
Brunch! @ Manhattan Repertory Winter Festival (directed by David Rigo)
Brunch! @ O'Flaherty's Alehouse/Site Specific with Hell's Kitchen Art Festival (directed by David Rigo & Sari Caine)
Brunch! @ Roy Arias Studio with John Chatterton's Where Eagles Dare Festival (directed by David Rigo)
The Proposal @ Dixon Place (directed by Louis Kornfeld)
Workshop: The Cafe Plays (directed by Jesse Jou)
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The Cafe Plays are comprised of 3 shorts that each require 3 actors of any gender. They can be performed together or alone. These plays pair excellently with food, drink, and music.
Brunch!: Emily wants Brunch; Harrietta wants to do the crossword. Will their lives ever be the same? The Three Men Play: Three friends with ambiguous identities engage in a life or death power struggle over cups of coffee. The Proposal: Kitty drinks the same drink at the same table in the same chair every day. When Martina arrives to propose to her girlfriend at the exact site of their first date she finds Kitty instead. The two force each other to examine what they believe is necessary to love and live. |
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The Pickle Jar Play, a 10 minute play directed by Sari Caine at Jimmy's No. 43 (2012)
Synopsis: Robert attempts to extricate himself from his trapped marriage only to find himself trapped inside a pickle jar instead. What traps do we set for ourselves and which do we set for others?
(5 people) A Slightly Altered States Salon Nights event featuring music, improv, non-fiction, and short play series. CRYSTAL, a one woman play directed by Yvonne Conybeare
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NYC WORKSHOPS & READINGS
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"Ty Rex," a play with live music and new media. Neurodiverse casting inclusive.
Workshops/Readings: The Arc (directed by Celine Rosenthal), The Flea (directed by Sherri Eden Barber), The Lark (directed by Dustin Wills)
Grants: The Indie Theater Fund ('18) Queens Council of the Arts ('19), Actor’s Equity Fund ('19)
Synopsis: When a new drama therapist shakes up a school for autistic children, non-verbal 11 year old trauma survivor Ty finds an unlikely lifeline in the strange and dark tale of Rumpelstiltskin where another young girl is trapped and powerless. But if she doesn’t learn to navigate the real world around her, Ty will become lost in the fairy tale forever. In a realm beyond reach of neuro-typical adults, her words can only be heard by her diverse peers; but can her classmates band together to save Ty before it is to late?” (5W/2M)
Dog Dreams The Arc (Sherri Eden Barber), IRT (Sherri Eden Barber)
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2018 Residency: Thunder Heart Horse Ranch Haven, Colorado
INTERVIEWS
NY Theater Review interview (Mr Landing Takes a Fall)
L Magazine - Sari Caine "Living In The Moment"
Adam Szymkowicz: I Interview Playwrights
The Brooklyn Culture Jam radio show with Sari Caine and David Rigo
NY Theater Review interview (The Thing About Dan)
We Heart Astoria