Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

About dannyashkenasi

I'm a composer with over 30 years experience creating music theater. I'm also an actor, writer, director, producer, teacher and general enthusiast for the arts.

BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN REOPENED

Posted on August 7, 2020

After 5 months locked out, a return to the gardens Last March, on the weekend where Broadway was already shut down and schools were cancelling performances and assemblies, but the rest of the city was still open for a few … Continue reading →

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TELL-TALE RUNNER UP

Posted on August 1, 2020

An Acting “Silver Medal” I’m happy to report that I won Runner Up Best Actor of Year 2020 from Flicks Film Festival for my performance in “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre“. I’ve already posted about the Flicks Film Festival … Continue reading →

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TELL-TALE over TIMES SQUARE

Posted on July 28, 2020

The Tell-Tale Poster Shines on a Big Billboard over Broadway Last night Ed and I travelled to Times Square to watch the poster for my gothic musical short film “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” be broadcast over Times Square. … Continue reading →

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FESTIVAL PANDEMIC POSTPONEMENTS

Posted on July 22, 2020

See you in … 2021? Below is the 2020 Official Trailer for the Denali Film Festival. It’s a beautifully put together trailer, full of lovely images of the great outdoors. You get a strong sense for the festival’s overriding theme, … Continue reading →

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108 WYCKOFF

Posted on July 17, 2020

I’ve been taking long walks in Brooklyn lately. And the other day in Cobble Hill I came upon this amazing facade festooning the brownstone at 108 Wyckoff Street. It’s a fantastic riot of mosaics and messages, colored stones and mirror … Continue reading →

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ED

Posted on July 12, 2020

My husband turns 61 today. Happy birthday, Ed! And just like every year for the past 27, I composed a viola piano duet for us to play. Each one is called an Evocation. This year’s birthday duet, Evocation XXVII, takes … Continue reading →

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TELL-TALE BEST FEATURE(TTE)

Posted on July 8, 2020

UPDATE – AUGUST 1, 2020: Central States Indie FanFilmFest has named “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” Best English Language Featurette of the year. After earlier awarding my musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation Best English Language Feature/Featurette for the Winter … Continue reading →

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BLACK LIVES MATTER MURALS ON 4TH AND UNION

Posted on July 8, 2020

A construction fence wraps around a shut down gas station on 4th Avenue and Union Street where Park Slope borders Gowanus in Brooklyn. Many Black Lives Matter demonstrations took place in this area this past month, and it is around … Continue reading →

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ANOTHER CHANCE to watch THE TELL-TALE HEART – A MUSICABRE

Posted on July 4, 2020

The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre is now playing in the NEW YORK LIFT-OFF FILM FESTIVAL in the NEWCOMERS SHORT 1 program That’s right. You have another chance to watch the well-reviewed “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” at a … Continue reading →

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A DAY IN SEDONA

Posted on July 1, 2020

The Landscape of Red Rock State Park – The Art in the Galleries

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An HIV Positive Gay Man’s Advice on Living in the Age of Covid

Posted on June 27, 2020

My friend Tim Cusack posted this on Facebook: “For all the straight white people whining about how wearing masks is inconvenient and uncomfortable, how you miss human contact and all the things you used to be able to do, bemoaning … Continue reading →

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40 More Days of Outdoor Memories

Posted on June 21, 2020

Covid 19 Taketh Away, but these Photos Remindeth When Covid 19 started us sheltering at home, and I started posting daily photo reminders of lovely outdoor memories, I didn’t think I would be doing this for three months and counting. … Continue reading →

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30 DAY FILM CHALLENGE

Posted on June 17, 2020

DAY 1 – the first film you remember watching My memory is tricky here, but it was definitely Disney. I remember being told the first film I saw in the theater (at age 3) was either “Fantasia” or “Pinocchio” (either … Continue reading →

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Trans Women are Women. Trans Men are Men. Non-binary People are Non-binary

Posted on June 11, 2020

I remember defending my identity as a bisexual man against gay men and women who passionately felt adding the B to what is now LGBTQ somehow attacked their identity. I remember defending same sex marriage against those who passionately believed … Continue reading →

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LUCY TELLS the TALE of the MUSICABRE

Posted on June 6, 2020

A Tell-Tale Review Lucy Buglass runs the site “Lucy Goes to Hollywood“, where she just posted a four and a half star review of “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” as part of her series “Short Film Saturdays“. I’ll share … Continue reading →

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LANGSTON HUGHES, TOO, SINGS AMERICA

Posted on June 5, 2020

Who But The Lord – Words: Langston Hughes; Music: Danny Ashkenasi The above words were written by Langston Hughes in the 1950s. It angers me that they still speak so closely to the struggles we are witnessing today, even more … Continue reading →

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