​Hello, Everyone!

I have some very good news to share!

After attending many plays during the year, TheaterScene compiles an annual “Ten Best List”.

For 2022, TheaterScene named Five By Tenn as “The Best Show of the Year”!

Specifically, Mr. Darryl Reilly, who is an accomplished theater critic and the Editor-in-Chief for TheaterScene, wrote…

This 10 Best List is comprised of shows that initially impressed me, and that have continuously stayed on my mind. The best show of the year played for two weeks at an Upper West Side Jewish community center. Five By Tenn: An Evening of Short Plays by Tennessee Williams, was an enchanting program drawn from Williams’ catalogue of one-act plays. It was presented by the Out of the Box Theatre Company whose members are artists mostly over the age of 50. It was joyous experiencing this seasoned ensemble beautifully enacting Williams’ rich characters in these unfamiliar engaging works.

After receiving the above news, I was inspired to read extensively and find out more about…

*Mr. Darryl Reilly…An acclaimed Theatre Critic for Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway.

*TheaterScene…A highly respected and very reputable publication and organization within the entertainment industry.

*TheaterScene’s Annual “Ten Best List”…A recognized list within the theater community that was conceived in 2016 with a very interesting history.

Including the above highlights, I was very impressed with everything that I read. 

As each of you know, we worked very hard on Five By Tenn, from the first table read on March 21, 2022, up to the final curtain call on June 19, 2022. Hard work always pays off. 

With all of the above said, it is absolutely wonderful to receive this recognition from TheaterScene, which, feels me with immense gratitude and happiness.

It is my hope that your gratitude and happiness, steering from TheaterScene’s recognition of Five By Tenn mirrors mine.

Lastly, I sincerely thank the entire Five By Tenn cast and crew, Out of the Box Theater Company, Public Relations, The Bernie Wohl Center, every person on this email list, the audiences, and the Out of the Box Theater Company supporters, because, none of this would have been possible otherwise.

I look forward to working with you again in the future, and, in the meantime, keep doing beautiful work!

Again, thank you, and congratulations!

My best, always!

Ward Nixon, 
Director, Five By Tenn

Since the pandemic started and we started to stream productions, occasionally our patrons have asked us "How did you do that?" For our latest production, The Real Inspector Hound, one question that was lobbed our way was "How did you do the tea scene?"

If you didn't see the production, you can watch the one-minute scene above. Even if you did see the production, you may want to watch to refresh your memory.

In the scene, Mrs. Drudge (Jennifer Sherron Stock) serves tea to Cynthia (Betsy Ross), Felicity (Katherine O'Sullivan) and Magnus (Larry Stephen Hines). She passes a cup to each of them. Simple to do on stage and — believe it or not — equally simple to create the illusion on Zoom even though the actors are in different locations around New York City.

Although we could rehearse with any old cup, Executive Producer Halina Malinowski scoured the internet for matching tea cups. When she finally found the perfect cups, she purchased the cups and had them sent to the actors.

When Mrs. Drudge passes the cup to each actor, you will notice her moving her cup towards the screen/camera then dropping it below the line of sight. Likewise, the actor who was passed the cup will pick up their cup (which was on their desk or table, towards the screen/camera) and bring it up into the line of sight and take a sip of their freshly poured tea. Easy peasy!

We love to share our insider secrets with you. If you have a question about how we did something, click here to send us your question. We'll let you know when we answer the question.