Hey dudes!

I am swamped with rehearsals and have been terrible about getting this info out. But I am in Arcadia this week -- for one week only! I am playing Hannah - the female lead in the modern portion of the story. It is a fabulous scrip t by Tom Stoppard and this cast has its' stuff together!

I would love to see you. Or see you anyway after the show closes. :)

In great news I will also be doing a one day Shakespeare scene show with Broadway actors Richard Kind (in Candide right now) and John Christopher Jones (who just closed The Seagull with Alan Cummings and Diane Wiest ).
We are doing it as a benefit at my school, so I am not sure if I can invite members of the public --- I'll let you know! Richard Kind as Bottom will be hysterical!

Anyway -- The details to Arcadia are below.


Miss you all and wish you great success in your endeavors!

Loves,

Sarah


ARCADIA

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Blake Bradford & Kymm Zuckert

American Theatre of Actors
Beckmann Theatre
314 West 54th Street

Opens May 8th at 8PM


Love. Sex. Pigeons.

So goes the chemistry of life in Tom Stoppard's romantic comedy Arcadia. Separated by two centuries, the child genius Thomasina Coverly plots mathematical gold as her tutor Septimus introduces the household to carnal knowledge, while two contemporary historians spar over a potential Lord Byron connection. Join Phare Play Productions as we unfurl Stoppard's Tony Award nominated classic.

Starring: Christopher Burris, Tamara Cacchione, Robert Carroll, Carrie Colden, Sarah Hankins, Matt Klan, Peggy Queener, Eddie Rodriguez, Nicholas Santasier, Christopher Simon, Aref Syed and Ellis J. Wells.


PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 8th – Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 PM

Saturday, May 10th and Sunday May 11th at 2 PM


American Theatre of Actors, Beckmann Theatre
314 West 54th Street
Between 8th and 9th Streets
Subway: C/E to 50th Street

TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket Prices: $18

Reservations: (646)241-0823

Tickets online at https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/43031

Hey gang ---

Tempest opened this weekend to reviewers, laughs and big bruises on my shins from running into things. ouch!

So, do you wanna come see it? If so, here are the details re: directions, reservation lines etc. Lots of fun people have come to see the show -- like Megan Borkes and some of my fantastic R+J cast. Come see it and I will buy you a beer at Dylan's old bar the Kettle of Fish on Christopher Strreet. :)

Here's the info:

Phare Play Productions is proud to present two-time Emmy-winner Joan Darling as Prospero in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Known as his fantastical swan song, The Tempest follows Prospero, a deposed magician that inhabits a distant island with his young daughter Miranda. With a mixture of magic and luck, Prospero is able to bring those responsible for his misfortunes to his island for his final retribution. Shakespeare's grand tale of revenge, betrayal, and most importantly forgiveness, comes to life in our all female production.

Starring:

Joan Darling - Prospero
Kerry Shear - Ariel
Kendall Rileigh - Miranda
Dolores "Dodi" Kenan - Alonso
Marla Yost - Ferdinand
Beth Adler - Sebastian
Kim Carlson - Antonio
Mary Jane Gocher - Gonzalo
Kymm Zuckert - Caliban
Dianna Lora - Adrien
Sara Strasser - Francisco
Sarah Hankins - Trinculo
Alexandra Devin - Stephano
Carrie Colden - Master/Mariner/Ceres
Amanda Knox - Boatswain/Mariner/Juno
Elizabeth English - Mariner/Iris

Performances:
December 28 - January 12
Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 3PM

Wings Theatre
154 Christopher Street between Washington and Greenwich Streets
(about 5 blocks from the Christopher St stop on the 1 Train, about 1 block from the Christopher St. stop on the PATH).

Tickets: $18/$15 students
Reservations at (646)241-0823

Online at http://www.wingstheatre.com/reservations.html
Phone: 646.241.0823


All the best,
Hankins

Hello All!

I have had a crazy crazy fall – lots of theater excitement – and lots of day job work to make it all happen. NYC is expensive. Somedays it feels like it costs money just to breathe the air here.

In any case here's the latest:

I am playing Trinculo! Whoo-hoo! He has been a long long favorite character from The Tempest and now I am actually getting the chance to play him! I started rehearsals about a week ago. It will be an all-female production (hot….admit it) with Phare Play Productions in the West Village. We play Wedsnesdays thru Sundays 12/28 – 1/12. I will definitely send more info when we get closer. Please come if you are in the area! I would love to see you! I am so intimidated and stoked about this role. I am playing a clown!

(BTW – for all those Romeo and Juliet folk out there – Dianna Lora is in it as well! She is playing a butt-kicking sword-wielding Adrien. So fun!)

The thing that I think really helped me get the part of Trinculo was the really amazing clown workshop I took in October. When I trained at Shakespeare & Company many moons ago, my main instructor was Jane Nichols – a brilliant woman who spent years training and teaching clowns. I ran into her in September at a Linklater class and found out she was teaching a clown workshop. I LOVED IT. I was challenged as an actor in so many new ways – it was probably the most challenging experience since Shake & Co. Wow. In any case, I began to make life-shaking progress with my clown work. I hope I can continue with more classes soon (please, universe?).

Most of my fall was spent directing Much Ado About Nothing for Steven Dramatic Society at Stevens Institute for Technology in Hoboken, NJ. I had directed MAdo this summer for Orlando Shakes' teen acting program, but this production was so different! The students were all Engineers and Computer Science folk. Crazy! It was 2.5 months of rehearsals and meetings with just one week of performances. They were lovely – witty and fun and having a lot of fun! I had a blast and hope to go back for another season sometime, even though it required three hours on the PATH and subway everyday.

Besides the nice theater stuff, I have been working my ass off at my day jobs. I am teaching 5 days a week at afterschool programs at two public schools on the Upper West Side. I love 1st and 2nd graders. They are so fascinating! And I am still working weekends as a hostess at Rosa Mexicano near Lincoln Center. All in all – I haven't had a day off from all of my jobs since sometime in October. Which feels like a long time go. :)

I will be staying in NYC for Christmas. Tech week happens to fall on Christmas week (darn-it!), so I won't be going home to the South until sometime in February. Poop. But my dad is coming for a visit over New Year's to see the show and celebrate with me.
So that is the latest! I am sorry if I haven't been in touch. Between the three jobs and my hideous phone troubles, I feel a bit like I fell into a black hole. My phone broke (boo!) and I have lost a LOT of phone numbers. If in doubt, please forward yours on to me!

Here's hoping you are happy and having fun in your lives!

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah Belle

Well, hello all!

Soooo, this update is a little overdue. I admit that I haven't been too good about posting what is going on over here in Hankins-land…. Sorry. Forgive me? Hey, my forgetfulness is part of my charm. :)

Anyway….

So this is the latest:

1. I will be starting rehearsals tonight at Stevens Institute of Technology, where I am directing some super-fab college students in a production of Much Ado About Nothing. They are a pretty neat organization; I am officially working for the Steven's Drama Society who has been on campus for 100 years and provide these tech students with an artistic and theatrical outlet. So, my actors are mostly physics, engineering and math majors who have a jones-ing for the stage. Naturally, our student-designers are majorly talented. There will be a working fountain, moving set elements and all sorts of fun things. Yea! They were nervous about doing the show 1940s style (like the TYC production I did of Much Ado this summer), so it is set at the end of WWI instead. Then we get to play with the introduction of the Jazz Age, Flappers, prohibition and women getting the vote.

The show goes up November 17ish.

(If it sounds familiar that I am directing Much Ado, don't worry. You aren't going crazy. I just directed this show for Orlando Shakes teen acting program this past summer. It is my first directing repeat, which is cool!)

2. Teaching – In other news, I am teaching afterschool programs again. I taught at PS 87 (on the Westside in the 70s) last spring, and they liked me enough to bring me in for FOUR classes this fall. Whoa. That's a lot of small fries to inspire! :) I am teaching a Shakespeare class, a class about medieval times, a film class and – get this – a class on Chinese culture. Don't worry I am just assisting on that last one… 'cause I certainly don't know much about China. Guess I'm about to learn! :)

3. Restaurant madness – Yes, I am still welcoming guests to Rosa Mexicano, the pricey Mexican restaurant with great guacamole. It is across from Lincoln Ctr, which means I get to hear about all the cool operas and concerts. Sigh. Luckily, the other great job-ness means this is down to a few days a week, because it was eating my soul.

To be honest, coming back to NYC was a little depressing this August. It is the beginning of my second year here. I am a sophomore, which means I know my way around, but I'm broke and worried that I won't have as much success as my freshman year (which, all in all, was pretty awesome. Hey, I got cast three times and got to play Juliet). There was some random violence in my neighborhood. One of my friends decided to leave the city. Other friends were out of town forever (darn you Margaret!!!) I was working some seriously soul-draining hours at the restaurant. I had a piss-poor callback for a cool role. But with the start of my new jobs, I have perked up and come back out of my shell. Thank god!

Sorry about the ginormous length of this catch-up blog, but I had a lot to catch-up on!

Anyway, drop me a line, a text or just call me and let's go play.

Miss you all and wishing you lots of joy!

I saw the most amazing piece of theater last night. Iphigenia 2.0 by Charles Mee, directed by Tina Landau, performed at Signature Theater in NYC. Wow.

It is a difficult for me to even put into words how revolutionary and inspirational the performance was. I want to see it again and try to discover how it was done. It was so raw and exuberant – but at the same time so crafted and specific. I could barely clap for the performers. I was too overwhelmed and shocked. I needed more than the brief blackout to process that the show was over. Or perhaps the curtain call was part of the show – we are performers and Iphigenia is not really dead. Verfremdung. Perhaps.

That is the kind of production I want to be involved in – as an actor or a director or a playwright. How do I get there? Where do I train or whom do I learn from? Who do I have to audition with?

Maybe I just need to challenge myself more thoroughly to stretch my thoughts or my self-expectations. To open up my boundaries again. Defy my own limits or the limits that others impose. Fuck their expectations and demand more from myself. Stop being easy.

Regardless, I am going to go see Iphigenia again. Music, dance. Chaos, kitsch, layering, open emotion, stillness, violence, power, innocence, rage, joy, love. I wonder at their stamina to do it every night. THAT is what we train for.

Hey gang!

Great news – I am going to be in a movie opening in NYC this weekend! It's a documentary about the casting process. Crazily enough, I filmed this back in 2000 or so while I was at Shakespeare & Company. It has been making the independent film festival circuit since then, but just got major distribution, which led to this release in art-houses.

Here is the info from the producers below. If anyone would like to join me on Friday night to check it out, I would love to have you there. I am probably a blip on the screen, but it is fun for me!

And LA friends – it is coming you way in June! Whoo-hoo! Miss me? Go see me on the big screen, sillies!

All the best,

Sarah


Producer's info:


We are being distributed by NY-based Kino International -
http://www.kino.com - a wonderful distributor of new and classic art house films. More info, downloadable STILL PHOTOS, and our NEW TRAILER are all
here: http://www.kino.com/castingabout

NEW YORK:
CASTING ABOUT will open in NY on MAY 11 at CINEMA VILLAGE -
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/show_movie.asp?movieid=969
Look for our ads next week in the NY Times, Village Voice, and Time
Out - and elsewhere!

LOS ANGELES:
We open in LA on JUNE 15 at LAEMMLE MUSIC HALL -
http://www.laemmle.com/viewmovie.php?mid=2984

Selected cities across the US will follow this summer (Chicago and Boston are likely, among others) - though no foreign distribution yet.

Kino will also be releasing CASTING ABOUT on DVD, most likely in early 2008.

Hello my loves!

Sadly, my production of R+J is closing this Saturday night. I will be very sad to let this one go! I love Juliet -- far more than I ever would have imagined. And she is so much more deliciously complex and fun than I knew. I have been so lucky to get to play her -- and to have such a wonderful Romeo to play off of! What a dream it's been! I will miss our super-funny balcony scene and the hot Palmer's kiss scene. (KT Knipp was a big fan...) And I love the comedy that the Nurse and I have developed in our scenes. And this show has taught me how much Juliet is like her parents -- rebellious, passionate and self-possesed.

So, catch us before we are gone. Because after Saturday night you will have missed it! :) Make reservations if you can -- we have been selling out. Proof positive that it is good theater.

Here are the details:

You can see Romeo and Juliet at the Greek Cultural Center at 27-18 Hoyt Ave. South, Astoria, Queens, New York.

Now, here's the deal: the show is double-cast. So -- here's when you can see me:
Thursday, April 12 at 8pm
Saturday, April 14 at 8pm

I perform with Michael Raver as my passionate Romeo and Rafi Kasen as the hysterical Benvolio.


If you can't make any of those nights, go see the show anyway, even if I'm not there! It's a great show, and the other actors are loverly too!

Here's when they perform:

Friday, April 13 at 8pm

The Juliet on other nights is Tania Asnes. Benvolio is Alex Moshofsky. Dear Romeo is Josh Silverman.
The show also features:

Justin Maruri,* Adam Gutbezahl, Mary Elizabeth MiCari,* Shawn Watson, Mary Riley, J Michaels,* Kenneth L. Naanep, Brittany Bellizeare, Carissa Cordes, Robert Liebowitz, Jennifer Gelber, Jason Cutler and Dianna Lora* as "the Apothecary"

Set/Lighting Design: Shaun Fillion
Costume Design: Carla Gant
Marketing & Promotion Martin West
Stage Manager: Jennifer Gelber
Cultural Advisors: Mimi Asnes and Nesreen Mahmood
Production directed by Mary Elizabeth MiCari and J Michaels

All tickets are $15.00. If you have any questions, call (646) 226-0370 or email genesisastoria@gmail.com. Reservations are always appreciated as we have been selling out!

Here's how you can get there from Manhattan:

By Subway:

Take the N or the W (they're on the same tracks) to the Astoria - Hoyt Ave. stop (the penultimate stop on this line). Walk two blocks west along Hoyt Ave. South (where the Triborough Bridge lets off into Queens). You'll walk past a construction site. Half a block shy of the stoplight (27th St.), you'll see a path on your left (at 2718 Hoyt Ave.). There will be signs for "Romeo and Juliet" and for the Greek Cultural Center. Take the path to the recessed building, and go into the basement. There's the theater.

By Car:
I recommend entering Queens by the Triborough Bridge or the Queensborough Bridge. The theater is several blocks from the Triborough Bridge. There's abundant free street parking (says a friend that drives…)

See you at the theater!


Much love,
SarahBelle

So gang, here's the story:

I have been fighting with Verizon and Time Warner to try to get internet in my NY apartment for MONTHS now. Today -- thank god – I am reconnected to the world without the clock (and money) at the internet café ticking away. Whew.

So I rejoin the world of Myspace and simply MUST catch your up on what is going on in my world.

First off:

I am playing Juliet. Yep, that's right, Juliet of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Shocking but true! I am having a great time. I thought that my Juliet days had passed me by, but I was wrong. So now, I am getting to put to use all of the things I discovered about the text while teaching it for so many damn years!

My Romeo is loverly. The directors are serious wise-crackers that love my impatient and rebellious Juliet, who throws herself about with adolescent angst. Those of you familiar with my clown would recognize it in a lot of the scenes with my nurse. :)

We run Mar 22 – Apr 14, with me doing mostly Fri and Sat nights. The play is double cast with R+J's (company policy). The other pair are also lovely and it is lots of fun to have a fellow Juliet to bounce ideas off of. And our directors are great with giving us space to explore our OWN interpretations of the roles, so there isn't any strangeness about having to conform to another actors choices. It's a cool artistic expierement.

In other news I have been killing myself going all over town looking for a day job. Man. That was a NIGHTMARE. So many things came close to working out and then wouldn't happen for random reasons. I had one great job at a very fancy wine store in the bag – then the guy was going to be replacing decided to stay at the last minute. Damn. Walking all over Manhattan for the last few weeks going from interview to interview has exhausted me. I am constantly falling asleep.

Thankfullly, yesterday I was hired by Rosa Mexicano (a chi-chi Mexican restaurant with GREAT guacamole), which is located across the street from Lincoln Center. I will be hostessing, which will require me purchasing lots of black clothing (which is our uniform – all black). I didn't realize that I had slowly been excising black from my wardrobe until I got this job. I guess Florida made me love lots of colorful clothes. :)

In other news: I have been auditioning like mad. A major set of auditions happened this week, which required some very early mornings to get in line at the Equity offices to audition. When big auditions happen, actors line up a few hours before the auditions start so they can make sure they get in. Whew. Tiring. All of it is groundwork really for getting jobs in the future. People tell me that you have to be seen by people a couple of times before they will cast you, so I keep going -- hoping that in a year or tow they will finally cast me in their season.

The good news is that a few smaller NYC companies have called me back this month, so I must be making a good impression in those open calls. At least that's what I hope it means!

Anyway, that's what has been going on for me lately. Things have been so crazy lately, I hardly feel like I had time to breathe. But now that I have internet in my house I will be able to keep in touch more frequently.

I hope all is well with all of you. Please let me know what you are up to! I hate it when I fall out of the loop!

All my love,


Hankins

Hello All!

I figured it was about time I sent out an update about what I have been up to the last few months. Due to the absence of reliable internet access for most of November and December, I have been AWOL from the Myspace community to a certain extent. Of course this could help me in kicking me in my hoorible myspace addiction, which became a little overwhelming in September – my first fall away from Orlando in forever!

So. To sum up:

In October I began the arduous process of performing in a show in NYC (The Octoroon at Metropolitan Playhouse) and rehearsing another show in Bristol, PA (The Trial of Ebenzer Scrooge). Whew. Let's just say I grew very familiar with New Jersey Transit and SEPTA (PA's regional rail system). I hauled a lot of luggage from one place to another. Of course it was totally worth it – I was doing 2 shows my first fall as a New Yorker! The Octoroon closed with great reviews and mentions for me and the Trial cast at Bristol started to hit the bars at Stocks and the George. Heady times!

I finally landed in PA for good and began hanging with my new buddy Jo, who played the Translator and Sara Wainwright (diane brune's roles for you O-towners). I was living in a cute bachelor apartment on the third floor that I affectionately called my garret (All I Want is A Room Somewhere…good luck getting that out of your head). It had an awesome view of the Delaware River. So cool. I also met some new folk and got reacquainted with some other folks at Bristol (hiya Spence, Jess, Blair, Steph and Becky!). I hope to go back some day and enjoy their generosity again. And enjoy the Golden Diner.

PA was a treat! I had wonderful visits from some NYC friends (you guys are so sweet!) and got to go into Philly a couple of times to hit the bars, see my buddy Steve play, see Julian Velard play (ooo….he's good), and go to all the touristy sites with my dad. We LOVED Independence Hall and Franklin Court, where Ben Franklin lived and published his papers. Go. It's cool!

I sadly went back to NYC and was immediately swept up into Christmas madness. Carols at the Kettle of Fish with Kris, Rockerfeller Center, Macy's Christmas Windows. And six auditions. And all my shopping – ACK!! And a lovely tea with Katie and Margaret, my ultra sweet first real NYC friend.

Now I am at my parents' farm in North Carolina, enjoying home-grown chickens for dinner (sorry, vegetarian friends…). Also, my dad and I love to share a brew, so the Irish Whisky and beer have abounded! Not to mention the chocolate with my mom. I have been helping out at their bookstore (the holidays are killer) and submitting for work in NYC. Nothing but more auditions on the horizon, but sometimes that is how it goes. Feast or famine, my friends. :)

So. That's me! I hope that the year has been wonderful for you as well! I miss my O-town home, but am digging my new apartment in Astoria. Please let me know how you are! And come visit!!

With love and good wishes,
Me.

Greetings from Pennsylvania!

Well, I realized that I had been remiss in telling everyone where I was going and what I will be up to this winter. Life has been very hectic and full lately. Lots of lovely visitors have come to NYC and see my show. It has been so great! And I have been busy moving from my sublet in Jackson Heights to the super-cool neighborhood Astoria in Queens.

I am currently in Bristol, PA, which they tell me is only 20-30 minutes from Philly. I am certainly hoping to get down to Philly during my stay here .. it sounds like a very cool place to be. I am rehearsing The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge by Mark Brown for the Bristol riverside Theatre..some of you have seen me play Christmas Past in this show two years ago at Orlando Shakes. Mark was sweet enough to recommend me for the part and I auditioned for it around the first week of October. I was floored to actually get it though.. I didn..t quite believe that I would be heading off to PA to do a play! Anyway, I like the town and the cast is very kind .. the whole thing reminds me of being in Lenox, MA for the winter when I was at Shakespeare & Company. It is very cold, but the trees are gorgeous and the town is quaint. We open 11/14 and run ..til 12/10, so I will be out of NYC for a while... I might get a little lonely so feel free to call or write! I suppose I will try to take advantage of the quiet to journal and think and read..

I am actually splitting time this weekend between PA and my show back in NYC. We close on Sunday 10/29 and I will be very sad to see this cast go. They ushered me through my first NYC show and I have made a very dear friend in Margaret, who plays our Octoroon. If any of you can make it to see the last weekend of shows, I would love to see you. We play Thurs .. Sat at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm at the Metropolitan Playhouse in the East Village.

I hope you are all lovely and happy in your endeavors!

All my best,

Sarah