There are only Nine Hours left to win a Lunch with Kathryn.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Charitybuzz: Lunch With Kathryn Erbe of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in NYC
Enjoy lunch with Detective Alexandra Eames in New York City!
Kathryn Erbe is best known for playing Detective Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Erbe’s television credits include playing the infamous death row inmate Shirley Bellinger on the acclaimed HBO series “Oz.” She also appeared on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street,” the miniseries “George Wallace,” Showtime’s original production of “Naked City: Justice with a Bullet,” NBC’s “Another World” and the television movie “Breathing Lessons.”
Erbe also gained notice in the 1999 box office hit “Stir of Echoes” opposite Kevin Bacon and “Dream with the Fishes” with David Arquette. Her additional film credits include “Entropy,” “Kiss of Death,” “D2: The Mighty Ducks,” “Rich in Love”, “What About Bob?”, and “Speaking of Sex” with Lara Flynn Boyle and Bill Murray. Erbe also filmed “Three Backyards,” starring opposite Embeth Davidtz and Edie Falco, “Mother’s House”, “Worst Friend’s”, and “The Love Guide” with Parker Posey.
Before appearing in feature films, Erbe began her career on the stage. She is a member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company and has starred in many of their productions, including Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” as Stella, “Curse of the Starving Class” and “My Thing of Love.” She earned a Tony® Award nomination in 1991 for her portrayal of Mary in “Speed of Darkness.” Erbe is also an active member of the Atlantic Theatre Company. For the last year, Erbe has recently focused her attention to the theater appearing in Craig Lucas’ play ‘Ode to Joy, as Pat Nixon in The Vineyard’s ‘Checkers’, Natasha in Lincoln Center’s ‘Nikolai and The Others’ as well as Sue in ACT’s ‘Natural Affection’.
Kathryn Erbe is best known for playing Detective Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Erbe’s television credits include playing the infamous death row inmate Shirley Bellinger on the acclaimed HBO series “Oz.” She also appeared on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street,” the miniseries “George Wallace,” Showtime’s original production of “Naked City: Justice with a Bullet,” NBC’s “Another World” and the television movie “Breathing Lessons.”
Erbe also gained notice in the 1999 box office hit “Stir of Echoes” opposite Kevin Bacon and “Dream with the Fishes” with David Arquette. Her additional film credits include “Entropy,” “Kiss of Death,” “D2: The Mighty Ducks,” “Rich in Love”, “What About Bob?”, and “Speaking of Sex” with Lara Flynn Boyle and Bill Murray. Erbe also filmed “Three Backyards,” starring opposite Embeth Davidtz and Edie Falco, “Mother’s House”, “Worst Friend’s”, and “The Love Guide” with Parker Posey.
Before appearing in feature films, Erbe began her career on the stage. She is a member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company and has starred in many of their productions, including Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” as Stella, “Curse of the Starving Class” and “My Thing of Love.” She earned a Tony® Award nomination in 1991 for her portrayal of Mary in “Speed of Darkness.” Erbe is also an active member of the Atlantic Theatre Company. For the last year, Erbe has recently focused her attention to the theater appearing in Craig Lucas’ play ‘Ode to Joy, as Pat Nixon in The Vineyard’s ‘Checkers’, Natasha in Lincoln Center’s ‘Nikolai and The Others’ as well as Sue in ACT’s ‘Natural Affection’.
Donated by: Kathryn Erbe
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Lot #783317
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Criminal Intent meets Paris enquêtes criminelles
A friend of VincentDOnofrioCom at twitter sent this amazing photo.
Kathryn Erbe, Vincent D'Onofrio and their French counterpart Sandrine Rigaux, Vincent Perez #CriminalIntent
I didn't know that they ever met. This is so cool.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Yes, another new photo of Kathryn.
Craig Washington’s tweeted/instagram:
craigwash
For all my Law & Order:Criminal Intent fans, the wonderful talented #KathrynErbe. Raise your hand if you remember her from “D2: The Mighty Ducks” though 🙌 #nyc #theaterofwar #scholastic #aspeninstitute #actress #tv #nbc #LawandOrder #movies #ilovenyc #livingmybestlife
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
A New Project?
I found this tweet/Instagram entry today.
Looks like Kathryn joined a new project. Can’t wait to find more about it.
source ig/twitter: heispoppin/White Flag Supporter
Looks like Kathryn joined a new project. Can’t wait to find more about it.
source ig/twitter: heispoppin/White Flag Supporter
#KathrynErbe can’t wait to be on the big screen with you! Magestic creation of God. Such an inspiring woman. #udonthaveig
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Kathryn Erbe at Blue Bloods
I just saw a few tweets saying Kathryn was in last nights Blue Bloods: “Unsung Heroes”
I guess I have to find a stream of the episode to get a few caps.
Nov 13, 2015 Craig Byrne
"Unsung Heroes" -- When Danny and his family are threatened by Thomas
Wilder (Louis Cancelmi), a serial killer Danny has been unable to
apprehend, Linda's concern intensifies over her husband's job as well as
the state of their marriage. Also, Jamie challenges his superior
officer, Sgt. William Mulvey (A.J. Buckley), during a hostage situation,
on BLUE BLOODS, Friday, Nov. 13 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS
Television Network. Pictured: Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, Marisa
Ramirez as Det. Maria Baez. Photo: CBS ©2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Blue Bloods stars
Tom Selleck (Frank Reagan), Donnie Wahlberg (Danny Reagan), Bridget
Moynahan (Erin Reagan), Will Estes (Jamie Reagan), Len Cariou (Henry
Reagan), Marisa Ramirez (Det. Maria Baez), Amy Carlson (Linda Reagan),
Sami Gayle (Nicky Reagan-Boyle), and Vanessa Ray (Officer Eddie Janko).
Recurring guests in the episode include Tony Terraciano (Jack Reagan),
Andrew Terraciano (Sean Reagan), Abigail Hawk (Abigail Baker), Gregory
Jbara (DCPI Garrett Moore), and Robert Clohessy (Lt. Gormley).
The
rest of the guest stars in “Unsung Heroes” include A.J. Buckley (Sgt.
William Mulvey), Louis Cancelmi (Thomas Wilder), Candy Buckley (Shelly
Wilder), Miriam A. Hyman (ME Emile Cooper), Kathryn Erbe (Sharon
Bennett), Akim Black (Corey Fields), Gracie Beardsley (Young Girl), Juan
Carlos Infante (Jose Gomez), Taylor Rose (Danielle Levine), Jillmarie
Lawrence (Janice Peterson), Dalton Harrod (Mark), Kalyn West (Rachel),
Patrick Dillon Curry (Student #1), Amanda Gardner (Student #2), Michael
Drumgold (Student #3), Elijah Booth (Student #4), and Dina Drew (Woman,
Young Girl’s Mother).
Blue Bloods “Unsung Heroes” was written by Siobhan Byrne O’Connor and directed by Alex Chapple.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Animal League America web page
The Animal League America web page has a wonderful new header with Kathryn Erbe. They also tweeted with this cute photo. If you are looking for a new pet also remember the option to adopt your new furry family member.
You loved watching Kathryn Erbe lock up NYC's worst criminals in Law and Order. Now she's helping save animal lives!
Friday, September 25, 2015
Kathryn and her younger sister at 'He Named Me Malala'
Kathryn Erbe attended the "He Named Me Malala" New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on September 24, 2015 in New York City. Jill Hennessy was there as well.
Look for more pictures at the sources:
- GettyImages - Brian Craig, Jim Spellman, Dimitrios Kambouris, Taylor Hill
- CorbisImages - LAN, BxPix
- REX - Stephen Lovekin, Startraks Photo, Kristin Callahan
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Kensho World Premiere
at the 10th Harlem International Film Festival, NYC.
For more photos enter the facebook of Kenshow Film.
For everyone who will join the LA premiere on Sunday Brad let you keep in mind:
If you're on the West Coast, our LA premiere is this coming Sunday at LA LIVE.
Kensho LA Premiere
Sun, Sept 20th 6pm
Regal Cinemas LA Live: 1000 West Olympic Blvd, LA 90015
**Please note: The Emmys are at LA Live that night, as well, so traffic will be heavier than usual. Please arrive early for parking which is in Lot 4 on Georgia Street - north of Olympic or the West Garage on Georgia Street - south of Olympic).
So looking forward to seeing our LA cast, crew, friends and supporters on Sunday!
Warmest,
Brad
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Mistress America
Lately I saw these mysterious tweets:
The movie premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2015.
So I started a little search. Kathryn really is not listed at the imdb page of Mistress America. But different reviews mentioned her name. She plays Tracy's Mom:
The movie premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2015.
On January 9, 2015, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired worldwide distribution rights for the film
MISTRESS AMERICA was released in select theaters on Friday, August 14. But when will
Noah Baumbach's hilarious new comedy be coming to your town? Check out our new Theaters Page on our official site to find out! View the trailer below to get excited.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Kensho at the Bedfellow WORLD PREMIERE!
Kensho at the Bedfellow will have its World Premiere in New York City at the
Harlem International Film Festival, Sept 13th. A week later, we'll premiere in Los Angeles at
The Awareness Film Festival, Sept 20th.
TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR BOTH PREMIERES AT kenshofilm.com
In
its 10th year, Harlem is
programming some great films and events for its milestone year.
Awareness Fest (this year at LA Live, downtown) is run by the non-profit charity Heal One World and champions social-impact cinema intended to inspire audiences and help catalyze positive change in the world.
Purchase tickets now as seating is limited and stay updated with news and cool content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Awareness Fest (this year at LA Live, downtown) is run by the non-profit charity Heal One World and champions social-impact cinema intended to inspire audiences and help catalyze positive change in the world.
Purchase tickets now as seating is limited and stay updated with news and cool content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
For the investors and IndieGoGo supporters awarded tickets to the premieres on both coasts, please expect an email from Brad Raider's assistant, Anna Atwater, who will help coordinate.
I was so excited as I got this email from Brad Raider today. It's so cool that Kensho will be at the Harlem International Film Festival. I joined the festival during my first visit of New York City to watch Kathryn's The Vanishing City.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
NY1 Online: Criminal Justice Advocates Discuss Clemency in New York State
Kathryn joined a discussion round about Clemency in New York State hold by Inside City Hall, Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 12:10 AM EDT
Watch here at ny1.com
NY1 VIDEO: Errol Louis discussed clemency in New York state, and
Governor Cuomo’s role in giving pardons, with Sheila Rule of the Think
Outside the Cell Foundation; Allen Roskoff from the Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club; actor and activist Kathryn Erbe and Evie Litwok from
the Equality Justice Project.
Kathryn supports Prisoner Clemency Projects for over 10 years. Here you can see photos of a "Candles for Clemency" event outside of Gov. Cuomo's home at September 6th, 2014.
Read more about the topic here:
Protestors Call on Cuomo to Reconsider Clemency at Candlelight Vigil VID Was Well Represented at the Clemency Vigil On Primary Eve, Cuomo Pressed at Home on Prisoner Clemency
Monday, July 27, 2015
Barefoot Theatre Company Celebrates 2015 Vassallo Awards with Spring Gala
and Kathryn celebrated with them.
BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY
proudly presents the 2nd annual VASSALLO AWARDS
hosted by VH1's Ellie Lee
Monday, June 22nd, 2015 / New York City
AMERICAN BALLROOM THEATER
25 West 31st Street, 4th Floor
RED-CARPET CELEBRATION
VIP COCKTAIL HOUR - 7:15pm / CURTAIN - 8pm
Running Time (presentation & awards ceremony) - 75mins
$25 in advance / $35 at the door
LIVE PERFORMANCES, MUSIC, DRINKS, BALLROOM DANCING & MORE!
featuring the short play WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOTby Mike Reiss (Emmy Winner, The Simpsons); directed by Francisco Solorzano
starring Jerry Adler, Allison Anderegg, Jeremy Brena, Charles Everett, Daniel K. Isaac, Kenneth King, Margaret Ladd, Michael Pantozzi, Maia Sage and Jennie West
With Special Guest Speakers from Film, Television and Broadway!
VASSALLO AWARDS
This year we're thrilled to honor Anna Chlumsky (Outstanding Achievement In The Arts), Kamilah Forbes for her work with Hi-ARTS (Educational Outreach Program), Daniel Talbott (Mentorship Award) and 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for Best Drama, Stephen Adly Guirgis (Outstanding Achievement In Playwriting).
Edie Nugent, Press Officer
Francisco Solorzano, Producer
by BWW News Desk at BroadwayWorld
Photos found at the Facebook of the Barefoot Theatre Company.
BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY
proudly presents the 2nd annual VASSALLO AWARDS
hosted by VH1's Ellie Lee
Monday, June 22nd, 2015 / New York City
AMERICAN BALLROOM THEATER
25 West 31st Street, 4th Floor
RED-CARPET CELEBRATION
VIP COCKTAIL HOUR - 7:15pm / CURTAIN - 8pm
Running Time (presentation & awards ceremony) - 75mins
$25 in advance / $35 at the door
LIVE PERFORMANCES, MUSIC, DRINKS, BALLROOM DANCING & MORE!
featuring the short play WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOTby Mike Reiss (Emmy Winner, The Simpsons); directed by Francisco Solorzano
starring Jerry Adler, Allison Anderegg, Jeremy Brena, Charles Everett, Daniel K. Isaac, Kenneth King, Margaret Ladd, Michael Pantozzi, Maia Sage and Jennie West
With Special Guest Speakers from Film, Television and Broadway!
VASSALLO AWARDS
This year we're thrilled to honor Anna Chlumsky (Outstanding Achievement In The Arts), Kamilah Forbes for her work with Hi-ARTS (Educational Outreach Program), Daniel Talbott (Mentorship Award) and 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for Best Drama, Stephen Adly Guirgis (Outstanding Achievement In Playwriting).
Edie Nugent, Press Officer
Francisco Solorzano, Producer
by BWW News Desk at BroadwayWorld
Barefoot Theatre Company celebrated the 2015 Vassallo Awards with a
Spring Gala at the American Ballroom Theater in Manhattan. The ceremony,
hosted by VH1's Ellie Lee, honored artistic achievement as well as
mentorship and educational outreach to the younger generation of artists
in memory of Ed Vassallo. Vassallo's career spanned 20 years and included work producing for the LAByrinth Theatre Company and volunteering with the 52nd Street Project.
Actress Anna Chlumsky
(VEEP) was unable to attend due to family obligations, but sent a video
message accepting the 2015 Vassallo Award for Outstanding Achievement
in the Arts. She thanked Barefoot Theatre Company for "taking a chance"
on her when she relaunched her acting career in 2005.
Actress Liza Colón-Zayas presented Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis
(Riverside and Crazy) with the 2015 Vassallo Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Playwriting. Guirgis spoke of how Vassallo inspired him
and other artists to get out there and create art, rather than just
talking about it.
Playwright Lucy Thurber presented Daniel Talbott
of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater with the 2015 Vassallo Award for
mentorship. Talbott said: "when I think of mentorship, I think of
family."
Barefoot also saluted Kamilah Forbes of Hi-Arts with the Educational Outreach Program Award which her colleague Tiffany Vega was on hand to accept.
The Gala also included a performance of "Waiting for Waiting For Godot" by Mike Reiss, Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer for The Simpsons. Directed by Barefoot Theatre Company founder and Artistic Director Francisco Solorzano, the short play stars Jerry Adler (Larry David's Fish in the Dark), and Margaret Ladd (Falcon Crest) along with Barefoot Theatre company members Maia Sage, Jennie West, Daniel K. Isaac, Jeremy Brena, and Kenneth King.
Barefoot founded the awards after Vassallo lost a two-year battle
with cancer in 2014. The company was inspired to recognize Vassallo's
dedication to the arts, which included work producing the TENN99 and
NYNY festivals for the LAByrinth Theatre Company
as well as feature films which saw release at the Tribeca Film Festival
and IFC/Sundance Selects. Vassallo's passion extended to work as a
mentor with the 52nd Street Project, which pairs New York City children
and teens from with professional theatre artists. For this reason, the
awards acknowledge not only artistic achievements but also educational
outreach and mentorship that engages the next generation of artists.
The Vassallo Awards were sponsored by Sixpoint Brewery, American Ballroom Theater & Barefoot Studio Pictures.
The Vassallo Awards were sponsored by Sixpoint Brewery, American Ballroom Theater & Barefoot Studio Pictures.
Photos found at the Facebook of the Barefoot Theatre Company.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
AFGHANISTAN, ZIMBABWE, AMERICA, KUWAIT to Host Panel tonight
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and piece by piece productions have announced that the The Reverend Micah Bucey
will moderate a post-show panel discussion following the performance of
the world premiere play Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait, written
and directed by Daniel Talbott, on Tuesday, June 16, at The Gym at Judson, 243 Thompson Street. The panelists will include Greg Grandin, Morgan Jenness, and Michael Ratner.
The panel will consider how we as Americans distance ourselves from
war while we are simultaneously involved in ongoing wars, and the ways
in which the media and social media shape our access, consciousness,
disassociation, and accountability. The panelists bring a range of
unique perspectives - legal, historical, journalistic, and artistic - to
the question of American imperialism and engagement in foreign affairs.
source: BroadwayWorld
Saturday, June 13, 2015
4 reviews to ‘Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait’
The distinguished actress Kathryn Erbe with her tremendous dignity and her commanding presence is very moving as one of the soldier’s mothers. As the recurring Serbian Woman, Jelena Stupljanin very effectively brings depth and focus to this role that is a cypher.Read them all here:
- Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait posted by Darryl Reilly at Theater Scene
- ‘Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait’ review: Doomed soldiers in the not-so-distant future posted by Joe Dziemianowicz at NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
- Hallucinations abound in heavy-handed ‘Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait’ by Elisabeth Vincentelli at NY Post
- Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait - Soldiers and sand dominate Daniel Talbott's dystopian drama. by Zachary Stewart at Theater Mania
Friday, June 12, 2015
Opening Night of Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait
Oh yeah, with so many great photos of the red carpet and from the stage.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and piece by piece productions
presents Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait, written and directed by
Daniel Talbott, at The Gym at Judson, 243 Thompson Street. The production is scheduled to run through Saturday, June 27.
Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait takes place in the
not-so-distant future; two American soldiers wait at a worn-down outpost
in the desert. Hot and bright. Hallucinatory hot. The world has been
ravaged by war, its natural resources stripped, and it is no longer
clear if there is an enemy left to fight or anything left to fight for.
They wait. For orders, provisions, a sign of life. For rescue. Even for
death.
The cast of Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait is Kathryn Erbe ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent," Ode to Joy),Brian Miskell (The Undeniable Sound of Right Now, Hill Town Plays), Seth Numrich ("Turn," Golden Boy, War Horse, Slipping), Chris Stack (Your Mother's Copy of the Kama Sutra, Hill Town Plays, "One Life to Live"), Jimi Stanton, andJelena Stupljanin (Circus Columbia).
picture source:
BroadwayWorld - Walter McBride
You can find even more pictures here:
contactmusic
PlayBill
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait: Theater review by Jenna Scherer
The militants in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait don't see combat, or even a single enemy; instead, they're trapped alone in a wasteland, with all their demons in attendance. It's Waiting for Godot by way of Heart of Darkness
as two American soldiers sweat it out at a remote desert outpost while
the rest of the globe is in the grips of a catastrophic world war. Smith
(Numrich, charismatic and terrifying) is all manic energy and sudden
rages, while Leadem (Miskell) is tense and withdrawn, visited by visions
of a ravaged woman (the haunting Jelena Stupljanin).
You can feel the heat and the panic in Daniel Talbott's
hallucinatory production, which has the rhythm and texture of a
nightmare. Talbott breaks his story into vignettes to evoke time passing
and water supply dwindling, punctuated by John Zalewski's
electric-misfire sound design. Like the grains of sand on the floor of
the stage that audience members must walk through to get to their seats,
this one will stick with you for a while.—Jenna Scherer
Gym at Judson (Off Broadway). Written and directed by Daniel Talbott. With Seth Numrich, Brian Miskell. Running time: 1hr 30mins. No intermission.
ADVERTISING
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Beautiful new Interview
BoradwayWorld.com published a wonderful and long interview with Kathryn this week. Enjoy!
Kathryn and Seth Numrich in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait
BWW Interviews: Kathryn Erbe, Star of Stage & Screen
June 4, 2015 by Adrienne Onofri
She became a familiar face in America's living rooms with her 10 years on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but since that TV series ended in 2011, Kathryn Erbe
has returned to her first love, theater. She is currently portraying
one soldier's mother--and another's hallucination, or perhaps his
salvation--in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait, the new off-Broadway play (AZAK for short) written and directed by Daniel Talbott, artistic directory of Rising Phoenix Repertory.
Now in previews and set for a June 9 opening, AZAK is presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, not at the company's usual home on Waverly Place but in the Gym at Judson (Memorial Church), also in Greenwich Village. It's the third Rattlestick play--and the second costarring Seth Numrich--that Erbe's done since hanging up her badge as NYPD detective Alexandra Eames, partner of Vincent D'Onofrio's Det. Robert Goren. Last year she starred as a bisexual artist battling addiction in Rattlestick's Ode to Joy, opposite Arliss Howard and Roxanna Hope. Her other post-Law & Order theater credits include Nikolai and the Others at Lincoln Center Theater and Vineyard Theatre's Checkers.
BroadwayWorld interviewed Erbe on a bench in Washington Square Park, across the street from Judson. The park was full of cap-and-gown-clad graduates and their loved ones lingering from the graduation held earlier in the day for NYU--which just happens to be Erbe's alma mater.
How'd your collaboration with Rattlestick start?
The first play that I did with them was Daniel Talbott's Yosemite. An actress dropped out at the last minute. My agent is Seth's agent and is very good friends with Daniel, and he suggested me for the part, and I had a blast and really fell in love with Daniel's writing. I feel like his perspective is different from anybody else's, and the way that he articulates things is in so many ways exactly what I want to hear on a deep level. The way he talks about love, the way he talks about humanity. So I couldn't wait to work with him again. After that show, [Rattlestick artistic director] David Van Asselt said, "I'm going to find something else for you," and that's how I ended up doing Craig Lucas' play Ode to Joy, which was a two-year, life-changing journey for me. That was also the fifth play I did in 2½ years, and I needed to take a break. Just from being away from home the way you are when you do theater--missing bedtimes and stuff--so I basically swore off plays. And then I found myself in the audience of Tina Landau's production of Big Love. That play made me feel (A) like I wanted to be in love again and (B) I had this little voice that said, "Hm, maybe I'd really like to do a play again." And Daniel called me, if not the next day, two days after. I have a very hard time saying no to him.
What was "life-changing" about Ode to Joy?
Playing that character, Adele, became very close to my heart. Just her life struggle, playing a complicated character like that, but mainly just what happens when you work on something with people over a long period of time--the friendships that develop. It's really special, this work in the theater when you're all sort of in the trenches together. It can be a really fulfilling experience, and working with Craig and Arliss and Roxanna, we all were of the same sort of mindset, and it felt blessed.
The first time we read it, we did a public reading at the Cherry Lane, and that went over so well. I'm a company member of Atlantic, I've been trying to find something to do over there for years, and Neil [Pepe, Atlantic AD] was hoping possibly we'd do it at Atlantic. It took a while for the slot to open up at Rattlestick, so we did readings of it.
Do you especially enjoy acting in new plays as opposed to revivals?
I just go where the work is. I love what Rattlestick stands for in terms of supporting new work and doing work that other people maybe wouldn't be brave enough to do, and it feels like it's about the work more than it is about anything else.
Working with Daniel and working with Rattlestick exposed me to a whole community of young playwrights and directors and actors in New York which I felt completely cut off from doing Law & Order. I really didn't do anything besides Law & Order when I was doing that job. Daniel has this huge community with Rising Phoenix and the stuff they do at Jimmy's. His philosophy of you can make theater anywhere with anything for no money, you can do a play in a day, that it's for the people, by the people, of the people, I really love that. I want to support him in whatever way I can, whether it's doing site-specific work in somebody's backyard on Long Island, or this.
What can you tell us Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait?
Well, it's a play about war. A postapocalyptic near-future. I think it's an antiwar play. Not an anti-soldier play. There's some dream states, there's some nightmares, there's a lot coming at the audience in lots of different ways and lots of different levels. I would say there are aspects of it that are bleak, and very beautiful. We're here [at Judson] because it's a great big open square. They've basically built a desert in there. It's gorgeous to look at, the technology that they're using in terms of projections and the lighting and the music, it's really stunningly beautiful.
Is it set in those places named in the title?
It's in the desert; it could be many places.
What does it say that maybe hasn't been heard in other works about war?
You know, I don't have a lot of experience seeing a lot of war films, plays about war, soldiers. It's not what I'm necessarily drawn to, but more and more I find myself being sucked into things like The Walking Dead that is not something that I would think I would like at all intellectually. And I don't respond to it intellectually; I respond to it with my heart: the way the world feels like it's going, the way we've f---ed up the environment, quite probably beyond repair, and we're all moving in the direction of trying to figure out how to survive what we've done. I find myself drawn to things that feel more like life-or-death, and how do we get by, how do we work together to get through where we find ourselves in a wasteland. I think that's what Daniel's trying to get at.
What kind of audience reactions are you anticipating?
I will be curious to see. Like all of Daniel's work, it encompasses all aspects of humanness. There's some really ugly stuff and there's some really beautiful stuff. I hope that it will be moving and also really thought-provoking about war and about the cost of war and where we're headed.
How did you prepare for this role?
I've done some research in terms of reading things written by soldiers, written by mothers of soldiers. Right now I'm reading Trumbo's book Johnny Got His Gun, and just thinking about war and the politics of war, the money involved. I love that Pope Francis is talking about how people are making a lot of money off of wars.
Have you done political theater in the past?
That's where I thought I would go when I was in college. I was very interested in political theater, and I did a lot of it while I was at school, and imagined myself having that kind of life--doing theater for specific communities to try to bring about activism and be an activist myself. Somebody might go to see Craig's piece and think it was a political statement in that my character had both a husband and a girlfriend, but it was just up there. The Grapes of Wrath could be considered political, and Speed of Darkness was about Vietnam vets and how their lives were altered by the war.
You mentioned seeing Big Love at Signature Theatre last winter. Have you seen other shows in New York recently that made an impression on you?
I have, yeah. The Insurgents at Labyrinth and Bedlam's two versions of Twelfth Night. I loved Rasheeda Speaking. I absolutely loved Fun Home--I feel like that's kind of a miracle of a show. I just saw An American in Paris and I loved that, for other reasons. I really love being an audience member as much as I like being an actor.
Did Law & Order feel theatrical in any way?
We got to work with so many amazing New York theater actors. And Vincent, obviously, is just a hugely talented actor, hugely creative, and was always coming up with theatrical ways of doing that job. And it's not on paper--a lot of that came out of his own head and a collaboration between him and Rene [Balcer, co-creator of the series]. The scenes I had a lot of fun with were where we were putting on characters to catch a criminal, where we'd really get to skewer people.
Once I got over the sort of shock of the life change that [doing a TV series] is, I cried. Every day I would cry, missing my daughter--she was 5 when we started, and I was gone for 18 hours five days a week, would come home as the sun was coming up on a Saturday morning. I think during that time I felt very much like a worker bee: go and punch the clock, do my job, go home, try to have as much of a home life as I could.
Would you ever do episodic television again?
Sure I would. It was nice to have a steady job, and a family, so to speak, of a crew that we worked with for 11 years. It scares me to think about just because of what it does mean for your life, and I hopefully would be choosy in what I do.
You got your first professional job while still in college, so you've had a long career at this point. Does it ever feel like you've been at it too long?
Sometimes I wonder, because the business has changed so much. I'm almost 50. I refuse to get plastic surgery of any kind. I don't tweet, I don't have a website. I don't even own my name [as a URL]; someone else bought it, so I'd have to buy it from someone if I wanted to create a website with my name. I'm not willing to adapt in the way that a lot of people are, and that's been my case really from the beginning. I've always put my kids and my family first. So those choices have maybe affected my opportunities. Now in my "old age"--my middle age--I just want to be happy, and enjoy being home when I'm home and enjoy working when I'm working. I used to spend a lot of time in the not-so-distant past worrying about work and what other people are doing and why am I not doing it, and I don't want to do that anymore. I really am so happy with the opportunities that come my way, and I love being home. I have a really full life--dogs, kids... My daughter's at Bennington, and my son is 11. He's going into sixth grade, so there's a lot still to be done at home.
What else have you been working on lately?
I'm involved with several new plays in development, a couple of which I've been attached to for a year or more--playwrights who I love whose work I really want to be a part of and support. As far as any concrete thing, I don't have anything lined up. Turning 50.
Any special birthday plans?
I'm hopefully going to take my kids to Disney World. Hopefully going to go on a trip with my sister and some of my girlfriends. Go to New Hampshire--my mom turned 75, and her husband turned 90, so we're going to have a triple birthday celebration. It's going to be a whole summer of celebration of life. That sounds good to me.
Now in previews and set for a June 9 opening, AZAK is presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, not at the company's usual home on Waverly Place but in the Gym at Judson (Memorial Church), also in Greenwich Village. It's the third Rattlestick play--and the second costarring Seth Numrich--that Erbe's done since hanging up her badge as NYPD detective Alexandra Eames, partner of Vincent D'Onofrio's Det. Robert Goren. Last year she starred as a bisexual artist battling addiction in Rattlestick's Ode to Joy, opposite Arliss Howard and Roxanna Hope. Her other post-Law & Order theater credits include Nikolai and the Others at Lincoln Center Theater and Vineyard Theatre's Checkers.
BroadwayWorld interviewed Erbe on a bench in Washington Square Park, across the street from Judson. The park was full of cap-and-gown-clad graduates and their loved ones lingering from the graduation held earlier in the day for NYU--which just happens to be Erbe's alma mater.
How'd your collaboration with Rattlestick start?
The first play that I did with them was Daniel Talbott's Yosemite. An actress dropped out at the last minute. My agent is Seth's agent and is very good friends with Daniel, and he suggested me for the part, and I had a blast and really fell in love with Daniel's writing. I feel like his perspective is different from anybody else's, and the way that he articulates things is in so many ways exactly what I want to hear on a deep level. The way he talks about love, the way he talks about humanity. So I couldn't wait to work with him again. After that show, [Rattlestick artistic director] David Van Asselt said, "I'm going to find something else for you," and that's how I ended up doing Craig Lucas' play Ode to Joy, which was a two-year, life-changing journey for me. That was also the fifth play I did in 2½ years, and I needed to take a break. Just from being away from home the way you are when you do theater--missing bedtimes and stuff--so I basically swore off plays. And then I found myself in the audience of Tina Landau's production of Big Love. That play made me feel (A) like I wanted to be in love again and (B) I had this little voice that said, "Hm, maybe I'd really like to do a play again." And Daniel called me, if not the next day, two days after. I have a very hard time saying no to him.
What was "life-changing" about Ode to Joy?
Playing that character, Adele, became very close to my heart. Just her life struggle, playing a complicated character like that, but mainly just what happens when you work on something with people over a long period of time--the friendships that develop. It's really special, this work in the theater when you're all sort of in the trenches together. It can be a really fulfilling experience, and working with Craig and Arliss and Roxanna, we all were of the same sort of mindset, and it felt blessed.
The first time we read it, we did a public reading at the Cherry Lane, and that went over so well. I'm a company member of Atlantic, I've been trying to find something to do over there for years, and Neil [Pepe, Atlantic AD] was hoping possibly we'd do it at Atlantic. It took a while for the slot to open up at Rattlestick, so we did readings of it.
Do you especially enjoy acting in new plays as opposed to revivals?
I just go where the work is. I love what Rattlestick stands for in terms of supporting new work and doing work that other people maybe wouldn't be brave enough to do, and it feels like it's about the work more than it is about anything else.
Working with Daniel and working with Rattlestick exposed me to a whole community of young playwrights and directors and actors in New York which I felt completely cut off from doing Law & Order. I really didn't do anything besides Law & Order when I was doing that job. Daniel has this huge community with Rising Phoenix and the stuff they do at Jimmy's. His philosophy of you can make theater anywhere with anything for no money, you can do a play in a day, that it's for the people, by the people, of the people, I really love that. I want to support him in whatever way I can, whether it's doing site-specific work in somebody's backyard on Long Island, or this.
What can you tell us Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait?
Well, it's a play about war. A postapocalyptic near-future. I think it's an antiwar play. Not an anti-soldier play. There's some dream states, there's some nightmares, there's a lot coming at the audience in lots of different ways and lots of different levels. I would say there are aspects of it that are bleak, and very beautiful. We're here [at Judson] because it's a great big open square. They've basically built a desert in there. It's gorgeous to look at, the technology that they're using in terms of projections and the lighting and the music, it's really stunningly beautiful.
Is it set in those places named in the title?
It's in the desert; it could be many places.
What does it say that maybe hasn't been heard in other works about war?
You know, I don't have a lot of experience seeing a lot of war films, plays about war, soldiers. It's not what I'm necessarily drawn to, but more and more I find myself being sucked into things like The Walking Dead that is not something that I would think I would like at all intellectually. And I don't respond to it intellectually; I respond to it with my heart: the way the world feels like it's going, the way we've f---ed up the environment, quite probably beyond repair, and we're all moving in the direction of trying to figure out how to survive what we've done. I find myself drawn to things that feel more like life-or-death, and how do we get by, how do we work together to get through where we find ourselves in a wasteland. I think that's what Daniel's trying to get at.
What kind of audience reactions are you anticipating?
I will be curious to see. Like all of Daniel's work, it encompasses all aspects of humanness. There's some really ugly stuff and there's some really beautiful stuff. I hope that it will be moving and also really thought-provoking about war and about the cost of war and where we're headed.
How did you prepare for this role?
I've done some research in terms of reading things written by soldiers, written by mothers of soldiers. Right now I'm reading Trumbo's book Johnny Got His Gun, and just thinking about war and the politics of war, the money involved. I love that Pope Francis is talking about how people are making a lot of money off of wars.
Have you done political theater in the past?
That's where I thought I would go when I was in college. I was very interested in political theater, and I did a lot of it while I was at school, and imagined myself having that kind of life--doing theater for specific communities to try to bring about activism and be an activist myself. Somebody might go to see Craig's piece and think it was a political statement in that my character had both a husband and a girlfriend, but it was just up there. The Grapes of Wrath could be considered political, and Speed of Darkness was about Vietnam vets and how their lives were altered by the war.
You mentioned seeing Big Love at Signature Theatre last winter. Have you seen other shows in New York recently that made an impression on you?
I have, yeah. The Insurgents at Labyrinth and Bedlam's two versions of Twelfth Night. I loved Rasheeda Speaking. I absolutely loved Fun Home--I feel like that's kind of a miracle of a show. I just saw An American in Paris and I loved that, for other reasons. I really love being an audience member as much as I like being an actor.
Did Law & Order feel theatrical in any way?
We got to work with so many amazing New York theater actors. And Vincent, obviously, is just a hugely talented actor, hugely creative, and was always coming up with theatrical ways of doing that job. And it's not on paper--a lot of that came out of his own head and a collaboration between him and Rene [Balcer, co-creator of the series]. The scenes I had a lot of fun with were where we were putting on characters to catch a criminal, where we'd really get to skewer people.
Once I got over the sort of shock of the life change that [doing a TV series] is, I cried. Every day I would cry, missing my daughter--she was 5 when we started, and I was gone for 18 hours five days a week, would come home as the sun was coming up on a Saturday morning. I think during that time I felt very much like a worker bee: go and punch the clock, do my job, go home, try to have as much of a home life as I could.
Would you ever do episodic television again?
Sure I would. It was nice to have a steady job, and a family, so to speak, of a crew that we worked with for 11 years. It scares me to think about just because of what it does mean for your life, and I hopefully would be choosy in what I do.
You got your first professional job while still in college, so you've had a long career at this point. Does it ever feel like you've been at it too long?
Sometimes I wonder, because the business has changed so much. I'm almost 50. I refuse to get plastic surgery of any kind. I don't tweet, I don't have a website. I don't even own my name [as a URL]; someone else bought it, so I'd have to buy it from someone if I wanted to create a website with my name. I'm not willing to adapt in the way that a lot of people are, and that's been my case really from the beginning. I've always put my kids and my family first. So those choices have maybe affected my opportunities. Now in my "old age"--my middle age--I just want to be happy, and enjoy being home when I'm home and enjoy working when I'm working. I used to spend a lot of time in the not-so-distant past worrying about work and what other people are doing and why am I not doing it, and I don't want to do that anymore. I really am so happy with the opportunities that come my way, and I love being home. I have a really full life--dogs, kids... My daughter's at Bennington, and my son is 11. He's going into sixth grade, so there's a lot still to be done at home.
What else have you been working on lately?
I'm involved with several new plays in development, a couple of which I've been attached to for a year or more--playwrights who I love whose work I really want to be a part of and support. As far as any concrete thing, I don't have anything lined up. Turning 50.
Any special birthday plans?
I'm hopefully going to take my kids to Disney World. Hopefully going to go on a trip with my sister and some of my girlfriends. Go to New Hampshire--my mom turned 75, and her husband turned 90, so we're going to have a triple birthday celebration. It's going to be a whole summer of celebration of life. That sounds good to me.
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