Category Archives: Beginnings

Entries related to my biography and development as an artist.

October 25 – Our Half / Legal Anniversary

Posted on October 25, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Today is Ed and my “Half-Anniversary”, AKA our “Legal Anniversary”. As I have already detailed in a 2015 blog post when Marriage Equality finally went national, Ed and I got married April 25, 1998, the fifth anniversary of our meeting. … Continue reading →

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GREECE – The Acropolis

Posted on October 20, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Ed and I spent three fantastic weeks in Greece this August. Providing in photos and videos a wealth of eye candy for a series of blog posts. Surely it makes sense to make the famous Acropolis in Athens the first … Continue reading →

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DANCE ON THE VOLCANO – a Revue

Posted on October 13, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Last Thursday I had the privilege and pleasure to perform in “Dance on the Volcano“, a revue covering the tumultuous years of the Weimar Republic, the short time of democracy in Germany between the end of World War One and … Continue reading →

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DRAGONS (Kites) in BERLIN!

Posted on September 14, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Drachen in German means dragon. It also means kite. September 12 thousands of Berliners congregated in the Tempelhofer Feld to celebrate the “Drachenfest” – the dragonfest-, I mean the Kite festival. The Tempelhofer Feld (Field of Tempelhof) is a park … Continue reading →

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MORNING LIGHT

Posted on August 31, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Traveling. Sleeping in an unusual bedroom. Waking up in the morning to sunlight making its way into the room; direct, shadowed, reflected, refracted… A cloud, apparently, darkens the sunlight … But not for long…

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Ed is at Sixes and Sevens Today

Posted on July 12, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

It’s Ed’s birthday today. Ed Elder, my partner of 33 and husband of 28 years. He turns 67 today, so I joke that he’s at sixes and sevens. Which is all in jest and not at all truthful. Nothing about … Continue reading →

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Early Spring in Brooklyn

Posted on April 6, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Ed and I enjoyed a sunny day in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this weekend (that’s me above indulging in the sweet honey scent of the paper bush) and I took some pictures of the first blossoms of Spring. The entrance … Continue reading →

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Solaris Film Festival Awards “Prelude to a Death”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

The Solaris Film Festival in Helsinki, Finland has given “Prelude to a Death” the award for “Best Unproduced Script”. “Prelude to a Death” is a feature length gothic ghost story. I have sent the screenplay to a handful of festivals … Continue reading →

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On Set as Bernhardt, a Fairy Tale Grandfather

Posted on December 20, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

That’s me in costume as Bernhardt, the grandfather, on set of the short film “Mouse”, which was shot in Bushwick last weekend. “Mouse” is a fairy tale with adult themes. Bernhardt, the grandfather, is a woodsman who lives in a … Continue reading →

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Seasons Greetings

Posted on December 7, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

We dressed our tree. Our windows have lights. Even our trellis is dressed. I prefer to call it a Solstice Tree. And since this is a very Queer home, our tree angel is a vintage Billy doll. He’s very anatomically … Continue reading →

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Performing at the Piscator Awards

Posted on November 1, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Michael Lahr von Leitis presenting Cole Escola with the Piscator Award I had the pleasure and privilege of performing October 23 at the Piscator Awards, a dinner and fundraiser at the swanky Upper East Side Lotos Club benefitting the arts … Continue reading →

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Reflections at the AIDS Memorial

Posted on October 25, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

After completing the No Kings march last Saturday, Ed and I took a break at the Aids Memorial in the Village before going for dinner and taking in a double feature at Newfest (we saw the queer animal documentary “Second … Continue reading →

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The New Actor Reel Page

Posted on October 2, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

A new page has been added to the Notes from a Composer banner: Actor Reels. Here is where I will be periodically adding clips and edits from my work as an actor. I have been acting in a fair amount … Continue reading →

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Comedy and Tragedy on the Bathroom Wall

Posted on September 17, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

It occurs to me that the title of this post may suggest we will be looking at particularly dramatic graffiti in public bathrooms, but no, sorry to disappoint on that account. I am sharing pictures of small tragedy and comedy … Continue reading →

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My Time as a Resurrected Corpse

Posted on September 12, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Adventures in Acting in Short Films As previously stated I have been cast in a number of short films lately. One of the more fun and “bloggable” shoots was for “Resurrection”, which filmed in Ithaca. I play a recently deceased … Continue reading →

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A Dulcimer, A Fountain, and a Kiss

Posted on August 21, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

I’m touristing most two-fistedly in Rome at the moment (next stop Florence), which leaves me near to no time to blog, but will give me much material for future Two-fisted Touristing blog posts. I’ll give you a little taste with … Continue reading →

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