It began on the dance floor. Late one night in an LA Club Jean-Michel Basquiat danced up to Roger Guenveur Smith and proclaimed, “I like your energy”. From there a friendship was born. In many ways it seemed the two lived parallel lives while growing up on opposite sides of the country, Basquiat in Brooklyn, and Smith in Los Angeles. They both shared a love of Twain, encyclopedias, and were passionate about confronting issues of race, justice and fairness through their art. Both came from...

Disco Balls, Game Shows & Southern Shade – An Interview with Are You Mad at Me’s Bryan Safi You may not know it, but Bryan Safi has probably been in your living room. For several years Safi has been a regular presence on television screens through his recurring roles on Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1, Damon Wayan’s Poppa’s House, and Netflix’s You and Young & Hungry. He is the co-host of two podcasts – Attitudes and Ask Ronna. If that weren’t enough, he has been nominated for two Emmy awards, won a...

At SoHo Playhouse On the surface Shell is a free wheeling, rollicking, sex comedy, but underneath the laughter it raises serious questions about gender, sexuality, love and desire. Our guide for much of the show is hockey dude Andy, the founder of B.R.O. (Breaking Reproductive Oppression). Andy leads the audience in various quizzes and questions involving their knowledge of the reproductive system and their own acts of reproductive oppression. In addition to Andy, we meet Peanut who may be...