Hudson County residents have teamed up to perform a raucous, adults only play which has been accepted to the New York City International Fringe Festival in Manhattan.
The show features Hoboken residents Jezabel Montero, Margo Singaliese, and Christian Castro.
Hoboken resident Graciela Orellano is the stage manager, and Jeffrey Moore Cusimano, a Jersey City resident, is the set designer.
The lighting designer is Maggie Cunningham, a Weehawken resident. Mike Kuzan, the sound technician, is from Hoboken.
Montero started working on “Cassanova Was A Woman” in 2008 as the writer and director of the play.
“The reason it evolved into a play is because it had such a great reception in Hoboken.” – Jezabel Montero, No Clout Productions
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Montero describes the play as a “brazen, raucous comedy with a Latin, surreal twist.” The show is intended for adults.
Montero founded “No Clout Productions”, her production company, in Hoboken in 2007.
“Casanova Was A Woman” debuted in 2008 with a simple stage reading of the screenplay at Hoboken’s Monroe Center.
“It started off as a screenplay,” Montero said. “The reason it evolved into a play is because it had such a great reception in Hoboken. Every time we had a reading it sold out…I never planned for it to become a play. I wanted it to be a movie.”
Montero said she entertained the idea of entering the screenplay into a festival, but had to first re-work the script to make the elements fit for the stage rather than the big screen.
“I thought it was going to be easy,” Montero said about the transformation of the script. “It wasn’t, because in a film you can go from a beach scene to a bathroom in two seconds. On stage, there are minimal props. A chair has to be turned into a bed. I have to put words in to explain without being too direct.”
She said the production still has the elements of a movie, as she’s using some multimedia during the play.
“I wanted to keep the cinematic feel,” she said. “I mixed some film aspects into the show but I still had to cut out some things.”
Montero is primarily a screenwriter, and has written a documentary, “Blondes are Latin Too,” that won two awards.
“I’m mainly a screenwriter now, but I’m an actress too and I love the theatre,” she said.
Montero’s acting career began at age 13 when she starred in commercials.
“I only considered myself an actress, but in college I wrote plays,” Montero said. “Teachers said to me, ‘why don’t you write?’ But I loved performing. I have a lot of energy.”
Montero’s writing career eventually did expand when she worked on the pilot of a show that failed to take off. Montero added that she started taking writing seriously in 2007.
“I have a specific voice and stories that haven’t been told because they’re mine,” she said. “It’s my contribution to the arts. I think it’s important for people to speak up about things we as a society haven’t spoken about.”
Montero said she would consider writing other plays in the future, but she is also working on other screenplays.
“Cassanova Was a Woman” will be performed in New York City’s International Fringe Festival on Aug. 22, Aug. 25, Aug. 26, Aug. 27, and Aug. 28.
Tickets are between $15 and $18, and are available at FringeNYC.org.
For more information about the Hoboken based “No Clout Productions,” visit NoCloutProds.com.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com