- published: 08 Mar 2008
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Mark Stewart (born 1961), known by his stage name Stew, is a singer/songwriter/playwright from Los Angeles. In the early 1990s, he formed a band called The Negro Problem and later went on to release albums under his own name. His 2000 release Guest Host was named Album of the Year by Entertainment Weekly and his 2002 album, The Naked Dutch Painter and Other Songs, repeated that feat. He toured in support of Love's Arthur Lee in 2002 and in 2003 he was invited to take part in the Lincoln Center's American Songbook series of concerts.
Starting in 2004, he began writing the book, lyrics and music (with Heidi Rodewald) for his semi-autobiographical rock musical Passing Strange, produced with the support of the Sundance Institute and The Public Theater, which won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. In 2005, he wrote and performed "Gary's Song" for the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Have You Seen This Snail? (Where's Gary?)". In 2006, he and Rodewald continued to produce Passing Strange as well as working on a film project with The Sundance Institute. Passing Strange had successful runs at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, in the fall of 2006, and off-Broadway at The Public Theatre in New York City during the spring of 2007. It received critical praise from both the New York Times and Variety and opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in February 2008 under the aegis of producer Liz McCann and the Shubert Organization. The play garnered seven Tony nominations in 2008, with Stew receiving four nominations and winning the award for Best Book. The play closed in July 2008, with Spike Lee filming the final performances for a feature film which screened at the Sundance Festival in January 2009.
Actors: David Pasquesi (actor), Joel Murray (actor), Mike McNamara (actor), Chris Meister (actor), Jack C. Newell (director), Jack C. Newell (producer), Jack C. Newell (writer), Jack C. Newell (actor), Alex Bohs (miscellaneous crew), Roberta Chung (actress), T.J. Jagodowski (actor), Elizabeth Reiners (actress), Susan Messing (actress), Desmin Borges (actor), Steve Tobiasz (producer),
Plot: Set within the walls of the trendiest Chicago restaurants and behind the closed doors of dinner parties, Open Tables explores colliding stories of love lost, love found and all the details between. The ensemble characters - friends and acquaintances navigating through blind dates, missed connections and odd encounters - come together over dinner with a number of ulterior motives. Sam and Kate host in hopes that sparks will fly between Kate's younger, idealistic sister Cassie and their shy friend Ryan. Joining them at the table is Jon and Dana, a couple whose seemingly perfect relationship is anything but.
Genres: Comedy, Romance,Actors: John Sayles (actor), Dan Hedaya (actor), Nicole Compas (miscellaneous crew), Bob Corff (miscellaneous crew), Reg E. Cathey (actor), Anita Surendran (miscellaneous crew), Jonathan Gray (miscellaneous crew), Josh Pais (actor), Scott Friedman (miscellaneous crew), Michael Jefferson (actor), Debargo Sanyal (actor), Frederick Weller (actor), Jess Weixler (actress), Kerry Orent (producer), Jordan Carlos (actor),
Plot: Wallowing in debt, Billy enrolls in a clinical drug trial to make a quick buck. Why not? Carted out of NYC on a bus full of oddballs, he and the rest of the "Normals," are tagged, prodded and poked to hilarious results. A FilmBuff Presentation.
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Jeff Bennett (actor), Grey DeLisle (actress), Jim Cummings (actor), Jeff Bennett (actor), Jim Cummings (actor), Lex Lang (actor), Rob Paulsen (actor), Rob Paulsen (actor), Rob Paulsen (actor), Clyde Kusatsu (actor), Lex Lang (actor), Frank Welker (actor), Elizabeth Daily (actress), Elizabeth Daily (actress), Grey DeLisle (actress),
Genres: Animation, Family,Actors: Daniel Jardine (producer), Daniel Jardine (writer), Daniel Jardine (director), Christina Cuffari (actress), Kyle Cameron (actor),
Plot: She wants to be part of keeping the world around, without joining the group that's been putting it down. He just wants to make her laugh. 'Dollars and Sense' is an everyday conversation between Cary and Stew. The audience is invited on their short routine walk to listen in on a conversation that's so identifiable yet incredibly intimate, it's almost ethereal.
Keywords: alternative, experimental, independent-filmActors: Daniel Jones (actor), Jorge Enrique Ponce (director), Jorge Enrique Ponce (producer), Jorge Enrique Ponce (writer), Vincent Carubia (actor), Vincent Carubia (producer), Paula Wood (miscellaneous crew), Rodrigo Zozaya (editor), Elizabeth Brewster (actress), Danielle Koch (producer), Landon Lott (actor), Mandee Mallonee (actress), Leslie Watkins (actress), Emyay King (actress), Jeffery Hall (actor),
Plot: Momma Berry's Veggie Soda Shop, on the Veggie side of town has been awarded every year for its amazing "soyshakes" and meatless meals. This year, however, Berry, the owner's daughter (and the awkward and shy one of the group) has been receiving a large quantity of meat baskets every night, baskets which she has had to hide from everyone in town. It all comes to worse, when the secret admirer turns out to be the mysterious boy working in the meat shop across the street, on the meat-eating side of town; and when a milk bottle finds its way into the veggie shop creating the feared "meatshake".
Keywords: butcher, cherry, choreography, dance, meat, milk, milkshake, schizophrenic, soda-shop, soyActors: Jennifer Amorelli (actress), Matt Winston (actor), Robert Duvall (actor), Martin Starr (actor), David Herman (actor), Jim Turner (actor), Phill Lewis (actor), Scott Adsit (actor), Peter Jason (actor), David Bowe (actor), Tom Arnold (actor), Josh Hutcherson (actor), Will Ferrell (actor), Rachael Harris (actress), Alex Borstein (actress),
Genres: Comedy, Family, Sport,Actors: Jason Solowsky (composer), Nina Kaczorowski (actress), Matthew Wood (actor), Gina St. John (actress), Eriq F. Prince (actor), Derek Maki (director), Derek Maki (actor), Derek Maki (writer), Matthew Barry Ryan (actor), Terrence Taylor (actor), Josetta Rose (actress), Derek Bauman (editor), Steve Hasley (actor), Orion Martindale (miscellaneous crew), Jenny Purple (actress),
Plot: An independent film about a guy, Steven (who happens to be gay), who's ex-girlfriend from high school, Nancy, shows up with a surprise, their 10 year old son Luke! Nancy never told Steven that she got pregnant on prom night with his child (the only girl Steven ever slept with by the way). Nancy has reappeared in Steven's life dying of cancer. She informs Steven that her last wish is to have him "the natural father" adopt Luke. WOW what a blow for a guy who is in a relationship with another guy and neither one of them have a clue on how to raise a 10 year old kid! After many talks with his boyfriend Peter, Steven decides that he will make Nancy's dieing wish come true, but NOT without a little CRASH COURSE FIRST!
Genres: Drama,Actors: Rich Christiano (writer), Rich Christiano (director), Rich Christiano (producer), Wes Llewellyn (actor), Branden Williams (actor), Edward T. McDougal (miscellaneous crew), Danny Carrales (miscellaneous crew), Jack McHaney (actor), James Burgess (editor), James Burgess (miscellaneous crew), Keith Vivrette (composer), Art Oden (actor), Wayne Miller (miscellaneous crew), Melissa Christiano (miscellaneous crew), Melissa Christiano (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Drama, Short,Actors: Jay Mason (miscellaneous crew), Jay Mason (actor), James Marlowe (miscellaneous crew), Teresa Woo (editor), Teresa Woo (producer), Mike B. Anderson (writer), Harry S. Robins (actor), Mike B. Anderson (director), Harry S. Robins (writer), Harry S. Robins (miscellaneous crew), William Rice (actor), Michael Hinton (miscellaneous crew), Paul Mavrides (miscellaneous crew), Ian Turner (editor), Charles Ying (actor),
Plot: Nathaniel Pickman Wingate has opened a gateway to another dimension using equations and equipment in his basement laboratory. His wife, Nancy, wants him to get ready for his own birthday party. He wants his son Sam to help him. Sam is up in his room looking at pictures of Jasmine on his computer, and a poster of her arrives which he puts in his closet. Although it is Nathan's birthday, the family is enthralled by a visit from Cousin Desmon, who is now a count in Liechtenstein. While Sam is away getting equipment for his father with his friend Alex, his father gets sucked into the other dimension, and a creature from the parallel universe escapes, pursued by another. The first temporarily traps the second with its spit, attacks Desmon, and becomes a duplicate, absorning his thoughts from the unconscious body. The other manages to get free, and unable to find a human to mimic, finds the poster of Jasmine, and becomes her. Sam soon finds her, and becomes his new girlfriend, but she has to find the false Desmon and take him back to their dimension to keep him from harming himself or Sam's family. Sam's sister Linda ("Lindy") is obsessed with talking on the phone, and can neither spell "Desmon" (she spells it "Dezmon") or Chameleon (she spells it "Kamillion", hence the title), what Nathan called the creatures on his tape recorder. The false Desmon drives away Emma the French maid, and plays childish, seemingly deadly pranks on the rest of the family: Angelica, a slut who owns half the house, Larry, a minister, supposedly born again, but badly sinning, and Floyd, a mechanic. Both chameleons try to figure out the ways of the new dimension, while Desmon finds new ways to make mischief, but I can't give away why. Meanwhile, everyone is operating on Nathan's belief that after the four hours of coolant runs out, half the planet will be blown away.
Keywords: alternative-reality, eccentric, family-relationships, gazebo, genital-monster, independent-film, liechtenstein, scientist, surprise-ending, surrealismActors: Herbie Hancock (composer), Byron Morrow (actor), Jerry Whittington (miscellaneous crew), Michael Kahn (editor), Johnny Williams (actor), Paul Butler (actor), James Mitchell (actor), Ivan Dixon (producer), Ivan Dixon (director), J.A. Preston (actor), Paula Kelly (actress), R.J. Louis (miscellaneous crew), Don Blakely (actor), Joseph Mascolo (actor), Lawrence Cook (actor),
Plot: In order to improve his standing with Black voters, a White Senator starts a campaign for the CIA to recruit Black agents. However, all are graded on a curve and doomed to fail, save for a soft-spoken veteran named Dan Freeman. After grueling training in guerrilla warfare, clandestine operations and unarmed combat, he is assigned a meager job as the CIA's token Black employee. After five years of racist and stereotyped treatment by his superiors, he quietly resigns to return to his native Chicago to work for a social services agency...by day. By night, he trains a street gang to be the vanguard in an upcoming race war, using all that the CIA has taught him...
Keywords: african-american, based-on-novel, black-power, blaxploitation, chicago-illinois, cia, civil-unrest, civil-war, ghetto, inner-city