Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

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.

Wing Shots

Posted on January 5, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged airplane, Clouds, New York City, photography, Queens, sky, weather, window seat, Wings | Leave a comment

Edward Elder Wins FFTG Award!

Posted on December 30, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

The FFTG Awards have been announced and “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” was nominated for six awards and won one, for my husband Edward Elder for Best Supporting Actor! The FFTG Awards announced the nominees and winners … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged Award, Awards, Background Music, Best Actor, cinematography, David Ashkenasi, Edward Elder, FFTG, Grand Jury, Jason Chua, Jimmy McCoy, musicabre, musical, nominee, Stolis Hadjicharalambous, Supporting Actor, The Pit and the Pendulum, winner | Leave a comment

Moon Over Brooklyn

Posted on December 27, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Eagle-eyed Brooklynite sleuths may be able to trace the route I took taking these pictures one past Thursday afternoon…

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged 4th Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic Mall, balcony, blue sky, brooklyn, brownstone, buildings, crane, Flatbush Avenue, Fulton Street, Moon, photography, roof, school building, skyscraper, streets | Leave a comment

Opera Lights

Posted on December 24, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Holiday season favors the splendor of lights. So how about I share photos of the splendid chandeliers hanging in the Met Opera? “Most photographed chandeliers in the world”, the woman next to me said wryly as I raised my phone to … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged chandeliers, family circle, foyer, Holiday, lights, Lincoln Center, Met, Opera, photography, The Met | Leave a comment

P&P at ANGAELICA

Posted on December 21, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Watch “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” on-line at FESTIVAL ANGAELICA It’s a Holiday Treat! Today and through the end of the year my musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” will … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged adaptation, Angaelica, Breven Warren, Edgar Allan Poe, Film Festival, free trial, Holiday, interview, musicabre, on-line, The Pit and the Pendulum | Leave a comment

Artsy Fartsy Bookcase Pics

Posted on December 17, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

This week we set up our new book cases, and I went a little crazy with my phone’s camera. Some context: perhaps you heard in the news that much of Brooklyn got massively flooded during unprecedented (but likely to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Notes in the News | Tagged book cases, brooklyn, climate change, Climate Crisis, flooding, glass, light, metal, photography, rainfall, reflection, renovation, September 28, three-five-five-three | Leave a comment

The GAUDI CATHEDRAL

Posted on December 12, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona We visited the famous uncompleted cathedral, the magnum opus of genius architect Antoni Gaudi, celebrated native son of Barcelona, while in town attending the Love and Hope Film Festival. Signs at the site project completion … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged Apostle, architect, Barcelona, Cathedral, construction, Evangelist, Gaudi, gothic, Jesus, Mary, Nativity, Passion, Sagreda Familia, spire, Tower | Leave a comment

LIGHTSCAPE 2023

Posted on December 2, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

This year’s LIGHTSCAPE at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the most spectacular and elegant to date.

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Melodies Linger On, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged 2023, botanic garden, brooklyn, Cathedral, chandeliers, Color, Elton John, Flower Duet, Fountain, hip-hop, Lakme, lanterns, light, Lightscape, Rocket Man, sculpture, singing, Snow on the Beach, submergence, Supernova, Taylor Swift, trees, water, winter | Leave a comment

P&P at FFTG AWARDS FILM FESTIVAL

Posted on November 26, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Watch and Vote for “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” on-line at the FFTG AWARDS FILM FESTIVAL thru December 12 “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“, my 30 minute musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, is playing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged Audience Choice, Awards, FFTG, Film Festival, horror, interview, mirror masks, musicabre, musical, short film, The Pit and the Pendulum, vote | Leave a comment

Bride of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on November 21, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

I know I only just posted the third installment of my New Yorker Cartoon caption entries, but I already have six more lined up, having been submitting much more regularly lately, and not being chosen as a finalist just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Literary Lyricism | Tagged aliens, Autumn, birds, caption, cartoon, Contest, dinosaur, Doctor, high tea, lab rat, Macbeth, migration, Mr. Potato Head, New Yorker, Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam, Twitter, witch, Zoom | Leave a comment

P&P – DAY 10 – Shooting the Mirror Masks

Posted on November 14, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Our tenth and final day of shooting my short film musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” was all about the three doppelganger judges of the Inquisition, but not as they appear to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Cinema Scope, Poe Musicabres | Tagged Charlotte Purser, Dies Irae, Edgar Allan Poe, Inquisition, Ja'rel Ivory, Jason Chua, Jimmy McCoy, Judges, masks, mirror, mirror mask, musicabre, musical, post-production, pre-production, Radka Salcmannova, Sami Eddy, short film, Stolis Hadjicharalambous, The Pit and the Pendulum, VFX | Leave a comment

Night Lights

Posted on November 10, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Park Slope’s 5th and 6th avenues Wednesday evening, November 8.

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin' | Tagged 5th ave, 6th ave, brooklyn, chandelier, lights, night, Park Slope, restaurant shed, salon, store window, street light, string of lights, vestibule | Leave a comment

POE MUSICABRES Screen Together 11/17 in NYC

Posted on November 6, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

First and Only Live Double Bill Screening of “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” & “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” 11/17, 1pm free admission as part of The North Film Festival in NYC The festival season for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged Edgar Allan Poe, festival, film, Harlem, horror, musicabre, musicabres, musical, New York, North, NYC, Poe, The North Film Fest, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, TNFF | Leave a comment

BEST OF THE FEST at RAVENWOOD!

Posted on November 4, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Oh Canada! The Ravenwood Film Festival has named “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” Best of the Fest (of all films, short and feature length) at the 2023 edition of their festival. That’s a particularly exciting honor as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged Award, Best of the Fest, Canada, Edgar Allan Poe, festival, film, musicabre, Ravenwood, The Pit and the Pendulum | Leave a comment

Son of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on November 1, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Well you know what they say about trilogies: the third installment is always the best in the series, right? Look up the first and second installments of my unselected New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest submissions here and here. I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged Antelope, board, caption, cartoon, chairman, Contest, ice cream, Lion, New Moon, New Yorker, stick figure, therapy | Leave a comment

Palm Trees on Sunset Boulevard

Posted on October 29, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Two Fridays ago, when I spent a day in LA for a screening of P&P, I walked to North Ardmore Ave to take pictures of the house where my mother grew up many years ago, and then walk to her … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Beginnings, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged Ardmore, Batman, Budget Inn, high school, Hollywood, Hollywood High, Los Angeles, palm tree, Sunset Boulevard | Leave a comment

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