tooting our own horn (press/media)
-Nomination-Best Drama Short. Austin Revolution Film Festival. Austin, Texas. 2023.
-Nomination-Best Editing Short (Christopher Hart). Austin Revolution Film Festival. Austin, Texas. 2023.
-Nomination-Best Actor Short (Chaz McCormack). Austin Revolution Film Festival. Austin, Texas. 2023.
-Nomination-Margaret Ann Garza Actor Of The Year Premiere Award (Chaz McCormack). Austin Revolution Film Festival. Austin, Texas. 2023.
-Honorable Mention. LA Underground Film Forum. Los Angeles, California. 2023.
-Honorable Mention. Experimental Forum. Los Angeles, California. 2023.
-Official Selection. The Indie gathering International Film Festival. Cleveland, Ohio. 2023.
-Official Selection. The Chelsea Film Festival. New York, New York. 2023.
-Official Selection. Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Film Festival. Las Vegas, Nevada. 2023.
PRESS FOR
Not Approved For Cancer Treatment (Play)
at The New York Theater Festival 2022
(NYC)!
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Press For Jordey The Movie in Las Vegas!
Short-Film “Jordey The Movie” to be Screened at “Action On Film 15th Annual International Film Festival” in Brenden Theaters Inside The Palms
July 27, 2019 by VegasNews.com
Forgotten Artist Productions, a production company based in New York that develops and produces creative and artistic work and projects for film and theatre, will screen its short-film “Jordey The Movie,” written by husband and wife team Michael Thomas Cain and Kristy DiPalma, as part of the Action On Film 15th Annual International Film Festival and Writer’s Competition and the 3rd Annual Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival and Writer’s Competition.
Both festivals run Wednesday, July 24, 2019 – Saturday, July 3, 2019 at the Brenden Theaters inside the Palms Hotel and Casino, 4321 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103. Individual tickets are $10.00. Screens in Theater 2 during the 6:00 PM Block on Tuesday, July 30, 2019. The film is nominated in two categories, Best Family Short and Best Children’s Film.
“Jordey The Movie” is also directed by Michael Thomas Cain and stars Jordey, a ten pound, ten- year-old rescue dog from New York with a lot of love to give. Jordey is a faithful companion and has quickly become an important member of Michael and Kristy’s family. It only seems natural to develop a story around Jordey’s normal behaviors and everyday events in order to emphasize the importance of rescuing animals and the joy that these pets can still bring to human lives. Cain also plays the Burglar in a scene which pays tribute to Charlie Chaplin, the silent film era, and black and white films.
Jordey (also referred to in life as Little Jordey, Jordey Pocket Pants, Little Buddy, Tiny Dancer, Little Peanut, etc.) is a rescue dog who’s living life and enjoying it! Most of the time. As the protector of the house, Jordey also has to chase off any unwanted burglars, and there’s one pesky burglar who frequently visits. What happens one day when Jordey is forced to square off against his cornball rival?
Forgotten Artist Productions and Michael Thomas Cain have also produced the award-winning films “Eliminated” (written and directed by Michael Thomas Cain) and “Thumb Wrestler” (directed by Michael Thomas Cain).
The London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival writes that the short-film “Thumb Wrestler” is a, “Funny, well-made film.”
nytheatre.com writes this about writer and director Michael Thomas Cain’s work, “Cain’s script is sharp and subtle…Cain also does a fine job directing a talented cast of two…Enough’s Enough is good fringe theater. It is fresh, dark and out of the ordinary. FringeNYC is good for finding bold new voices and performers. This show delivers both.”
Danielle Boss of Drama Queens Reviews says this about Fifteen Minutes with Ellen, produced by Forgotten Artist Productions and directed by Michael Thomas Cain, “This prophetic play is important for all to see with its mesmerizing characters, riveting storyline, and remarkable performances that move you to tears…truly a special and unique play that you really do not want to miss.”
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CHAZ MCCORMACK-BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR NOMINATION-SHORT FILM-THE 24TH INDIE GATHERING INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL-THUMB WRESTLER 2
The Awards Ceremony took place on Monday evening, September 18, 2017, and William Sours won Best Supporting Actor for his role of Jack. Congratulations Bill!
www.broadwayworld.com/off-off-broadway/article/Chazz-Palminteri-Sachi-Parker-Misha-Osherovich-and-More-Win-2017-Planet-Connections-Awards-20170925
Performance Review: Fifteen Minutes with Ellen by Andrew Selig
Written by: Danielle Boss
Fifteen Minutes with Ellen is an emotionally charged spectacle written by Andrew Selig and directed by Michael Thomas Cain. Presented by Forgotten Artist Productions, Fifteen Minutes with Ellen makes its premiere at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.
The world of the play takes place in a nursing home where Walter Weatherington, (Chaz McCormack), waits for his niece, Molly, to finally visit him as promised. The play opens with Walter sitting with title character, Ellen, portrayed by the lovely Luna Alago. The two characters bond over their shared agony waiting for their loved ones to finally come visit them. As the title suggests, Walter is only allowed to visit Ellen between fifteen minute intervals before the nurses catch them, as it is not allowed for residents of the nursing home to visit each other. It is revealed that Walter suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, as he sometimes mixes up the name of his nurse with his daughter, Molly, blaming it on the fact that they both look so similar. Walter’s condition worsens as the play progresses since he refuses to take his medication. Asides from Ellen, Walter’s loneliness is assuaged by the company of nurse Mandy, (Ceren Zorlu), and his only friend Jack (William Sours). While Walter’s Alzheimer’s intensifies, the line dividing imagination and reality begins to blur to the point that Walter struggles to decipher what is real and what is not.
In New York City — where an abundance of plays are being written and performed every day, from the streets of Broadway to off-off Broadway — Fifteen Minutes with Ellen sets itself apart. This wonderful play offers us a unique and rare storyline that details the lives and perspectives of the elderly living in a nursing home — tackling a social issue that many do not wish to face. This play explores the universal themes of love, existential crises and existence, suffering from incurable mental and physical illnesses, pain, guilt, betrayal, and loneliness. With very little representation of the elderly in media and close to no depiction of the trials and grave loneliness in which the elderly face living within the confines of a nursing home, Fifteen Minutes with Ellencouldn’t be a more important play. Fifteen Minutes with Ellen tells an untold story and gives a voice to a voiceless and often overlooked group. Fifteen Minutes bring to light the heartache that plagues the loved ones having to deal with a family member who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. What is also great about a play like Fifteen Minutes with Ellen is that its casting offers opportunities for actors of an older age group. In theater and film alike where young actors are more desired and youth still emphasized, it is heartening to know that playwrights such as Andrew Selig are breaking out of this circle of exclusion to offer employment opportunities for older actors. Like all shows performed at Planet Connections Theater Festivity, Fifteen Minutes with Ellen benefits a charity of their own choice and collects donations for their cause after the performance. Appropriate for the themes of the play, Fifteen Minutes is benefitting the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, a charity that provides aid, services, and employment opportunities for those aged fifty-five and older.
William Sours shines in his role as Jack, who is Walter’s sarcastic and acerbic companion whom consistently derides and mocks not only the nurses, but also the other seniors in the home. Sours’ portrayal of the snarky character is brilliant and finite with the detail of his facial expressions, his affected hoarse mocking laugh, his specific body movements, and incredible line delivery. Every movement of Sours’ body was so distinct and in character—no movement he made was ever random, it always held purpose to the role. Ceren Zorlu as Nurse Mandy also had a striking performance. She nailed the role with her animated facial expressions, astute reactions, vocal quality, and her quick switches from a caring to a condescending nurse. Chaz McCormack and Luna Alago as star-crossed lovers Walter and Ellen delivered a poignant and emotional performance that can bring any audience member to tears. McCormack and Alago’s portrayals of Walter and Ellen’s pain, distress, and confusion is poignant and their acting so effective to the point that their character’s emotional states are palpable. McCormack and Alago’s performances were realistic, believable, and heart wrenchingly touching. The entire cast of Fifteen Minutes with Ellen did a marvelous job in working together to represent these colorful characters in such a beautifully touching play. With very minimal set design, the performance of Fifteen Minutesemphasized dialogue, characters, and storyline. The simple lighting and sparse use of props accurately reflects the dismal and emptiness of the nursing home in which the story takes place. The interaction between the characters is a spectacle of itself with heavy focus on dialogue. All of the characters seem to have dull and unnoticeable costumes that reflect this world as well—with Mandy’s standard blue scrubs and Jack and Walter’s simple pants and t-shirts. The only character whose costume is colorful and stands out is Ellen’s, with her floral dress, white veil, and her choice to be barefoot rather than wear shoes. This choice shows how Ellen is different from the others in the home and how she is captivating for Walter in his state of loneliness and despair. Ellen offers refuge for Walter in his desperate and lonely wait for his precious daughter to keep her promise in paying him a visit. The dialogue in the play is so incredibly memorable and profound, with lines such as, “I’m only as smart as you make me,” and “I’d rather have a blurry TV than a blurry conscience.” Fifteen Minutes truly delivers with such a well-written and woven plot and stunning performance by the actors and tech team.
Fifteen Minutes with Ellen opened to the public with its first performance on June 14th and will be running throughout the festivity until its final performance date on July 3rd. This prophetic play is important for all to see with its mesmerizing characters, riveting storyline, and remarkable performance that move you to tears. Fifteen Minutes is truly a special and unique play that you really do not want to miss.
https://dramaqueensreviews.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/a-powerful-fifteen-minutes/
nytheatre.com
review by Richard Hinojosa
August 13, 2012
http://www.nytheatre.com/Review/fringenyc2012-enoughs-enough
When I was a kid I remember hearing my parents grumble about “making ends meet” and I thought it was some kind of cheap meat that they could scarcely afford in order to feed our family. As many families are now, we struggled to survive in those days and so do the characters in Enough’s Enough. However, in playwright Michael Thomas Cain’s dark comic world the characters may very well end up as cheap meat.
Meet Monica and Ted, two cogs in a corporate machine who have been working together in rather close quarters for at least ten years. It’s Ted’s 30th anniversary with the company and he’s feeling numb. So much so that he drives a staple into his hand just so he might feel something. Monica is feeling something though - something a little deeper and more pressing than a staple in the hand. Monica has that sacred itch and at this point only Ted can scratch it. A bell is heard and a memo appears in a box. “Get back to work”, it says, “or you’ll be subject to immediate termination”. But termination at this company doesn’t mean what you may think. The company, after all, controls the oxygen flow to the office and Ted and Monica are theirs for the rest of their lives.
I really enjoyed this short dark comedy. Cain’s script is sharp and subtle. At the top of the show you may think that this play is just another story about nameless, nobodies working in the corporate underbelly but it is far from that. The script unfolds gradually to reveal darker and darker revelations about the world of the play. I found it to be an absolutely hilarious slow burner that trucks along at a good pace and leaves you wanting a little more. Cain also does a fine job directing a talented cast of two.
Deacon Hoy plays Ted as an exasperated and defeated shell of a man who once had a family and creativity. Hoy’s tension and fear dominate his every line with only a few moments of clarity shining through that seem to be remnants of the man he used to be. Margie Ferris plays Monica with a nice balance of charm, desperation and drive. It seems that at any moment Ferris might burst open and reveal herself to be a vicious killer. Together their onstage chemistry reeks of commitment to these odd characters.
Enough’s Enough is good fringe theater. It is fresh, dark and out of the ordinary. FringeNYC is good for finding bold new voices and performers. This show delivers both.
- WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
-The London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival writes that the short film “Thumb Wrestler,” produced by Forgotten Artist Productions, is a, “Funny, well-made film.”
"My Director Michael Thomas Cain who I admire and respect. Every actor should get a taste of his work."
-Linda A Alago, Actress in "Thumb Wrestler" and "Germaine and Diane."
"Thank you for featuring Roberto Bonazzi, my San Antonio hermano. He is an impressive writer and an even more impressive human being, great spirit and wonderful teacher."
-Mariana Aitches
"Thank you so much to this group (Forgotten Artist Productions) for featuring my stand up show with Close Up NYC as their No Artist Left Behind! I'm constantly overwhelmed by love from colleagues and friends in this city. Please support this group and like and share what they are doing. Michael Thomas Cain thank you."
-Craig Fox, Comedian, Actor, and No Artist Left Behind
"Marsha Bailey, Nina Lifshey, and I (Whitney Smith) loved the show last night! Congratulations on your opening night of WHERE ART LIVES!"
"Great idea. Brilliant. Great start."
-Joe Martin on the creation of Forgotten Artist Productions