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.

HAIKU NEW YORK

Posted on January 31, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

    The sky is paper Bleeding upward from the edge There are ink towers   My brother will be There to meet me at the dock Has it been five years?   Now there are seagulls Wheeling and diving … Continue reading →

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Notes on Myself

Posted on January 17, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

Sometimes I am asked, in applications for grants or music competitions for example, to write about myself.  It is a certain special torture to have to act as your own greatest champion in writing (or in person), but that is … Continue reading →

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In the Name of Love on MLK Day

Posted on January 15, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

    Today our nation commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The message and significance of Martin Luther King Jr. and what he represents for the aspirations of our country and the world weigh more heavily, sadly, today, than they … Continue reading →

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IT’S A PUZZLEMENT

Posted on January 7, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

One of Ed’s Christmas gifts to me was three puzzles made out of photos he had taken.  This was for one of our traditional “little” gifts we give each other, and Ed boasted of a Groupon offer that allowed him … Continue reading →

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The Map Room of Madison, Wisconsin

Posted on January 3, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

  On the second floor of a hundred year old house near Vilas Park in Madison, Wisconsin, is a guest bedroom known as the Map Room.     Three of its four walls have been wall papered by huge maps … Continue reading →

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To the Woman Who Sat in Rear Mezz B 106 During Last Night’s Performance of THE BAND’S VISIT

Posted on December 22, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

This post is not really about “The Band’s Visit”, the marvelously unlikely new Broadway musical hit show, enchanting critics and sold out houses. This is about you, the sad selfish woman sitting diagonally behind me. You see, about halfway through … Continue reading →

Posted in Live! On Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NIGHT and SNOW in CENTRAL PARK

Posted on December 16, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

  Secret Snow Song #1 (Can’t guess the song titles and artists?  They can be found alphabetically tagged at the bottom of post, which should help.)        Secret Night Song #1       Secret Night Song #2 … Continue reading →

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Composing “Divertissement in the Snow”

Posted on December 10, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

“You should compose a piece for the family to play at Christmas”, my husband Ed said to me a few weeks ago (actually it was November 10, I have documented evidence, I’ll get to that later, not that it really … Continue reading →

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“HOT MESS” MALE BISEXUALS “TORCHED” OFF BROADWAY

Posted on December 4, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Hot Mess – Torch Song – Call Me By Your Name – Cabaret – Speakeasy By a quirk of timing I wound up seeing two days in a row the two stage plays currently playing in New York (Off Broadway) … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Live! On Stage, The Speakeasy Chronicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

LGBT is Thrown Around All the Time, But Where is the “B”?

Posted on November 20, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Notes from the “BiView: Bisexual Representation in Media Panel” at NewFest2017 October 21st I attended the panel discussion on Bisexuality in the Media, the first of its kind at a NewFest/Outfest film festival.  Moderated by bisexual activist and journalist Eliel … Continue reading →

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ILLUMINATING LGBTQ LIVES – Documentaries at NewFest 2017

Posted on November 13, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Features: 100 Men – My Wonderful West Berlin – A Womb of Their Own Shorts: Bayard and Me – Umbrella – DES!RE – The Son I Never Had – Resist – House of JXN   “We have gay people.  Hey, … Continue reading →

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CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, SAM, and then Play It Again

Posted on November 7, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

I took a Swoon Dive this weekend.  I read André Aciman’s “Call Me By Your Name” while playing Sam Smith on endless shuffle.  It was almost irresponsibly intoxicating. Say It First – Sam Smith I first heard about the Gay … Continue reading →

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QUEER NARRATIVES at the MOVIES

Posted on November 2, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

NewFest 2017 Feature Length Dramas: After Louie – God’s Own Country – Against the Law –  My Son is Gay – Discreet – The City of the Future – Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Last year I saw only … Continue reading →

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QUEER SHORTS – The Fab and the Furious

Posted on October 28, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Highlights from “Boys Shorts”, “Beyond the Binary”, “Drawn This Way – Animated” & “Faith and Fury” film shorts programs at Newfest – New York’s LGBT Film Festival   It probably plays to the stereotype of the typical NewFest attendee that … Continue reading →

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QUEER SHORTS – The Young and the Resistance

Posted on October 23, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Highlights from “Young, Queer and Woke” and “The Queer Resistance” film shorts programs at Newfest – New York’s LGBT Film Festival Another fall in New York City.  Another NewFest festival of LGBTQ films.  Last year I stuffed a dozen festival films … Continue reading →

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INVISIBLE BISEXUAL PRIVILEGE

Posted on October 14, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

  I reposted links to my blog piece on “The Nearly Invisible Bisexual Male” on Facebook (and Twitter) for National Coming Out Day.  Which led to the following exchange in the Facebook comment section which I think may serve as … Continue reading →

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