Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

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About dannyashkenasi

I'm a composer with over 40 years experience creating music theater. I'm also an actor, writer, director, producer, teacher and general enthusiast for the arts.

Wet Snow in the Backyard

Posted on February 13, 2022 by dannyashkenasi
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NIAGARA Part 2

Posted on February 9, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

A Wider Tour of the World around the Falls After our first approach to the falls (see Part 1) we walked south from Terrapin Point around Goat Island, with a special visit to the Three Sisters Island, before returning to … Continue reading →

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NIAGARA Part 1

Posted on February 5, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

The Rapids along the Path to the Falls Pics and Vids taken August 2020 We start on the road along the shore at the left side of this map.

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My Favorite Films of 2021

Posted on January 29, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

There are many movies I saw last year which I enjoyed (even enjoyed a great deal) and recommend (now and then maybe with minor caveats) – Belfast, Belle, Being the Ricardos, Black Widow, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Encanto, Eternals, Everybody’s … Continue reading →

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BRIER PATCH in MADISON SQUARE PARK

Posted on January 26, 2022 by dannyashkenasi
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TELL-TALE HEARTBEATS

Posted on January 21, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

In all this time writing about my first short film musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” I have kept one crucial secret: how are the famous tell-tale heartbeats rendered in this version? It must be … Continue reading →

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Return to LIGHTSCAPE

Posted on January 10, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

New views of Lightscape at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden This Time with Snow and Ice This is a supplementary blog post to December’s “LIGHTSCAPE at Brooklyn Botanic Garden“. For a sense of the full tour, I suggest looking at that … Continue reading →

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P&P – Day 3 – Adventures with a Porta-Jib

Posted on January 8, 2022 by dannyashkenasi

While watching the trailer for “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“, my musical short film adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story, you will see me as the protagonist in a dark space, viewed from above. While … Continue reading →

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2021 YEAR END POP CULTURE QUIZ

Posted on December 30, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

One point for each correct answer. No googling! – since I didn’t use google to come up with these questions (only to spell check afterwards) – which is a bit of a brag, yes, yet maybe also revealing something questionable … Continue reading →

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MADISON SNOWSTORM

Posted on December 27, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

Just a little blizzard in Wisconsin’s capitol…

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The Sci-Fi Lego Skyscrapers of Porocity

Posted on December 23, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

I saw these nine gigantic towers of white lego building blocks in the Pompidou museum in Paris in 2018. They reminded me of science fiction movies of my childhood where fantastical models would be filmed to look like immense futuristic … Continue reading →

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TELL-TALE MURDER IN RUSSIAN

Posted on December 17, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

Tell-Tale Subtitles #3 Welcome to the third and (so far) final installment of Tell-Tale Subtitles, where I share screenshots of my first short film musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” with subtitles added. The first … Continue reading →

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Pit and Pendulum TRAILER

Posted on December 10, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

Hot off the editing bay: The Trailer for “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”! “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“, my second short film musical adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe classic (say that clause three … Continue reading →

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LIGHTSCAPE at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Posted on December 7, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

A magical trail of fantastic light installations weaves its way through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden at night these days. Ed and I took the tour.

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Mainstreet Musicals touts FEEDSTORE QUARTET

Posted on December 4, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

“Feedstore Quartet”, a musical created by Jack Hilton Cunningham and myself, has been selected by Mainstreet Musicals, a non-profit that “promotes development opportunities for new musicals throughout regional America”, as a Director’s Choice Award Winner. Jack and I met at … Continue reading →

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Pit & Pendulum Posters

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

Introducing the poster design for “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“: and its alternate / sibling poster: You probably noticed some imagery from the film that is being introduced for the first time on my blog’s discussions about … Continue reading →

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