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  THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE

"dedicated to an honest and open exploration of the life experience and cultural sensibility of our community and to preserving and promoting our literary past in a determined effort to keep our theatrical heritage alive"

 

   

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It can't be said often enough (so it might as well be said again) that theatergoers should all be thankful for the renascence three years ago of TOSOS (The Other Side Of Silence), the first professional gay theatre company, founded in 1974. The love. . . and level of competence of TOSOS II are an inspirationChatterton, OOBR

 

One of the most exciting events. . .is the re-emergence of TOSOS, originally founded in 1974 by Stonewall veteran Doric Wilson. Bacalzo, TheaterMania.com

 

Talk about a prodigy. The infant TOSOS II ran before it could crawl. — Marcus, Gay City News

 

Off-Off Broadway at its finest. — Hurst, NEXT magazine

 

TOSOS II is proving to be the little theater group that can. . .In gay theater circles, the year's biggest news was the return of The Other Side of Silence, the nation's first professional gay troupe. . .Its reading series, Look Again!, almost instantly established the troupe as the leading light of New York gay theater. . .I can hardly wait to see what this gay theater brain trust has in store. —Warman, HX magazine

 

One of the pleasanter aspects of living in the city is discovering a hidden treasure, be it food, entertainment or fun. In this case, it's theater, specifically TOSOS, a revived company dedicated to edgy gay plays. — Weinstein, New York Blade

 

TOSOS II is very proud to be featured in PERFORM, the new permanent exhibit on the history of theatre at The Museum of the City of New York.

 

(The exhibit also features the Spike production (1977) of Doric Wilson’s The West Street Gang  and TOSOS II honorary board member Charles Busch.)

 


Ongoing Series

 


Playwrights Project



Musical Theater Project



Solo Show Project

Productions

The Madness of Lady Bright

WeikelWorks

And He Made a Her

Mark Finley's The Mermaid

Charles Busch's The Lady in Question

New York Minutes

Movie Lover: A Triple Feature

Eisenstein's Monster


Elizabeth Whitney's 
Wonder Woman: The Musical


David Bell's
Bernadette & the Butcher of Broadway

Mark Finley's 
Young Stowaways in Space

Robert Patrick's Hollywood at Sunset

To the WHAT the F**K?!? page.
David Bell's W
HAT the F**K?!?
To the PERFECT RELATIONSHIP page.
Doric Wilson's A Perfect Relationship

  Chris Weikel's Penny Penniworth
To the LOOK AGAIN! page.
LOOK AGAIN!
To the STREET THEATER page.
Doric Wilson's Street Theater
To the TALES TOLD page.
Chris Weikel's Tales Told

 

TOSOS II: In 1974, Off-Off Broadway veteran Doric Wilson, cabaret star Billy Blackwell and director Peter dell Valle, started the first professional gay theatre company in NYC. It was called The Other Side of Silence; TOSOS for short. Twenty-six years later, directors Mark Finley and Barry Childs and playwright Wilson have resurrected the company as TOSOS Il, dedicating it to an honest and open exploration of the life experience and cultural sensibility of our community and to preserving and promoting our literary past in a determined effort to keep our theatrical heritage alive. TOSOS II was recently honored by inclusion in the new permanent theater exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, and in 2007, founder Doric Wilson received the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Artistic Achievement.

 

TOSOS II quickly re-established itself as an important voice in NYC's alternative theater scene with the LOOK AGAIN! plays-in-concert series at the GLBT Center in 2002 which included:

 

Igor Goldin’s staging of Bill Solly’s Boy Meets Boy (subsequently optioned for off-Broadway)

Michael Lynch in Lanford Wilson’s The Madness of Lady Bright (subsequently given a full production)

Mark Finley’s production of Doric Wilson’s The West Street Gang

Tom Eyen’s Sarah B. Divine directed by Barry Childs with music composed by Morry Campbell

 

The first two seasons of TOSOS II (2002-03) presented five critically acclaimed productions:

 

Mark Finley’s staging of Doric Wilson's Street Theater at the NY Eagle

("no funnier show now running" — Deffaa, New York Post ; HX Best Play nomination; revived 2003)

Chris Weikel’s Gareth & Lynette and Penny Penniworth*, directed by Mark Finley under the collective title Tales Told

(*"must see show"— FringeNYC 2003)

David Bell's What the F**k?!, directed by Mark Ax and Christopher Borg

("fast and furious"— Denton, nytheater.com 2003 OOBR Best Play Award)

Doric Wilson's A Perfect Relationship, directed by Mark Finley

("smart, sexy gem of a romantic comedy"— Warman, HX Magazine 2003 OOBR Best Play Award)

and inaugurating The Billy Blackwell / John Wallowitch Musical Theatre Project:

Look Askew - a musical revue conceived and directed by Igor Goldin (at the GLBT Center)

 

TOSOS II   third season (2004):

Christopher Borg’s production of David Bell's Bernadette and the Butcher of Broadway

("a delightful deadly satire"— Lyons, New York Post)

Mark Finley's adaptation of Young Stowaways in Space

("a delightful romp through outer space!...It's Christmas in February and Young Stowaways is a large enchanting toy! I love it."— John Wallowitch)

the world premiere of Robert Patrick's Hollywood at Sunset directed by Barry Childs

( "Do not walk-RUN to see Robert Patrick's Hollywood at Sunset"— Estrada, oobr 2004 OOBR Best Play Award)

Movie Lover, a Triple Feature:

Kevin Brofsky's Dancing Straight, Mark Finley's How Do We Get Her in the Water? & Chris Weikel's Speaking Parts

("consistently hilarious, insightful and a total joy"— Weinstein, New York Blade)

Eisenstein’s Monster, short plays & monologues by Linda Eisenstein; directed by Mark Finley & Rebecca Longworth

("TOSOS II is rapidly building a reputation for quality work"— Battersby, oobr)

 

-and for the TOSOS II Billy Blackwell / John Wallowitch Musical Theatre Project:

Musically Speaking: The World of Bill Solly, directed by Igor Goldin

("rare to see a revue that hangs together on subtext alone...a charming, youthful, talented, and energetic cast — Denton, nytheater.com)

 

TOSOS II   fourth season (2005):

Musically Speaking :The World of John Wallowitch, a revue conceived and directed by Mark Finley

("a sweet-tart little slice of cabaret nirvana"— Jonathan Warman, HX Magazine)

Elizabeth Whitney's Wonder Woman The Musical (inaugurating The Ethyl Eichelberger Solo Show Project)

("A skilled comedienne… thought provoking and insightful."— Eric Pliner, NYtheatre.com)

the world premiere of Mark Finley's new play The Mermaid, directed by Barry Childs

("one of the most entertaining and thought provoking nights I have had at the theatre in a long time" — Wilder, OnOffOff.com)

Christopher Borg in Charles Busch’s The Lady In Question at The Monster

("gripping and riotous... a spirited Lady in Question with playwright Busch present–Gelbert, New York Q News)

 

TOSOS II   fifth season (2006):

 

New York Minutes, a revue of the songs of John Wallowitch, conceived & directed by Mark Finley

(extended version of Musically Speaking :The World of John Wallowitch)

Michael Lynch in Lanford Wilson's The Madness of Lady Bright (produced in association with Peculiar Works Project)

(Michael Lynch is grand ...Melissa Center and Marlon Hurt are superb...you will not want to miss The Madness of Lady Bright - Denton, nytheatre.com

Chris Weikel’s WeikelWorks: Three Plays in Concert

Liebestraum; Family Vote; and Making it up as We Go Along: Two Lives Improvised in One Act

 

The Ethyl Eichelberger Solo Show Project:

Jeremy Lawrence performing "Lavender Songs," a collection of cabaret songs from the Weimar Republic

(a witty, proud and political evening– Gelbert, Q OnStage)

 

The Billy Blackwell/John Wallowitch Musical Theatre Project:

The Robert Locke Quartet at the Duplex

An Acoustic Evening with Morry Campbell at the Duplex

 

TOSOS II   sixth season (2007):

Mark Finley’s production of Doric Wilson’s And He Made a Her (in association with Peculiar Works Project)

("easily the best play on the subject I’ve ever seen"–Warman, NY Blade)

 

 

See "Upcoming" for the seventh season:

 

 

TOSOS II is a member of

The New York Innovative Theatre Awards

(www.nyitawards.com)

and

United Stages

(www.UnitedStages.com)

 

United Stages has published the following plays premiered by TOSOS II: David Bell's What The F**k! and Bernadette and the Butcher of Broadway; Mark Finley's The Mermaid; Robert Patrick's Hollywood at Sunset; Kathleen Warnock's Rock the Line; Chris Weikel: Gareth & Lynette and Penny Penniworth; and Doric Wilson's And He Made a Her; Street Theater and Now She Dances! They can be purchased online from the Drama Book Store ( www.dramabookshop.com )

 

The revival of TOSOS II could not have happened had it not been for

Erik Haagensen, Leonard Jacobs & Jack Schlegel

to whom this website is dedicated.

 


TOSOS II The Other Side of Silence
506 9th Ave., Apt. 3FN / (212) 563-2218

e-mail (temporary): doricw@nyc.rr.com


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